I met Raaman as a child when I was living out in Klamath, CA. We became close friends, especially that last year that my family lived in California. His family joined the church where my father preached and we got to know each other. Raaman's mother, Joy, was raising 5 children by herself and had built her own house. I always enjoyed going over to Raaman's house. We played super heroes a lot and sometimes we would go brush diving up the mountain near their home. We also enjoyed going to the beach.

I didn't see Raaman for years after I moved to White Plains, but got to see him in the summer of 1984 after I graduated when my family went out for a visit. Then in 1986 when Patti and I moved back to Eureka, I got to see Raaman again. He was the best man in our wedding.

When we moved back to Kentucky, Raaman and I still kept in touch over the years. Now that we are living back in California, my family gets together with Raaman and his family every so often. He attended my 40th birthday bash in September 2005.