From: Janice_Castro@timemagazine.com

Thank you, Dirck. Funny, touching and memorable -- like John. Many of us have Durniak stories. I'll never forget a night in Plains, Georgia after an enraged character drove his car through a heavily-covered KKK rally, leaving mostly journalists mangled on the field....here I was, having gotten two photographers and a CBS correspondent to the hospital, draped with the cameras of half a dozen photographers who'd been taken by ambulance from the scene, my pockets stuffed with cannisters of film, some of them crushed by the wheels of that car, trying to reach TIME -- I was down there as the weekend duty correspondent from Atlanta covering something I thought might become interesting, and now we had a photographer down and maybe a story. John Durniak took the call. Everything went into motion. There was none of this, oh well, the magazine's closed and that's not really a very big national story.....he cared about the people on the scene. He was passionate about journalism, and journalists, and as Dirck points out, always the ideas. He fired up cub reporters as well as photographers. Janice _______________________________________________________________________________Janice Castro is Editor of TIME ON LINE, and Assistant Managing Editor of Time New Media

-- Janice Castro (Janice_Castro@timemagazine.com), November 28, 1997

Answers

From: Jay_Colton@timemagazine.com

John was all about hope and encouragement. He was a generous spirit who helped people believe. His imagination was unfettered by the possible and he allowed people to share his dreams and vision. He saw possibilities where others saw obstacles. He imparted his faith in you, as he made you think "Well John believes I can do it so I must be able to do it." When I think of John I will always remember the song from the Man of La Mancha "To dream the Impossible Dream". His dreams gave photographers hope and a chance to realize that dream. John I for one will carry your kind words and bold deeds wherever I go. Goodnight sweet prince ....know that the lantern you leave still pierces the darkness illuminating the places in our heart. We are all better for having known you. Jay Colton

Jay Colton is a Deputy Picture Editor at TIME

-- Jay Colton (Jay_Colton@timemagazine.com), November 28, 1997.

Hi Dad

I heard your voice in a dream "Go get'm Holl"-- I'll get the Masters dad--I Love reading these letters about you--they keep you alive-- I miss you

-- Holly Durniak Castle (hcastle@optonline.net), October 10, 2002.

Dear MOM,

-- Julia Ceron Castle (crownjules@opt.online.net), May 30, 2004.