EVEN IN DEATH, TILLMAN BRINGING GOOD TO THE WORLD

By Bill Williamson
Denver Post Staff Writer
April 20, 2005

Friday will come. There's no stopping it. It will mark the one-year anniversary of Pat Tillman's death.

Alex Garwood knows it's coming. How will he handle it? Perhaps like every day since last April 22.

Sorrowfully, but with purpose. Just as he knows Tillman would expect him to.

"It's just another reminder that Pat is not here and that we have to keep his legacy going," said Garwood, Tillman's brother-in-law and friend whose life changed when Tillman was killed in Afghanistan.

Tillman's story is legend. He shunned a rich contract as a safety with the Arizona Cardinals to become a U.S. Army Ranger. He became a symbol of unselfishness and American pride.

"Everyone is pro Pat," said Garwood, who often overhears strangers in restaurants discuss Pat in Tillman's hometown of San Jose, Calif. "Whether you're for the war or against the war, everybody believes in Pat."

Garwood, who is married to the sister of Tillman's widow, Marie, said he and Tillman's family are preparing for the upcoming week, knowing their free-spirited, handsome loved one will be in the news as he's remembered amid the ongoing conflict.

Saturday, thousands of people were expected to participate in "Pat's run" - a 4.2-mile race in Tempe, Ariz., that would conclude at the 42-yard line of Sun Devil Stadium. Tillman wore No. 42 while playing there for his alma mater, Arizona State. Friday, the anniversary of his death will be remembered by the Arizona Diamondbacks with Pat Tillman night.

"Everybody is going to remember Pat and honor his memory," Garwood said. "But the whole reason why we're going to be doing this is because Pat is dead. That's why this comes with a big asterisk."

It also comes with a cause. As the anniversary of Tillman's death approaches, so does the celebration of the birth of the Pat Tillman Foundation. As friends and family began to mourn Tillman's death at age 27, Garwood said it became clear something good must come from the tragedy.

Within a month, Garwood had left the comfort and familiarity of his job in the high technology field and was running the Pat Tillman Foundation. It has become his occupation and his passion.

The foundation has been thriving for months and is about to launch a program at Arizona State.

The program will help students work toward a cause of their choice in a leadership role, and the foundation will fund these causes.

"It could be to help fallen soldiers, to help fight cancer or fight AIDS," Garwood said. "It doesn't matter. But it's all about the same idea: working toward a cause in Pat's memory."

This NFL season, several of Tillman's friends will team up with the foundation. Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer - a close friend of Tillman's and a teammate at ASU and with the Cardinals - will make a donation to the foundation for every touchdown pass he throws.

As Tillman's anniversary nears, his memory burns.

"It's a daunting task trying to carry on the legacy of this incredible man," Garwood said. "Every day, I deal with the fact that Pat is dead. But I also get the opportunity to share Pat and inspire people to live the way he did."

Staff writer Bill Williamsoncan be reached at 303-820-5450 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com