To the Editor:

Gene Nadeau was my friend. I deeply respected him and I believe he felt the same about me. What makes that so unique is that he and I seldom, if ever, agreed on anything. We debated sometimes for as long as two hours, trying to convince each other who was right and at the end neither of us changed the mind of the other guy.

But that is where Gene’s greatest talent came to light. No matter how much he disagreed with me … no matter how “wrong” he said I was … he somehow was able to do it with total respect. I learned that important life lesson from Gene, and for that I will be eternally grateful. I learned from this great man how to tell a person that they are “full of baloney” WITHOUT offending that person. I learned what words to use; what tone of voice; when to speak up; when to stop and just listen; and when to just keep my mouth shut and let the other guy make his/her point.

Gene Nadeau taught me the definition of the word “diplomacy.” That great talent should be added to the Warwick school system curriculum. I often wondered how he developed it. None of us will ever know, but all of us who experienced it are better off for knowing him.

My friend Gene passed away. His memory will not.

Richard Corrente

Warwick