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Branimir "Bane" Bakalic was one of the most unforgettable characters I have ever met (and that is something since I worked in radio for 3 and 1/2 decades). He was Serbian and although he had spent most of his life the United States by the time I met him in 2005, he still had his wonderful native accent. That accent made it difficult for us to chat on the phone but we communicated and bonded easily in person.
By occupation and nature Branimir was an Artist.... an amazing Painter. He seldom worked from photos or drawings but simply created beautiful artwork right from his mind. Never confined to one style, his work spanned Nudes, Horses, Landscapes and anything else he dreamed up.
I appreciated his paintings and he appreciated my writing and I think we clicked as friends so quickly because the creative process meant so much to each of us. We enjoyed sharing good cold beers and tall tales. Though most of our friendship years were in the Northwest Arkansas Ozark, we had the common background of working in New York City for years... another bonding factor.
Branimir by his own admission was a bit of an oddball. It was one of the things I enjoyed most about my friend. He loved America and the freedoms this country affords a native born citizen like myself or an immigrated citizen like him. He loved our Republic form of government with it's individual rights and had disdain fo the "collective" types of governments. Another reason for us to be friends.
Branimir passed on June, 3rd, 2019 at the age of 71. Some friend losses leave a Big Hole in our lives..... this is one of those.
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