On February 12th, 2010, the man known to us as “Mad Wook” made an account on StarWars.com. In his time there he made a total of 43 posts before the forums shut down in 2011. He joined the great migration to Port Haven, mostly talking about The Clone Warscartoon and various Expanded Universe novels and comics. Between April 5th, 2011 and June 26th, 2014 he amassed 13,710 posts here, #5 on the post count list. Over time he branched out from Star Wars lore into nearly every discussion we had on this site including writing for our magazine. Hardly a day went by without seeing “Mad Wook” on the online members list. He was without a doubt one of our more active members.
But the sheer volume of his presence here is secondary to the heart behind each and every one of those posts. He loved Star Wars, and dozens of other fandoms, but he really loved people over anything else. His love for his family was apparent from every mention of them. He defended those who were his friends with a passion. And he truly had the good of this site in his heart. Yes, he was a bit rough around the edges at times, and there were days he lived up to his screen name, but even in those times he was fighting for what he considered to be right. He was unapologetically honest and unapologetically himself. Just 100% Wook all the time. And that is something that this site and this world will miss.
As for myself, I count Wook among my true friends, not just an internet acquaintance. He helped me through some stressful times, and I was blessed to be able to return the favor. I know I am not alone in having a friendship with him.
Wook loved this place. It was his refuge from the stresses of real life. When we were broke, he pleaded with us to remember that we are all here to enjoy each other. Frankly, some days it’s easier to enjoy all of you than others. I’m sure most, if not all, of us would admit to that if we were being honest. But from now on, in the face of Port Haven drama I am going to remember how Wook wanted us to be. Not because we shouldn’t feed trolls. Not because it’s the internet and I should let it slide. Not because we’re never going to change someone’s mind. But because Wook wanted us to be happy. He wanted us to mess around in good humor. He wanted us to be as much ourselves as he was himself. And sure, we might have our blowup moments. Wook did too. And it’s not about never getting a little “Mad”, it’s about always being fuzzy later. I want Port Haven to be the refuge that it was for Wook. I think truly remembering him means trying to treat each other like he treated us. And I will remember him forever.
To Wook, I’d say I’ll see you again ner vod. Goodnight, but not goodbye.
