Projectors and the World of PC Gaming

Greetings,

About a week ago I got the sad news that a dear friend of my family, and father of my best friend passed away.  I figured this would be an appropriate place to pay tribute to such a great person and great actor, being the people who visit ProjectorReviews.com have projectors for a reason…they love movies!  You may know him from movies such as Deliverance, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Parallax View, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can, Heart Like A Wheel, War Party, The Green Mile, Etc..

My mother and Bill’s wife Donna were very good friends, myself and Byron McKinney (Bill’s first born) were born in the same year just a few months apart.  Byron and I were thick as thieves and got into a lot of trouble together, usually resulting in a punishment by Bill….not that we didn’t deserve it.  Bill was what I like to refer to as “old school”, but in a good way.

Byron sadly passed away a little over three years ago, and not a day goes by that an image, or good memory of  Byron doesn’t pop into my head.  Bill’s home was my home away from home, I probably spent half of my childhood years hanging out at Bill’s house.  A lot of the great times Byron and I had involved Bill.  Whether it was a limerick being spouted off by Bill from his kitchen, or Byron and I being terrified by Bill’s crazy driving.  Or even the vein that popped out in Bill’s forehead when he was angry at Byron for some trouble we most likely got into together.

Byron could do a spot on impersonation of his dad, he would fool a lot of people who called their home, even his own brother Clinton would think he was speaking to Bill when he called some of the time.  I miss that impression and wish Byron was here to do it now, to lighten up the mood a bit.  Bill and Byron both had a great sense of humor,  both great entertainers in their own right.

I got to meet a lot of great actors and celebrities thanks to Bill.  Some of my fondest memories include Joe Don Baker coming over to hit a few exploding golf balls with Byron and I, and as cheesy as the movie may be our trip to the set of Suburban Commando starring Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker.  Not to mention getting late night phone calls from various WWF wrestlers such as The Nasty Boys.  Bill knew we loved the WWF and whenever he was out at a Hollywood function and ran into one he immediately thought of us.

He was a very thoughtful and caring person, despite his Hollywood “tough guy” persona.  He smiled and laughed more than anyone I knew.  I lived right across the street from Bill and Byron for a few years and I could hear Bill’s laugh from across the street, it is a very distinct laugh.  Usually followed by a screech of “Bawk, pretty bird!”.  I can’t tell you I ever figured out what that was all about, but Byron and I found it hilarious nonetheless.

Another thing I will always remember about Bill is his fascination with flight.  He would take Byron and I to the Van Nuys, California airport and park on the street near the runways, we would sit out there for about an hour while he explained to us the specific model of each plane that took off, as well as mechanical details.  It was something Byron and I probably didn’t appreciate as much as we should have.

Bill and I did not always see eye to eye politically, but we could still have those discussions and end the evening with a hug goodbye.  While Bill was an actor and I always thought that was cool, I just never paid much attention to that aspect until I was older.  I had seen him movies, but did not really watch any of his major roles until my late teens.  He was an amazing character actor, but in my eyes a more amazing person.

I know I brought up Byron a lot in this tribute to Bill, but if you knew Bill you would know how much he loved his sons (Byron and Clinton).  After Byron passed my wife and I got to spend a lot of time with Bill, and he would light up when he got to talk about Byron and Clinton.  The moments he spent talking about his sons seemed to be his happiest.  He was really proud of both of them, and loved them very much.

He was one of the very few positive male role models I had in my life growing up.  I was closer to him than I am with my own father.  I am a better person for knowing two generations of McKinneys, Bill and Byron.  For most he will be remembered by the frames of film his presence is eternally burned into, I will always remember him as my best friend’s father, and a really good friend.  I will miss you very much Bill.

-Scott

Here is a link to Bill’s IMDB profile:

 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0571853/