The Definition of Passion

By Matt Perrault
As I now approach my sixth year in the south, I can now call myself a full-fledged southerner. It is something that I never thought I would do but to be honest, it has taught me so much about life, family and the importance of caring for those who care for you. Being a thousand miles from the nearest family member or college friend forces you to think about those kind of things. Yet keeping in touch, as many of you know, is not something that I do. Call it tunnel vision or single mindedness, it's just something that I am guilty of. However, since learning of Casey's passing - so many wonderful memories of "the basement" have come flooding back. I guess I am writing to remember Casey but also to allow myself to remember all of you who are reading this and reach out.

Casey Kane is someone I will always be inspired by. I apologize for using present tense but her spirit will never be gone to me. Maybe its just easier for me to think of her as the bright-eyed, Red Sox fan who used to razz me about WMUA vs. Collegian battles rather than the girl battling cancer who I last spoke to two years ago at the Alabama vs. South Carolina game in Columbia, SC.

Casey had "it"....the passion, the drive, the thing that has led so many of us far away from home in pursuit of a dream that may never become reality. Yet, she knew the journey for us is so much more special than any destination we might see. She embraced her craft as home and brought such a high level of professionalism to everything she wrote.

I have a special memory of Casey that I will forever hold close. It was the last time that I got to spend time with her. It was towards the beginning of her treatment back in 2001-2002 football season I believe and she had just recently lost her hair (which had her down a bit) but she was so pleasant to be around. As we sat inside the Williams-Brice Stadium press box before Bama took on South Carolina, we couldn't get through 5 minutes without an interruption from a fellow media member who wanted to wish her well.

She had been working in South Carolina for a brief period of time, but already Casey had impacted the community. It was a wonderful outpouring of emotion and respect from her fellow colleagues.

Passion is what keeps me in the south today. It was what lead so many of us to the "basement" and its the first thing I think about when Casey comes to mind. I have met several people over the past few years from Amherst College, Smith, Mount Holyoke etc...and many often ask how I got into the field of radio. I tell them the long story short about WMUA, the Collegian, and UMass Athletics but that really isn't the whole tale. The media is what attracted me to the "basement" - but the people who I met there is what kept me coming back night after night, morning after morning.

Casey Kane was one of the first people that I ever met when I walked into the Collegian and she will forever be one of the first people that I think about when I remember the times working in the UMass Media.

In closing, I guess I want to thank Matty for putting this site up for all of us out-of-towners to read. The names have been like a memory stick for my brain - bringing back so many wonderful and hysterical moments. I only wish I wrote this sooner but I have just returned from a 10-day trip to California. From the parties at the Amherst Motel to the long drives for road games to the feeling of being the last person out of the Campus Center Garage - it has been a real treat to see the names on this site. I hope one day we can all get back together and remember those crazy times in the late 90's. Thanks for letting us do this Matty - my heart goes out to you buddy.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
-Theodore Roethke

Matt and Casey were student media at UMass together.