From Jacob Vaughn

met Doug just a couple of years ago when Laura Harrison and Beth Federici introduced me to him.   Soonafter, I had the good fortune to be behind the camera shooting video footage of him during the restoration of Cadillac Ranch.   From our first meeting, I could tell right away that this would be someone I would learn a great deal from.  And what a beautiful laugh he had!

The memory that sticks out the most is when I told him about the feature film that I’m currently working on... this was before we had any money to shoot it, when we were still pulling resources, actors and crew together.  I had practiced “pitching” the story to many folks, having little success.  There is an art to pitching a movie and it can be incredibly difficult.  Well one day we’re in his apartment, he and I, and you have to understand that I’m in awe of this man, of the life he lived, of the things that he did.  I met him when I was 27... he was just a giant to me.  And yet I always felt at ease in his company.  So, I started telling him about our film.  And the thing about it was he “got it” right away.  And I gave him more and more detail to the story and the way I told it, to my own ears, was beautiful... I mean it was flowing, I was conveying the story in a way that made sense for the very first time.  He was into it, we were engaged, the film was playing in front of us, together, and we were enjoying every minute of it.  And by the end I realized that that was the best pitch I’d ever given.  I didn’t so much walk away as float away, I was just so incredibly high.  It was a revelation.

On several occasions afterward, Doug and I talked about that pitch — we both asked why it went so well.  Looking back, I think it was his enthusiasm that sparked me... his light was contagious.  He brought patience and awareness to the table.  I played the movie to him, but he was the light by which I saw it played back to me.  And that was for me the beginning of this film.  That moment continues to shine as the point in time when we really had a movie.  In a way, he was the most attentive and gracious audience member I could ever hope for.  After that I told my partner, “Doug is the target audience for this movie!”  I figured that if we made it for him, the movie would be a success, somehow... some way.

I emailed him a month ago, telling him we shot the movie and that everything was going well.  I so looked forward to showing him the finished piece and to hearing about his adventures in Australia.  I knew him for such a short time compared to so many of you who’ve written about him.  But what a time it was... and what an inspiration.

See you in the future, Doug.  
-Jacob Vaughan