For the past two nights we celebrated the Birth of Sid.
Seems appropriate given the time of year. After all, he is quite possibly the only person I know who could – and has – pulled off three going away parties spanning two months and three days. We are assured this time, though, he is actually leaving.
Dances-in-Suits, as we so affectionately call him, is the best-dressed young professional in all of Greater Cincinnati. Shockingly, at his going away party last night he was not wearing a suit nor a tie, opting instead of the shirt-under-a-sweater. Business casual has changed forever.
No matter. When he does have a suit on there is never a crease or a wrinkle on that premium navy blue or black suit, powder blue button-down shirt and red power tie tied in a double-Windsor knot. And that’s at 4 a.m., standing on Fountain Square. Others? Scruffy and worn from the long day and even longer night before. Sid? Dressed for a board meeting. It’s amazing.
Now we bid a fond farewell to Mr. D’Souza. He is leaving us for India, we think. Indiana? Bangor, Maine? No one’s really sure, but what we hear it’s hard or maybe even impossible to drive there. When he gets back he says he’s going to business school. He won’t say where. It is, apparently, none of our business.
Seriously though, Sid D’Souza is going to be missed. The consummate gentleman, friend, confidant and professional, Sid has been a mainstay on the local young professionals scene long before I arrived back here in Cincinnati in 2003. He has to spare charisma, kindness, charm, a sense of humor, intellect, a stellar smile and a swooning entourage of endearing ladies, not to mention a collection of personally signed and autographed books authored by a Who’s Who of local and national Fortune 500 CEOs who all wish they could be as suave as Sid (and they write it so inside the front flap). Plus, he as a superhero-like ability to wear full business attire even while swimming laps in the YMCA pool and simply amazes just about everyone he meets. Plus, he likes to tell people that he and I met in jail – which is true. And funny.
I’ll miss him and the energy he brings to the effort to keep Cincinnati relevant and hip for young professionals in the area. I have enjoyed our evenings running around Cincinnati, sharing some good laughs and good times. I enjoyed having him as a guest on the radio show this summer (listen to his interview), introducing him to Senor Bumblebee and running into him everywhere I went without him, bringing ubiquity to a whole new level and creating a if-Sid-is-not-at-the-party-then-we-are-at-the-wrong-party criteria to every local event.
As one final parting gift to a good friend, here’s smattering of photos taken at Sid’s Going Away Party: Month II Part II.
Good luck, my friend. We’ll be waiting for the postcards.
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