“un abrazote muy, muy fuerte”

11/23/2009 at 3:57pm · Filed under Uncategorized and tagged: grief, luis alberto matanzo

this is how my friend luis alberto matanzo signed off one of his emails not long ago. (loosely translated: “a very very strong bear hug.”) luis was killed in a car accident yesterday, and already his loss is resonating far and wide. not only was he an immensely talented designer and rising star with respect to landscape architecture in mexico, but luis had what one of our other friends referred to as “an incredible inner magnet” — not a soul who met luis could resist his energy, his intellect, his sense of humor, his generosity, that sparkle in his eye. i feel lucky to have visited him in his hometown of puebla, and to have shared dinners with him in mexico city and new york a handful of times these past few years. the world just lost one its best and brightest, and in his honor i will never again shy away from speaking spanish… as mangled and blush-inducing as mine may be. so: te mando un abrazote muy, muy fuerte, luis. siempre estaras en mi corazon.

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