Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

PASSAGES Rich Essig, Rupert Serrano
2010-10-20

This article shared 5957 times since Wed Oct 20, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Rich Essig;

Rupert Serrano

By Ross Forman

Rich Essig, a member of the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) Hall of Fame, died Sept. 9 at Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago. He was 86.

Essig was born in Chicago and joined the Army during World War II from 1942 to 1945. After the war, he returned to Chicago. Along with Sam Molinaro, Essig helped organize many fundraisers to financially support CMSA in its early years.

Essig, who served on the CMSA board and was its president in 1991, was instrumental in CMSA's bowling growth in the early years.

"Rich was a tremendous supporter of the [ then ] MSA teams and very active and responsive on the board," said Chicagoan Dick Uyvari. "You could always count on Rich to show up and help out wherever need be.

"It's always sad when someone dies, but he lived a nice, long life; we should all be that lucky."

Essig was a bowler in the local league from 1982-1992. He served as the bowling league secretary from 1985-1990, and on the GAA/MSA main board from 1982-1990.

Essig continued to bowl in the CMSA Tuesday night bowling league until 2007.

"Rich was certainly full of life, even in his later years," said Chicagoan Frank Batusic, who bowled with and against Essig. "Rich always was gung-ho, ready to go. He worshipped the sun like craze and never was shy to meet new people. He always wanted to be in the mix."

Essig worked in sales for a cap and gown company for many years, and also was a representative for the Affy Tapple company for about 10 years.

Rupert Serrano

Rupert Serrano, who has played in the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) volleyball leagues for years, died unexpectedly Oct. 15. He was 34.

"My personal reaction was one of shock and disbelief," said Anton Mulvaney, commissioner of the CMSA's beach-volleyball league. "I know how serious bronchial and/or community acquired pneumonia can be, but never expected it to take Rupert's life. To some degree, [ the shock ] still has not sunk in.

"The [ CMSA ] volleyball community is also in shock."

Mulvaney said CMSA, the Windy City Athletic Association ( WCAA ) and the North American Gay Volleyball Association ( NAGVA ) are each in discussions about doing something to honor Serrano.

"Rupert was one of the sweetest, most sincere guys I've had the pleasure to meet and know," Mulvaney said. "He always had kind words to say, [ was ] very supportive, [ and was ] always willing to lend a hand. He was exemplary in all thoughts and actions.

"He stood up for what he believed in, no matter how much it went against the grain. He was passionate and his character unparalleled; his joy for live [ was ] vast, his love for volleyball intense."

Mulvaney and Serrano were friends for four years, and friendship that took root on the volleyball court.

Serrano served on the CMSA beach volleyball committee for the past three seasons. He took on the ominous task of putting all the score sheets together on a weekly basis. He also updated the standings on the CMSA beach volleyball website.

Serrano also helped with Queen of the Beach tournament and other volleyball events.

Serrano competed in volleyball at the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany.

"I adored Rupert and will miss him forever," Mulvaney said.

Added Chicagoan Scott Nelson: "Rupert was unselfish in his volunteer work. He was a tireless volunteer in the Chicago gay volleyball community and NAGVA. Rupert always had a smile and a hug for everyone."

Nelson and Serrano had been friends for eight years, and they too met playing volleyball.

"He was a great coach/mentor and would scream and shriek while dominating the volleyball court," Nelson said. "He was amazing and hilarious to watch at the same time.

Nelson said one his favorite Serrano tales was the time he brought an exercise ball to sit and stretch while at a volleyball tournament in Cincinnati. "He would bounce around the gym on it while screeching," Nelson said. "He then had someone get on the ball with him and both bounced at the same time.

" [ Serrano's ] red fan and his camera went to every tournament he went to."

Will McKendree of Chicago, who has played volleyball with Serrano, said he prepared for the worst while Serrano was in the hospital. But when he heard of Serrano's passing, "it took almost 30 minutes to register," McKendree said. "I somehow expected that he would be back to his joyful self, and knew deep inside that he would pull through this. It wasn't until I was home that it finally hit me, and I had to deal with the idea that he was no longer with us."

McKendree said the thing about Serrano that stood out the most was that Serrano, "always was intent upon making people around him have fun. He would often do the most ridiculous things if he knew that it would light up someone's night. He cared for every last person around him, and was an outstanding friend."

McKendree and Serrano were friends for four years—a friendship also formed on the volleyball court.

"When Rupert and I went to Japan, we spent the first night running amuck around Tokyo's Shinjuku district," McKendree said. "After a lovely dinner with perhaps a little too much shochu [ an alcoholic beverage ] , Rupert learned a phrase, 'Dai Suki,' which literally translates into 'I like it a lot.' We ran around Tokyo until 6 a.m. with Rupert yelling, 'Dai Suki' at the top of his vocal range, and at everything from scooters to men to advertisements, etc. It was a wild night that I will always remember."

Serrano worked for the Women's Business Development Center, with side jobs teaching aerobics. He also played badminton and tennis.

Serrano was born in the Philippines, moved to Michigan in his teens, then went to college at Loyola University in Chicago.

"Rupert was always willing to help train those around him [ on the volleyball court ] , and he did it in such a way that was nurturing and kind," McKendree said. "He had a true love of the sport, and always hoped to elevate the skill of those around him.

"Rupert somehow made an impression with any and everybody he met. I have friends that have crossed his path for mere minutes that have sent me messages inquiring about his situation while he was in the hospital. Never before have I met someone that could make a lasting impression like he could, and a positive one at that."

Ben Remor of Chicago, a friend of Serrano's through volleyball, said he was "pretty shocked" for losing a dear friend. And confused

"Rupert was very open and welcoming to everybody," Remor said. "He did not want to be a problem, but rather, always wanted to know what he [ could ] do to help. He was always willing to listen. He was loyal to all his friends.

"His laughter and his cheers [ stand out the most ] . He was just a happy person."

Serrano enjoyed dancing, and loved beauty pageants and figure skating, Remor said.


This article shared 5957 times since Wed Oct 20, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty 2024-03-14
- Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Bryan Dean Wilson 2024-03-14
- Bryan Dean Wilson, 64, of Chicago, passed away March 11. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bryan graduated from Washington High school in Cedar Rapids before earning his B.S. in Biology from Mount Mercy University, also in ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Charles R. Tobin 2024-03-03
- Charles R. Tobin, 81, peacefully passed away on Dec. 23, 2023, in the company of his husband, after living with Lewey body dementia for several years. Charlie was born and raised in the Fernwood neighborhood on ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Trailblazing judge and attorney Patricia M. Logue passes away 2024-02-26
- The Honorable Patricia Logue ("Pat" to her friends, Trish" to her family) was a brilliant lawyer, a trailblazing jurist and a hero to the LGBTQ community. Pat's legacy includes numerous landmark cases she litigated over her ...


Gay News

Oklahoma non-binary student dies after being assaulted 2024-02-21
- Officials acknowledged there are unresolved questions about a 16-year-old non-binary Oklahoma student who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom, NBC News noted. Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, ...


Gay News

GLAAD remembers Cecilia Gentili, transgender Latina, actress, activist, health care activist, journalist 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (New York, NY - February 6, 2024) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to the death of transgender actress and advocate Cecilia Gentili and elevating voices of transgender and political leaders honoring ...


Gay News

More information emerges about death on Atlantis gay cruise 2024-02-04
By Lu Calzada - Further details have emerged following the death of a Chicago man on a Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Atlantis cruise targeted towards gay men. Following a Reddit post by the man's sister — which has ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Imperial Court's Scott Archer remembered as selfless, devoted 2024-02-04
By Alec Karam - As the old saying goes, we all have an angel on one shoulder, and a devil on the other. Well, Scott Archer was all angel, his best friend Herman Coen believes. "Everybody wanted to talk to Scott, because Scott was Scott," ...


Gay News

Broadway star Chita Rivera dies at 91 2024-01-30
- Chita Rivera—a Broadway legend with more than seven decades of credits—has died at age 91 after a short illness, People Magazine reported. "It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved ...


Gay News

PASSSAGES Chef Michael Thomas Zito 2024-01-02
- Chef Michael Thomas Zito, 55, ("Chef Bear Italia" and "Big Chef") passed away December 12, 2023, unexpectedly at home in Chicago's Belmont Gardens neighborhood. Born in Kentucky to Pentecostal missionaries from New York, Mike began cooking ...


Gay News

Gay political trailblazer Ken Sherrill passes away at age 81 2023-12-30
- Kenneth Sherrill—a pioneering political scientist who was also the first out gay elected official in New York history—died in early December at age 81 from surgical complications, Gay City News reported. He is survived by his ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Paris Johnson 2023-12-29
- Paris Johnson, 29, of Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, passed away unexpectedly Nov. 28. He would have celebrated his 30th birthday Dec. 20. Born into a military family in Sacramento, California, Paris moved often in his youth, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.