I'm completely dispirited to learn just now of the untimely passing of my friend and kindred spirit, Joseph E, "Gene" Brown, Jr., of Florence. I've always looked forward to visiting with Gene whenever my practice has taken me to the old Florence Post Office building or when we would judge bbq competitions together. A lot of folks will feel this loss for a long time to come. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his many, many friends.