Paulo was a very special friend during high school at Memorial.  He was a very kind, funny, and a bit shy.  However, he was from Brazil so of course he loved and played soccer.  Memorial H.S. did not have any kind of soccer team, so Paulo and I played for a Tulsa area club team called the Tulsa Grasshoppers.  The club also had a separate adult men's team, so Paulo and other h.s. team members (including Jamey Langston, Mark Dickerson, Ken Steen, Joe Bartlett, Gerald Caterlin, and others) would often attend the parties thrown by these guys from many different nations.  Our h.s. club team would play against many college teams, including OSU, Northeastern Okla Univ., Southeastern Okla. U., OBU, St. Gregory's, Phillips, Altus Air base, and a team we usually demolished:  Holland Hall.  Paulo and I graduated together then went our separate ways.  I played soccer at Columbia College and developed a lifelong love of playing, coaching, and following futbol.  The last time I saw Paulo was at the 20 year reunion in '94.  We only spoke for a few minutes, but the mutual admiration and respect was still there.  Tonight I opened our TAPS yearbook from 1974, and saw Paulo's photo with his American brother Bobby Ess.  So, I tried to find him on the Internet and Facebook to connect with him again.  Sadly, I found on our Class of '74 page that Paulo had passed away.  No date was given.  I wish Paulo could have known that because of him, I developed a love for Brazilian culture and music - and their soccer of course.  In 2014, to celebrate the World Cup held in Brazil, I wrote and directed a show for my 5th grade students:  "Brasil:  Terra Magica" celebrating Paulo's homeland.  I'll always remember Paulo, my amigo, my teammate, who walked side by side with me into the arena of The Beautiful Game.   Bill Vaananen