| With so many people here tonight who knew David and I growing up, I suppose an admission is in order. You see, my relationship with Dave could have been described perhaps as "occasionally adversarial." It's probably true that, if there was any justice in this world, my mother would have picked up a Nobel Peace Prize sometime in the mid-1970s for neutralizing our conflict (in diplomatic-speak).
But when I think of David's mortal limitations, even as a brother so close in age, my recollections are dominated by his remarkable qualities. As an ancient Stoic philosopher (Marcus Aurelius) once declared,  "Life is more than just dancing, sometimes to live is also to wrestle." Anyone who had ever seen Dave on stage or at parties can attest to his dancing abilities- he was fleet of foot on the dance floor, or in conversation, with a grace and a range that ran from high school productions to the Fletcher School Follies to impromptu performances as Goofy Uncle Dave.
But deeper than this was David's resolve to wrestle with things, be they physical conditions, or more importantly, spiritual questions. His letters from abroad usually featured matter-of-fact descriptions of poverty and misery, always followed by more intimate disclosures about internal struggles with what he was witnessing: his motivation came from involvement, not charity. From India he told us: "Every day you see at least one thing in the street that breaks your heart." Long after the stage lights had dimmed and the music was over, David's humanity still showed.
It is this spirit of humanity which gives us direction as we go about finding our own way home. Six months down the road, the shock has faded, and we move from collecting momentos to integrating his experience and spirit in our lives- the best way to keep him alive (it seems to me). You have come here tonight, not just to pay tribute to a great man, but to bear witness to a good one. Your challenges in this latter, larger task will involve wrestling, but you will not be alone.
As Dave's older brother, I would occasionally ask him, with a fraternal mixture of wisdom and antagonism, "Well, how are you going to do this? How are you going to feed people, find the academic answers, and maintain contact with the grassroots? How?" Well, Dave always did have a way of getting the last word in. Tonight, I see his response in the hundreds of people he has gathered together. David O'Brien is not done doing his work in this world- it's just that now he is doing it through us.
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