When I was living in NYC I rarely went to CBGB's but had been drug down there one night to see some friend's band. I went outside to escape the din and grab a smoke when I heard a familiar southern drawl "Tim? what's up man?". Absolutely the last person I expected to see outside that club in that city but I knew a boring night was about to get a lot better.
"what the hell are you doing here?" I asked
"On my way to the North Pole" Sasha said.
Of course he was. We got to hang out the rest of that weekend, bopping around the city drinking and catching up.
Sasha you lived the adventures most of us fantasize about. You will be sorely missed.

Oh where to start. Thanks for carrying me to New York with you when we were 17. That was much better than a Senior Year at Mt Tabor. I enjoyed hitchhiking to Chapel Hill with you to get The Magic Bus out of the repair shop. No idea when we would return, but since I was with you, I wasn't worried about it either. Where ever you were, good times and adventure would follow. Never settling, not even thinking about it. You mystified me. You changed the way I think, and gave me courage to travel to places I would not have travelled to own my own. You were my friend and you made me feel included. You were inspiring and fun, and I never stood a chance at figuring you out. I was jealous of your free spirit, and I always knew things would be all right when you were around. I missed you when you were alive, and I miss you now more than ever. SashaMan, I will definitely not forget you. Your friend, Brent

bc1121(at)hotmail.com
336-306-8262

I'll miss all his great polar bear stories from Alaska...So very sad. Nice article, Viva.

I just finished teaching Sascha at OIT and I can't believe he is gone. He was one student that definitely stood out. He was very passionate about everything it seemed and people, including me, just enjoyed being around him.

My condolences go out to Sasha's family and friends. He was alive with character.

U were much loved! I wish I could love you still.

I remember when Sascha Clapper was a skinny punk kid walking through Hanes Mall with sugar water in his hair to keep his impressive mohawk standing perfectly vertical. (That's how I met him, I'd seen him around and finally screwed up the courage to walk up to him and ask him what he put in his hair.) Lol, he was a riot! Mostly quiet, friendly and completely genuine (and DEEEEP!), he was also the first deeply activist person I ever met--I still have sheets of information on the New World Order which he handed me at random times during high school. He helped expand my mind waaaay beyond the boundaries of the sleepy little city we lived in. I think he even introduced me to the Anarchist's Cookbook. Lol, and somewhere in my possessions (God knows why I kept it all these years, but even the mental picture still cracks me up!) is a piece of toilet paper on which he neatly wrote in big capital letters with a ball point pen: "YOU ARE SPAWN OF USED TOILET PAPER". Sascha always had this air of great adventurous destiny around him, and I'm not just saying that. Dude SHINED. And the bees liked his hair for a while. I add my tears to the mighty sea of grief that rages over this crazy random loss.

I knew Sasha in elementary school & at summer camp in North Carolina. We were kind of the misfits in our class. I was just a general dork, but Sasha was a misfit because he was so incredibly smart & bored out of his mind with school. He still managed to stick up for me when I got picked on. I'm sorry I could never return the favor.
When we got reacquainted about 18 months ago, I was so glad to see he was using his tremendous brain power for good. I was also shocked to see what a looker her turned into! "Vegetarian heartthrob" ain't the half of it!
My thoughts go out to Sasha's relatives and all those others who can certainly call themselves his family.

Sasha... Dude. I can't believe you are gone. We never even got to go out drinking and carousing. Somehow I just knew we would get around to it sooner or later... but now... now I think I'm going to go buy a bottle of Old Crow and drink it with as many of your friends as I can find.

OIT isn't going to be the same without you; burning resistors and blowing up hydrogen in the labs, not to mention making coffee with the chemistry equipment. I can't believe how incredibly screwed up I am at hearing of your loss, and I only knew you one term. My thoughts go out to his family. Know he affected every life he touched.

Now, who has that anarchists cookbook? Let's go blow some sh*t up for Sasha.

I agree, OIT will not be the same. I cannot believe he will not be around for me to envy and to learn from (he could understand concepts and figure out the answers, that I will forever struggle with - even when clearly hung-over ). My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. He will be sorely missed.

I never met Sasha, but I saw him briefly on his Motorcycle on Friday night, (friend of a friend of a friend thing).

Does anyone know if that obit was/is being published anywhere in print?

I didn't know Sasha, but saw him briefly, in the distance on his Motorcycle Friday night. (friend of a friend of a etc. thing).

Does anyone know when/if that obit was printed? I've been asked to find a new copies of the paper by said friend of a friend of a etc.

It helps so much to hear from those who love Sasha as much as his family does. I smile through the tears at the quotes and can actually hear him say the words in my mind. As you can imagine, our whole family is devastated by this loss. It doesn't seem real and I can still hardly believe it.

I knew Sasha his entire life and can remember the impish, inquisitive child, the rebellious, confident teen with a mohawk and the kind, impressive man he became. The whole family looked forward to the latest version of the "Sasha Chronicles" when we'd pass around emails and photos from his adventures. I've never met anyone who got as much out of life as Sasha did. I'll think of him whenever I read "Where the Wild Things Are" to my kids and everytime I make a grilled veggie omlet. He certainly lived life on his own terms.

Thank you to all his friends for being there for him then and now. My life will always have a void that Sasha was meant to fill and I'm disappointed that my children are too young to remember him. Raise a glass of Old Crow for Sasha on Wednesday and remember the good times. That's what he would have wanted.

- Cousin Kimmie

Sasha and I lived together up in the mountains outside of Boone NC in a cabin with no heat. He was a great guy, hilarious and ready for fun, which we found plenty of... So many memories, giving each other tattoos with sewing needles and India ink out of boredom, endless discussions about books, philosophy, mushrooms,..damn. It's been a few years since I've seen him, but he crosses my mind regularly, it is heartbreaking to know I'll never speak to him again. My condolences to his family, he will be missed.
Chad

Obit runs today in the Oregonian.

I'll always remember his hugs and his lust for life. Take care on your journey across the Milky Way, dear pal. The adventure continues....xoxo

I am so bummed that I cannot be in PDX to share the memories,grief , love and respects.

I met Sasha just after he moved to PDX .
My first memories of him are forever cemented in my head.
He was a balls to the wall , full throttle participant of life.
He was a blast to hang out with , hard to get to know , but had a lot more going on than he let on .
He was smart , sharp ,well read , hot wired , a hard worker , gentleman and loved adventure to the fullest.

I had not seen him in years since I left pdx but was happy to reconnect over beers last time I was in town.

I send my sincerest condolences and blessings out to his family and bestest of pals .

Although I am sad and shaken at the way he left us , I can say he went out doing what he enjoyed .
This fact does not take away the harsh reality of the circumstances , but can maybe lessen the sting a bit.

He will be missed ,and again, my sincerest of blessings to his family and friends ,and thanks Viva for taking the time to remember Sasha.

Kitty Diggins

I met Sasha in 3rd grade. My parents had recently divorced and my mother was taking the opportunity to go back to school at Wake Forest for her Master's. He and his family absorbed us as if we were their own family. His mother was our cub scout leader, his dad our soccer coach, my brother hung out with Evan and I got to hang out with Sasha. Such a wonderful and loving person there never was. His generosity, graciousness and intellect, even at such a young age came shining through. He was and is such a beautiful soul. His active presence will be sorely missed in our world, although I can't help but think after reading all these wonderful comments that his enduring effect on all of us will be an appropriate testament and tribute to the awe-inspiringly full life he lead. I weep for his absence and am proud, thankful and honored for his presence in my life. Bon Voyage Sasha. Have a good journey my friend, we will meet again.

What I remember most about Sasha was his his infectious grin and genuine, southern charm. You know that smirk with the penetrating eye contact? That was pure Sasha. He struck me as confident and sort of graceful, for a guy who loved rowdy rock 'n roll and bikes. Who can ignore the fact that he was so incredibly handsome? Gorgeous. And that boy liked to have a good time! He always surrounded himself with dynamic, artistic, beautiful people who didn't take themselves too seriously. I hadn't seen him for many years and regret I didn't get the chance to catch up with him about his more recent accomplishments--fatherhood, travel and school. I attended his wake and wanted to give my condolences to his family, but I was sure I wouldn't have managed a word without bursting into tears. I send them my deepest sympathy and can only begin to imagine the loss they feel. Maybe it's some small comfort knowing Sasha's life was so well-lived and he was so well-loved. What a kind, magnetic, intelligent person. He is, and will always be, dearly missed.

Jim, Debbie, Evan, and the rest of Sasha's family I'm so sorry.

My time spent with Sasha was playing after (elementary) school. We used to have massive capture the flag bouts (the brown recluse spider once in the leaf pile made it more exciting!), do fire-related experiments in his garage with his chemistry set, and play computer games like Leisure Suit Larry (in lewd mode, probably). Sasha was one year older and at least two steps ahead of me. I felt both awe and unease at what others call his free spirit combined with his hefty brain power. I guessed that his parents had to be a little strict to keep his genius from getting him into trouble. The only evidence I can remember that would contribute to this memory is that he called his Dad "sir" and that he was grounded for long periods of time (which sucked for me cause I wasn't allowed to come over). But however Jim and Debbie did it, they certainly produced two spectacular characters (yeah Evan, you're spectacular in an infamous way :) And you owe me a garage full of candy!)

Thank you Sasha for all the fun, games, and excitement of 25 years ago.

Sam

My thoughts are with you all.

I remember Sasha as a most beautiful and gentle boy. His brilliance was alawys obvious and something to marvel at. It sounds like he fulfilled all of his promise and I am sorry he left so soon.

Miriam