A tribute and eulogy
On Tuesday, we lost Allen Barnes (or House as some called him). I literally met him on the dance floor. Spinning and rocking out to some of the best house music that any school party had to offer. Songs that literally spoke to his spirit and his heart, because he danced until the party ended and the dance floor was empty. Then I caught a glimpse of his art work. He was accepted to the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the best art schools in the country. But he found a home at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. There he spent nearly every summer between the semesters with his crazy and funny roommates and friends. His family who soon became an extension to my family. And that love and loyalty that still exists is indescribable. When we met I loved and encouraged his art. And he encouraged and supported me as a burgeoning artist. I helped him organize his first art showing and he helped me join my first band and applauded my first of many auditions. We always though...