Peter
Dilks arrived in Bangkok the same week in March of 1957 as my brother,
Geoff, and I. We were staying at the ancient, even then, Park Hotel,
the best place a twelve-year-old could be his first month in BKK,
and Pete was staying at the hotel next to it -- I believe it was
called the American Club. Ritchey Steckle and Susan Gowans arrived
the same week, if you recall them. Anyway, Geoff and I remained
friends with Peter, as he was known then, and shared a number of
adventures unique to Bangkok and teenagers. We left in '60 and Pete's
family remained for many years.
I located Pete on the Internet in '98 and in '99 Geoff and I fulfilled
a long held desire to do a continental three-sixty on our motorcycles.
We left SC on a Saturday and arrived at Pete's place in Oakland,
CA on Friday. As we were getting off our bikes at the base of a
retaining wall for Pete's yard, we heard a voice above say: "The
Levy boys, I presume." We looked up to see Pete sitting in
the grass next to three ice-cold Singha beers. We'd planned to stay
one night and stayed two. It was as if time had not separated us
for 39 years and we planned to get together again soon.
Sadly, Pete's lovely wife, Patty, called a few months later to say
Pete had died instantly after suffering a massive stroke upon completing
a jog on his favorite route.
Brien Levy ISB '64
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