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Joseph Najdek — September 23, 1948 — March 13, 2008
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Memories Shared by Friends
When Joe came to Oregon State he didn't know how to drive. His family lived in downtown Portland and I don't think they had a car when he was growing up. I gave him driving lessons in the indestructible GTM (pictured above) and he was able to get his license. A while later we went on a road trip down to Monterey for a rugby tournament. I remember being exhausted as we drove down on the morning of the tournament and I asked Joe if he could drive. Joe said OK so I crawled into the back and went fast asleep. I was awakened by our car pulling over to the side of the road with a police car behind us with its red light on. The officer came up to the driver's side window and Joe asked if there was a problem. The officer said we were doing a lot of weaving from side to side. I assured the officer that we had nothing to drink and Joe was simply a new driver. I told him that I would drive the rest of the trip and we were then on our way. We made it to the tournament and Joe eventually became a very good driver.
"My dad and Joe were college friends and my parents and sisters and I stopped for a visit during a family trip in the early nineties. We went out to dinner with his family. It was a fun and memorable dinner with all the kids. We counted about 7 drinks spilled over the course of the night. But none of the adults got mad or frustrated and Joe and family were so welcoming and friendly."