Keith and I attended the memorial mass on Friday of one of our oldest and possibly best friends, Father Richard Bevenour. Sparsely attended, this according to family members who spoke by Dick’s own wish, his effect on innumerable lives, and certainly upon ours, was nevertheless enormous.
An Iowa native, he was on leave from the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa. By Dick’s telling, his leave taking was the result of a crisis of faith that, in his last meeting with his bishop, was impelling him to leave the priesthood. His bishop, though, told Dick not to leave, but take time away to sort his own self out, which then brought Dick to California, and Fresno eventually, and initially with work for Catholic Charities. It was a few years after this that I became acquainted with Dick when, through mutual friends, I attended a Dignity mass and potluck at the Newman Center at Fresno State. Sadly now moribund locally, Dignity is a national organization of gay Catholics, and Dick was very much involved. His partner Gordon Young was, as well- a convert to Catholicism the result of his relationship with Dick.
Unfortunately, Gordon was the forgotten man at Dick’s memorial mass, with not a mention of him, and not a hint of what Dick himself would doubtless describe as the most important relationship of his life. They had made a home together for nearly 25 years before Gordon died of lung cancer, now nearly 30 years ago. Where Dick was quiet and self effacing, Gordon was loud and boisterous. Gordon was a wire services editor at the Fresno Bee and a prolific, though not very focused writer, Dick nevertheless would heartily endorse Gordon as the intellectual torch bearer in their home. Not true- Dick was deeply introspective, and what he thought of his faith and his God was movingly discussed in well-considered exegeses published monthly in the Dignity newsletter. They were so erudite I thought they were essays cribbed from someone the likes of theologian Henri Nouwen, and the author’s name- Theordore Ursus- did nothing to enlighten me, until Keith McCullar pointed this out as a nom de plume- Dick had Latinized Gordon’s own pet name for him, ‘Teddy Bear.’ Their strong intellects, though, did find a mutual outlet when they opened Gordick’s Books that for its time, was the closest thing Fresno had to San Francisco’s City Lights. We were pleased to meet Armistead Maupin, Randy Shilts, and a number of others at booksignings at Gordick’s.
Years pass, and our departure from Fresno 20 years ago limited our contacts with Dick, and I am sorry that while he struggled with the Parkinson’s disease that killed him we were not able to carve time out from our own struggles with aging parents to be a better friend to him. Keith and I will though be forever grateful to Dick for his friendship, support, and example setting compassion that now, 35 years into our own relationship, we daily acknowledge. God bless him, as certainly God blessed us with Dick.