Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2013, 02:29:59 PM »

Such sad news. My thoughts are with his family.

I own him so much for the help & advice he gave me here. He really was a gentleman.

RIP
Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.  W.C. Fields
Admiration for a quality or an art can be so strong that it deters us from striving to possess it. Nietzsche

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eggcluck

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2013, 10:01:18 PM »
So long comrade, thanks for all the fish.

Wish I had of found this forum ealier, would have helped me avoid my current predicament. Though it has given me enough to know there is somethig better out there and I just need to hang on long enough to find an oppurtunity.

Thanks man.
Still standing

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kitano

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #17 on: January 16, 2013, 02:35:00 AM »
Still a bit in shock to be honest. Even though I didn't know the guy personally, it would feel strange to talk about teaching or traffic or something

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teleplayer

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #18 on: January 16, 2013, 05:54:20 PM »
http://chinateachers.proboards.com/index.cgi
Where he first brought so many of us into the family that has now grown so large. The caption there kinda' says it all.
You'll be missed Laoban. 再见

Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #19 on: January 16, 2013, 06:20:03 PM »
Shocking news! R.I.P, Duke!  ananananan

Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #20 on: January 16, 2013, 07:12:45 PM »
Totally agree with not building a personality cult. I think as the site continues without Raoul it will be a great testament to what he did.

But, even though I, in any logical sense, didn't know the guy, I will certainly miss his influence and I'd like to chuck out a few of my favourite of his quotes.

"One trick you might try: Make some very proud statements that everyone will know is wrong, e.g. "Paper was invented in America, by a man named Jonathan Pape!". This might get some students arguing with you, and therefore speaking English despite themselves."

"This seems to be the Unwritten Rule of Moon Cakes: The less you like them, the more of them you are likely to receive."
I must admit. I found these looking for a quote that was realy helpful to me, in relation to Chinese students;

"No, trying to do things right here only pisses them off. They certainly can't make many moneys or get impressive-looking "degree" certificate if you go and do a fool thing like that. We're "teaching the pigs to sing"...it wastes our times and it annoys the pigs."

Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #21 on: January 16, 2013, 09:11:55 PM »
Couldn't believe it when I saw his picture when I logged in.  Although I never knew him personally and only had a superficial understanding of things he was going through in the states, it was still a real shock to see that he'd passed. So much of the atmosphere and wit on the saloon came from him- I hope his influence will continue to live on with this website.

Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #22 on: January 16, 2013, 11:23:05 PM »
This is very sad news; my condolences to his family, his children and his friends. I had the pleasure of knowing, working and drinking with Phil (and some others on this board), albeit briefly, a while back in Suzhou. My China days are long gone, and I haven’t posted on this board for several years but my unhealthy addiction to (lurking on) this board is due in no small part to the larger than life presence of Raoul.  He was lots of things but mostly I’ll remember him as a generous and gentle soul with a razor sharp wit and a brain the size of an aircraft hangar.  bjbjbjbjbj
choose carefully

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George

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #23 on: January 17, 2013, 01:53:39 PM »
At Suzhou Zoo with Hope.
The higher they fly, the fewer!    http://neilson.aminus3.com/

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decurso

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #24 on: January 17, 2013, 09:07:05 PM »
I've heard a lot of people say they "only" knew Raoul from the Saloon. If that's the only way you knew him, you knew the real man. Who he was here is who he was in real life. There was nothing fake about him, and he put every bit of himself into this place.

 He gave me (and countless others) quite a bit of help over the years. No question was too stupid and no problem was too small. I often referred to him as "the finest person I've never met".

 I DID finally meet Raoul over the 2008 Winter holiday. I made the trek from Beijing to Suzhou to see him and Con...and got caught in the worst blizzard the country had seen in over 40 years. It was a special experience. We spent a fine night at Casa Raoul helping Phil pick songs for his DJ gig at The Shamrock's Valentines Day party. As we sat there having a lot of laughs (and checking in on the catastrophic weather conditions  around southern China)I thought to myself, "It's so weird. I feel like I've known these guys for years". But it wasn't really weird at all. I HAD known them for years. It was just the first time we'd met in person.

 I saw Phil again at impromptu Saloon gathering in Dongguan later that year. Even then, he was showing visible signs of the health problems that mostly likely shortened his life, but he didn't let it dampen his spirits. Despite being on an errand with the wife (who did NOT want to make a detour) and nearly going into diabetic shock, he made the trip over from Guangzhou to see his friends. And despite the myriad of health and personal problems he was contending with, he seemed genuinely happy just to be spending some time in the company of friends.

 I'll miss you, big guy.

Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #25 on: January 18, 2013, 12:51:44 PM »
Decurso, that's exactly how I felt when I met the mob in Suzhou! I was nervous after only knowing everyone online but no reason to be  agagagagag
10 easy steps to stop procrastination.

1.

Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #26 on: January 18, 2013, 05:20:41 PM »
RIP Raoul!

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piglet

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #27 on: January 22, 2013, 04:21:16 AM »
Thanks for that DeCurso I also felt sad not to have met him in person but as you say his online persona was so great,so much encouragement and help to newbies so you felt secure and could ask ANY stupid little question here without fear of ridicule.
That is what makes the Saloon so comfortable for all of us.
RIP Raoul
For people who like peace and quiet - a phoneless cord

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solongtinik

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Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #28 on: January 23, 2013, 03:50:38 AM »
i still think of him...
if he does not struggle against what is wrong-even if it seems beyond his strength-he will bever find the right road

Re: Raoul F. Duke
« Reply #29 on: January 23, 2013, 05:21:58 AM »
Wow, totally in shock.   aoaoaoaoao

I haven't been on board much lately, but that doesn't take away all that El Jaffe and the Saloon has done for me. I've been here almost 5 years and I owe a lot of my success to Raoul and many of the members here.   bjbjbjbjbj

One last pint raised   :alcoholic:
For you to insult me, first I must value your opinion