R.I.P. Avtar Gill “HatMan”
I’m not asking for your money, only your memories and photos! ALL (100%) of the proceeds from this project will be donated to a Cincinnati Charity in the name of Avtar Gill.
All Contributors will be acknowledged!
Remember Avtar S. Gill, Cincinnati's "Hat Man"
R.I.P. Avtar Gill “HatMan”
I’m not asking for your money, only your memories and photos! ALL (100%) of the proceeds from this project will be donated to a Cincinnati Charity in the name of Avtar Gill.
All Contributors will be acknowledged!
I got to know the Hat Man (Avtar Gill) and took a lot of pictures of him over several years. He was a really nice guy.
Here’s a link to “Getting to Know the Cincinnati Hat Man,” which I wrote in 2010: http://voices.yahoo.com/getting-know-cincinnati-hat-6950828.html?cat=8
Here’s a link to a YouTube video slide show I did in 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkcLnvPFFPI
I just posted an updated video slideshow today at: http://voices.yahoo.com/getting-know-cincinnati-hat-6950828.html?cat=8
CNN posted a photo I took of Mr. Gill and Governor Strickland on their website just before the 2010 election.
I also captured him on video a few times. He spoke at the very end of my 2012 Asian Culture Fest Video: http://voices.yahoo.com/video/cincinnati-asian-culture-fest-three-half-11354360.html?cat=49
Carol Rucker
Carol, I would love to be able to use your memories and some of your photos in the Hat Man Movement. Let me know if that would be ok. Thanks so much for sharing!
This was my Uncle Avtar, my father’s younger brother. As I live in Australia I only met him a few times. The last time was when my sister and I visited Cincinnati in 1991. We spent a day with him which I will never forget. We had a three layered Chilli dish for lunch and walked across a bridge that my mother had also crossed with him. For a young girl of 20 years old, this was a real novelty. It is with great sadness to hear of his passing, but also not knowing the full extent of what a gentle and colourful character he was. I’m glad to know that he was surrounded by the warmth of the Cincinnati people and there was some purpose in his life. His brothers and sister had tried very hard to connect with him over the last couple of decades. Erica Gill (The Hat Man’s niece)
Wow, Erica, it’s so great to hear from someone of Avtar’s family! When I spoke to Avtar back in 2008, he told me he was from India but was born in Malaysia (at least that’s what I recall he told me). Is this consistent with what you know of him? Do you know how he ended up coming to Cincinnati?