To be a collection of stories remembered by Nick's friends and family. Please leave your stories here

Instructions: Click edit page, above. Scroll to below the last entry and write on this page

as you would a MS Word page. Click SAVE, lower left, when you're done.

(Be careful not to overwrite other people's entries.)

_____________________________

 

10/3/2008  A Cathedral for Nick, by David Garrison

 

 

10/3/2008  For Nick,  from Rory MacLeod

 

 

10/5/2008   From Penny, Bob, Jack, Joe and Flora German

 

***************

 

The night Nick died, the recently discovered Comet Holmes, brightened almost one million times. It is visible to the naked eye in the Perseus constellation (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/10775326.html). It is comforting that Nick may be there, and in every beautiful sunset and moonbeam. And, with somewhat less woo-woo mysticism, that at least his lovely spirit lives on in all of us -- what "after-life" may truly mean.

--Frances Glascoe, East Berlin, PA

 

***************

 

One of many many wonderful memories of Nick is going mushroom hunting with him in a woods near Frederick. He claimed to know which ones were the right ones and expertly included and excluded various finds as people brought them to him. The woods were beautiful, green and fragrant and the spongy trail made for a good hike, as people darted off left and right to capture another delicacy. We brought them back to the house and Nick proudly spilled the entire bag out onto the kitchen counter top. Fungi, leaves, clods of dirt, and all, the contents looked somewhat less than appetizing.

- Mary Ellsworth, Takoma Park, MD

 

***************

 

In our minds, Nick was singer, musician, and dancer, but for money he worked in IT and was quite good at it. He was what one might call old-school, having worked at it for decades. It meant that he was well-versed in Unix, comfortable with the command line, and a little disdainful of GUI-based Windows (which didn't prevent him entertaining the prospect of writing a book for Microsoft Press at one point).

 

In early 2000 we had a brief discussion about IT, a field I was just going into, having run into a dead end in my earlier career. His advice was simple, but prescient: Learn Linux. As he saw, there was a strong future for this thing that many old-timers saw as just a toy.

 

He followed his own advice, of course. His laptop was Linux; for graphics he used GIMP; he taught Perl. I suspect that part of the appeal was the rebellious aura that surrounded Linux and the Open Source movement.

 

Jim Voorhees, Kensington, MD

 

***************

 

Nick and Terry spent many (but too few) weekends in Lewes, DE, with my wife Jenni, myself, and several other friends, several of them from Foggy Bottom. They were wonderfully relaxing times, punctuated by trips to the beach at Cape Henlopen, lunch at the Dogfish Head Brewery, and a dinner at home, which was always a major production, often with Nick and Terry leading it.

 

After dinner, we would sing, with Nick leading the way. It was meaningful to me that Nick would at some point play some tunes as well, tunes, not songs, being my strength. He would usually choose tunes that came from the High Level Ranters, a Northumbrian group that he and I had both listened to at length, with admiration, back when albums still appeared on vinyl. So he would start up Felton Lonnin, Elsie Marley, or some other favorite from the group. Nick's playing was a delight, of course, and his own delight was evident. It carried over as we drifted back into song.

 

 

Jim Voorhees (again), Kensington, MD

 

 

***************

 

My husband's name is Nick too, and he is a full 6' 6" as well (though not quite so robustly built)... and I am 5'2". I used to call him "my other Big Nick". He always gave me a monstrous big hug whenever I saw him and we'd always jokingly say, "This feels .... familiar!"

 

His singing was always a huge highlight of any tour with the FBMM... and several years ago I came up with the plan to put together a day in which he would teach a dance to our border side and perform in a "Pub Night Concert" in Shepherdstown. He taught a dance he called "Coat Made From a Button"... obviously referring to his rather limited original source materials. It was a brilliant dance, changing the direction of the top of the set in every chorus... which sometimes results in absolute hilarity when someone gets confused.

 

The concert took place in the Great Hall of O'Hurley's General Store, a room that looks like it was built 200 years ago... timberframed, cooking fireplace, large candle chandeliers and an atmosphere that would not be out of place in merry old England. The morris team brought in a keg, some English foods like scones, good cheeses, crackers and biscuists of all types, and of course tea for the drivers. He shared the evening with British comic poet, Les Barker and sang his favorite songs, including several that are listed on some of the other pages here. I've attached a PDF of the invite that we sent round to encourage folks to come out. Perhaps some of you attended.

 

It was a lovely evening.

 

Joanie Blanton, Shepherdstown, WV

PubNight.pdf

 

***************

 

While Nick was the foreman of Foggy Bottom, we had several young guys dance with the team. Among them were Austin Brown and my son Gus. Both were, say, 12 years old, perhaps a bit younger. Those two were new to Morris and not yet firmly dedicated to learning it. When I had been foreman, several years before, I tended to approach new dancers fairly rigidly. I wanted them to be know what they were doing before moving them into a dance. So I taught them at length, let them do their bit, then let them sit out and watch while the old guys did other dances.

 

Nick had a different approach. I remember one practice in particular. He let Austin and Gus into a Bampton set. With minimal teaching, he got them through the figures. Nick let them mess up; he made sure they had fun. They did. It was a revelation to me. And, while not even Gus may know for certain, it may have something to do with why Gus came back to Morris.

 

Jim Voorhees, Kensington, MD

 

***************

 

I remember Nick for his hospitality and generosity of spirit. From the delicious soups he made for his annual “Soup and Ballads” night to the various smoked goodies he prepared in the summertime when he and Terry invited us to share their house, pool and garden, a visit to the Robertshaw house was bound to be fun and tasty. I am especially grateful to Nick for organizing Foggy Bottom’s trips to the UK. Our first trip in 1995 still remains a shining memory for the Shaw boys. We danced with a different Morris team every night and really got to see England at a people level, rather than being simply tourists. In 2005 he organized our border tour. On his recommendation some of us went to Pistil Rhyder waterfall and it was worth the trip. That same night, also on Nick’s recommendation, a few of us went to a superb restaurant in a small town in the middle of nowhere. More than worth the trip.

Artie Shaw, Alexandria VA

 

***************

 

John Vernon wrote the message that follows several years ago on concertina.net. When I wrote to ask him whether we could post it on this wiki, he responded by writing:

 

"No problem Jim. I re-read it thinking that I might add to it, but I'm happy as it is. Nick and I exchanged emails last year, when he discovered via Concertina .net that I now played Jeffries Duet. As I said in the 2003 post, I didn't really know him, but I am deeply saddened by his death and even 30 years since I last saw him, I feel the loss."

 

Jim Voorhees, Kensington, MD

 

 

from Concertina.net:

post Dec 8 2003, 04:27 AM

 

I don't know why people aren't taking up the Jeffries Duet, but I can tell you why I did. - a number of reasons, starting with joining the Herga morris at a time when Nick Robertshaw was the musician. I never really got to know him, because he moved to America very soon after, but I do remember his playing, he made quite an impression on me. I then took up the anglo and progressed rapidly from 30 keys to 40 keys to 51 keys - probably a converted JD but I didn't know that at the time. I wanted the sound that the Anglo style gives to the music, for morris and dance band, and I also wanted all the chromatic notes for other sorts of music. The other duet systems didn't seem to have the brilliance of tone and attack that Anglo's gave and remembering Nick's playing I went looking for a Jeffries Duet. I toyed briefly with the Hayden layout, even thinking about asking Colin Dipper to make one for me ( this was 20 years ago before Brian's system had attracted much attention), but I felt that the all important "bounce and lift" didn't happen for me with that layout. In reference to the MIDI concertina thread going on elsewhere, I made a working MIDI concertina in 1984-ish that I could easily convert between fingering systems and I tried Hayden, Maccann and Jeffries layouts. Perhaps I was preconditioned by playing Anglo, or by having heard Nick play, but there was no doubt in my mind, even with the restriction that the Jeffries only really worked well close to the "home" key. The Jeffries gave me the sound, the attack and lift that I was looking for. 20 years of playing it haven't changed my mind at all.

 

John

 

--------------------

John

Gloucestershire, England

 

***************

 

Cleaning Nick and Terry's Barn, 1997

 

Nick made a deal with the morris team. If we helped him clean out his barn and put in a new floor we could use it for a big morris event in the fall. So, on a hot summer day a number of us went out and started clearing out the big piles of old rotten hay bales and other junk, and nailing down in the new floor section. Meanwhile, Terry was entertaining the ladies by the pool, where we hoped to join them as soon as we’d finished our hard work.

 

And hard work it was, especially hauling those crumbly hay bales. Frankly we ran out of steam. But not Nick. As we stood around hoping someone else would finish the job, Nick purposefully strode up to the very last haybale sitting the middle of the floor and hoisted it way over his head. Such energy!

 

What are the odds that of all the haybales piled and strewn in that barn, the very last one would be the one with the bee’s nest in it?

 

We had no idea Nick could run that fast. While flapping and waving his arms. That’s hard to do.

 

And imagine the ladies astonishment when he came screaming around the corner of the house, ripped all his clothes off and plunged into the pool!

 

--Bill Brown

 

***************

 

 

I remember meeting Nick and Thomas at a Party. They both were very friendly individuals. When I left that party I knew I had just made two of the most fabulous friends I would ever have. I would drop in from time to time and Nick would come out to the barn and hang out with all of us and listen to Thomas spin. Nick would always greet me with a Big Nick Bear Hug. There was something so comforting about his hugs.

 

 

 

About two or so years into Thomas and my friendship we began to date. Nick, Terry and Thomas welcomed me into there lives with open arms. It was like I had always been a part of there family.

 

 

 

Nick, Thomas and I all shared a love for electronic music. The very first outing with them was a trip to an electronic music festival in Ashville North Carolina. We camped out, danced and swam. It was an amazing fun filled weekend. After the exhausting weekend of fun we returned home. Terry was waiting patient with her famous minestrone soup. It was so nice to have a warm meal and friends to chat the evening away with. We had lots of fun filled weekends at clubs and camping. When we weren’t partying at clubs, we would spend the weekends with there family and friend by the pool enjoying their master piece of a garden. During the winter months there were holiday gatherings, soup and ballot, and get togethers just to sing and drink with friends. Christmas with the Robertshaws was amazing. Mimosas for breakfast and then we one at a time went around the room and opened gifts. That is one tradition that I will be sharing with my family this coming year. There were always trips to plan and look forward to. Thomas and I went to Las Vegas. Then there were trips we all took to; New York, Miami and Marco island FL.

 

 

 

I remember when we were on our way to Miami and we were driving down Alligator Alley. Nick pulled the car over and decided that it would be a good idea go threw the gates and into where the alligators were to get a closer look. So we began our journey on the wild side. Terry, Thomas and I were a little leery of this idea and began to become concerned that this was not a good idea we all pleaded our case to Nick and he reluctantly decided to turn around. Sorry I guess you could call use chicken but I like my limbs the way they are.

 

 

 

I’m so glad I was able to meet and participate in such a wonderful mans life He was always smiling and laughing and caring. He may very well be the most caring, loving, intelligent person I have ever met in my entire life. He passed those characteristics on to his wonderful son Thomas. He will always have a very special place in my heart. His memory will live on as long as we never forget this very special man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had wanted to read this at the memorial for him but I never would have been able to get it out with out crying the entire way through it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Love,

Melissa Orem (aka. Missa )

 

***************

 

 

I was at school with Nick back in the 60's in Wembley in north west London. We also went to the Herga Folk club in Harrow.

 

Nick had a Minivan (the English one which, for any Americans, was a very small car about 10 feet long with an 850 cc engine). First gear didn't work and I lived on a steep hill so when Nick visited he had to remember to drive down the hill as the car couldn't pull away up hill. At some point he decided to put a new gearbox in which involved taking the engine out. After he had got it all back together (almost) he tried to start it only to find that the choke cable got red hot because he had forgotten to reconnect the earth strap to the engine (for those of you who are not mechanical or are only used to modern cars this won't mean much but we all had a good laugh at the time).

 

It was Nick who got me into Morris dancing which changed my life because it was through Morris that I met my wife (and we had our 25th anniversary this year so I have a lot to thank him for).

 

Quite by chance, when Foggy Bottom Morris came to England 2 years ago they contacted Adlington Morris Men as they were staying near Cheshire. I had moved north from London to Stockport and joined Adlington Morris men and, at the time, I was squire. Through my wife, who dances with Poynton Jemmers, I was able to get Foggy Bottom invited to the Poynton Jemmers 30th birthday tour (along with Hammersmith who Nick had danced with many years before-the coincidences piled up). Even more incredible was the fact that a childhood friend of Nick's who had also danced with Herga Morris, had also moved up to Cheshire and was able to meet up during the tour.

 

It was great to see Nick again and it came as a terrible shock to hear the bad news.

 

Roger

 

---

 

 

Last night, at the weekly practice of Foggy Bottom, we did the two border dances that Nick gave us. They were always a pair, with Dilwyn always followed by Fannie Frail. What came between, the interregnum, of you will, was filled by Nick playing while the team, having just scattered, re-formed the set. As you might imagine, no one filled it quite like Nick. He played the tune slowly, not quite rhythmically, much like an air, adding chords as only he could, slowly building the pace until, the team ready, he could settle firmly into the tune and begin the dance.

 

 

 

 

At practice, Jim Besser and I played the interregnum as best we could. Audiences won't know it, but it's not the same.

 

 

 

 

---

Memories of Nick

 

I was a friend at Preston Manor (secondary school) to 1970 and for a few more years before we both moved on.

I recall Nick taking the lead in the Taming of the Shrew, a gangly Petruchio and swashbuckling acting technique is revealed to the public, clearly the potential Russell Brand of his time. I had a bit part in the same production and through the rehearsals was able to see just how much Nick revelled in the experience.

 

As Roger has already noted Nick’s vehicles were legendary- I remember fondly the three-wheeler that was legal for 16 year olds to drive at that time. It had no reverse gear but could be reversed by stopping the engine and restarting the engine after switching the timing so it actually ran backwards. This gave Nick four reverse gears he could use…………he did.

It also had access to the engine from inside, so that it was possible to take off the air intake to the carburettor and for a passenger to pour in Redex (a fuel additive). This would result in filling the air with a fog of dense white smoke as the car sped away along Carlton Avenue East outside the school. We didn’t have such a well-developed environmental awareness then.

 

We put on shows in the sixth form and for one I can recall Nick playing a Beatles song on guitar and me bashing away on a drum as accompaniment. Nick had much more confidence and ability than I had but was brilliant at encouraging me to take part, an aspect he seems to have continued with many others through his life.

 

When we finished school we had to celebrate our passing through and I recall Nick was behind the idea that a bunch of us should drive across to the Suffolk coast and walk the shingle bar at Orford Ness. Not such a crazy idea until you realise that this was at night and we saw in the dawn at that desolate seashore.

 

I was introduced to the world of folk music through Nick as we went regularly to the Herga folk club in Harrow where Nick was already a regular performer. He was also responsible for corrupting the minds of other contemporaries too, some of whom also went on to dance with Herga Morris. I tried briefly during college vacations but never quite managed the coordination required other than in bar after. But just how did he get those legs to move like that?

 

Beer drinking featured frequently and the Castle on Harrow Hill was a favoured venue, even after we were legally able partake of those splendid old sofas in one of the bars.

 

One of our acquaintances through the folk club happened to be a brewer for a famous name company and as part of his duties had to work some weekend shifts, this gifted the use of the large company flat above the brewery so that the process could be supervised. Nick keenly participated in sharing the delights of the sample room as we assisted the brewer in the evaluation of the quality of the product into the early hours. This could take some time and as was usual with Nick, had to be completed thoroughly.

 

One weekend was spent at his family retreat in the midst of the Llyn peninsular in North Wales, we went down to the local pub and proceeded as usual when out to strike up some songs accompanied by Nicks concertina. It was a very Welsh pub with mainly Welsh language being spoken but eventually he persuaded the locals to sing us a song- there was much shuffling and arranging of places before they sang some beautiful hymn arrangements in perfect harmony. The ice was well and truly broken, beer flowed and the evening continued with some good musical exchanges until suddenly at 11:30 the place emptied without warning. Had we offended? No, it was time to get home before the Sabbath, strictly observed in those parts at that time.

 

Nick’s loss will be widely felt and in addressing my feelings I have unlocked a treasure of distant events that I had filed away in my memory (although to protect the innocent even now some are not appropriate to being committed to the written word!)

 

I am sure the loss of Nick will be balanced in some way by the flood of anecdotes of positive influence that Nick has had on everyone he met. I regret my lack of contact since his move all those years ago but am delighted that his mischief and drive will live on through Thomas, we may never meet but I bet I will know if we do!

 

Tim Smith

 

Leicester

England

cedarhouse@waitrose.com