1949-2005
1949-2005
John Kusalavage was born on February 19, 1949, in Queens, New York, the son of John and Eleanor Kusalavage. He was raised in Flushing, New York. John served in the Vietnam War from 1970-1972, during which time he learned Vietnamese while working as an interrogator. John attended Fordham University of New York and received his medical degree from the University of New York at Buffalo in 1978. He practiced medicine in Lake Charles, LA from 1978-2003. In 2003, John retired from his medical practice and moved to Aiken, South Carolina, where he passed away on January 22, 2005, after a prolonged illness.
Under the psuedonym of Haggridd, John submitted his first Harry Potter filk, The Egg (based on the song of the same name from Peter Stone's musical 1776) in February 2003, and wrote a total of 54 filks over the next couple of years (plus three more filks in collaboration with Amy Z). Although he derived inspiration from a number of sources, most of his filks were taken from the great Broadway classics that he so dearly loved. He wrote two full length musicals, Harry Potter and the Declaration of Independence, based on Peter Stone's 1776 and At 12 Grimmauld Place, based on 42nd Street. His filks are characterized by a high degree of verbal virtuosity, displayed most impressively perhaps in his setting of Tom Lehrer's New Math. His last filk, The Story of Harry and Voldy (based on The Story of Lucy and Jessie from Sondheim's Follies), was completed in December 2004, just a month before his death. John told us that his personal favorite was based on Summer Nights, to the song of the same name from Grease. But it may be that his most memorable legacy will be in his series dealing with the - ah - indiscretions of Aberforth Dumbledore.
Many of us had the privilege of meeting John at the Nimbus 2003 convention in Orlando (July 17-20). John decided to drive to Orlando rather than fly. I didn't register in time for the Knight Bus, but he offered to pick me up at the Orlando airport. Thanks to some miscommunication on my part, he had to circumvent the entire airport a few times before he finally found me, but he was very good-natured about my screw-up. A couple hours later at The Swan Hotel, dressed in my wizard's attire, I was standing way in the back of a very very very long line waiting to register. John, up toward in the front, noticed me and waved me forward to introduce me to fellow filkers Gail and Lilac, as a reporter from The Orlando Sentinel stood near. The rest is history. I think we can be sure that it was John's warm personality in conjunction with his stately dimensions, that attracted the Sentinel reporter to our little group.
Later that evening, a group of HP filkers and friends (let's see, there was me, Gail, Lilac, Melody, Frankie, and a few others) all piled into John's car to forage for a supermarket. Dressed in our wizarding robes, we invaded the store, much to the amusement of the other late-night shoppers. Each evening at Nimbus we filkers gathered together for sing-a-longs, with John taking a prominent part. He was quite a good singer, and I later learned he often performed in local musical theatre productions. John also organized the Toadies awards, in which (via HPFGU-OT), fans were invited to vote for their favorite filks in pre-determined categories. (The four Toad statuettes I won that evening still guard my HP volumes on my computer desk). Orlando will always be one of my most cherished memories - it's the closest we mere mortal Muggles will ever came to those fabled Gryffindor evenings of magical camaraderie, intoxicating butterbeer, and John played a big part in all of it. Although John' s learning and intelligence were immediately apparent to all of us who met him, he was a very modest and unassuming person. Few of us knew till reading his obituary that he was fluent in Vietnamese and Russian, of his extensive traveling, or that he often tutored the children of his close friends. He will be greatly missed by his many friends in the Potter fanon, but we who were privileged to know him are confident that he is now embarked on his next great adventure.
The following are a few tributes written by fellow HP filkers who came to know him, whether on-line or in-person (if you have something you would like to add, please e-mail it to me.)
John and I met through our mutual love of Harry Potter. At first we met in an online discussion group, then started corresponding one-on-one, then talked on the phone, and finally a year ago John stayed with me during a cross-country tour. I'm so glad we finally met in person, but I expected many more years of sharing books and sparring over politics together. I was looking forward to his being at my wedding in May.
John was extremely funny, intellectually curious, and generous. He was very supportive during some hard times in my life, and I knew lots of young writers whose confidence grew thanks to his patient coaching.
Rest in peace, John. I will miss you.
John and I never met in person, although we had planned to. We met online. We often talked on the phone. We shared a love of writing song parodies. When I confided in him my desire to be a writer, he sent me a large box of books and told me that as soon as I had written something, he wanted to read it. His spontaneous nature, generosity, and positive attitude inspired me. He was a truly good person, and I am better for knowing him. When word of his death reached us, his online friends, it shook us and left us greiving. His gifts of style and humour are with us forever, as is his spirit. My condolences to his family and to all who mourn his passing
Dear "Haggridd":
Like your namesake, you were a giant in sharing your love, laughter, generosity, and time with others, even those you barely knew. We are so glad we had the opportunity to partake of your creativity and intelligence while we knew you on this earth. We love you and miss you, and hope that you are with those you love behind the veil.
Love, Lilac