Barry Royce Fitzpatrick

I was sitting in my office this morning going over some issues with the Boss and the phone started ringing. I ignored the first 5 or six calls as I did not immediately recognize any of the numbers. Then came one on my cell from another PBS Chief Engineer, I answered and was, and still am, in shock by the news he delivered. The Chief Engineer from the Tallahassee PBS station was killed in a motorcycle accident over the weekend. Now I will not pretend we were best of friends but we just met a few weeks ago in Tampa to discuss the technical and economic feasibility of combining the operations of all the Florida PBS stations.

We sat next to each other for the whole meeting, talking shop and then on the breaks talking turkey. Him and I had more of a phone call, email relationship due to the nature of our work. The nature of the conversation in Tampa was complex and at points the discussion was lively, as they are when you have a room full of very damn good engineers. Before the Tampa trip and since we have been working through the logistics of how a combined operation might work and there are lots of opinions and lots of ideas.

All of that went flying out the window at 9:59 am this morning. Work has been rough for me lately, PBS and NPR funding has been under attack. Attempting to predict the future of the local station is very difficult and it gets harder and harder as folks consume their media in different ways. The costs of very slim budgets over the last few years is coming home to roost. When certain systems are ignored because there is no funding to properly maintain them it becomes very stressful because now we are in a run to failure mode. That is an abhorrent place to be for a conscientious engineer. I hate the stress it causes because when systems do fail it is a 100% reactionary response instead of a proactive response.

I digress, the point is work is very stressful for me and a lot of broadcast engineers lately and that call this morning REALLY just slammed the dot on the exclamation point at the end of the statement – the job supports the life, NOT the other way around. I have been kind of in a funk all day thinking about Barry and his family. He leaves behind a wife and 2 kids in their 20’s, he was 53.

Here is what was on FloridaToday.com

One person is dead following a motorcycle-versus-car crash Sunday afternoon on North Meridian Road near Orchard Pond Road.


Barry Royce Fitzpatrick, 53, of Tallahassee, was driving a 2001 Harley-Davidson Road King behind a 2004 Volvo S80 driven by a juvenile, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release. Both vehicles were heading south on North Meridian.


The Volvo's driver tried to make a U-turn and pulled off into the grass, FHP Trooper James Anderson said. As the car's driver tried to turn around, Fitzpatrick's motorcycle hit the car on its driver's side, Anderson said. Fitzpatrick was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and died from his injuries. According to the news release, Fitzpatrick was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.


The car's driver — Anderson said his name was not released because he is a juvenile — was not injured.


FHP troopers were dispatched at 12:38 p.m. and arrived at the scene at 1:02 p.m.


The road was closed for a couple of hours as FHP investigated the crash, but was reopened by about 4 p.m. According to the news release, charges are pending.


My heart is hurting for the family he left behind. It is a stark reminder of our own mortality, we ought to be spending more of our time loving the ones we love and telling them how we feel. We should spend more time doing good things for those who are less fortunate. We should help those in need and be nice to folks. Those are the important things in life, not whether the Florida PBS stations can figure out how to, or not to, combine operations.

Lately I have gotten a bit too wrapped up in work, I have not been to the beach to watch the sunrise as often as I need to keep everything in the correct perspective. I have not done any volunteer work for to many months. I have not been enjoying the parks project as much as I want to be. I have been short with Bride on three occasions that have been over stupid shit. I guess I have been feeling a little overwhelmed, working at working, working side jobs to help cover the tax burden this year. I have a million things around the house that need doing and I got no money to do them. I am not complaining I am only saying that it seems my life has been out of control, at least to me.

While Barry’s death is tragic it has helped me get things back into the proper perspective, what better tribute to my friend could there be than to use his death for something positive. What does it all mean, I have no idea, I am raising up some prayer for Barry’s family and hope they can find strength in these coming days, months and years.