Diane: Dan! It's freezing out. You need something heavier.
Dan: I fine.
Diane: No, you need a Down Coat.
Dan: Like me!
Diane: No, "Down" feathers. Not like you.
12/31/2008
12/29/2008
Statue Man Saves a Stranger
Click on the photos to enlarge. Notice anyone?
The Philadelphia Daily News
August 8th, 2005
Dragon Boat Rowers Save Jumper
By G.W. MILLER II
Photos by Joseph Kaczmarek
Challengers Dragon Boat team members help a man they rescued from the Schuylkill
Every day, the members of the Challengers Dragon Boat team are special.
Yesterday, they were heroes.
The Challengers, a team of paddlers with Down syndrome, were beginning their return trip toward Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill after a long practice when team members saw a man standing on the Girard Avenue Bridge around 4 p.m.
Then they saw him jump.
“He flew like a bird and then, splash,” said Carol Lee Lindner, the team’s paddling coach and mother of team captain Alexis Lindner.
The team paddled their cumbersome, 30-foot-long, double hull, practice canoe until they were alongside the man, who was flailing and bobbing in the river.
“I wasn’t scared, “said paddler Christian White, 15. “I felt brave.”
“The kids were great,” said Lindner. “They stayed calm and followed orders.”
Police tied a rope to the 40-year old man, whose name was not released, and pulled him on to land. He was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital.
He was trying to kill himself, police believe.
But the Challengers, who are between the ages of 15 and 30, saved his life.
Lindner said that the man kept saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Thank you.”
Police did not know why he had wanted to commit suicide. Before he jumped, he was talking into a cell phone and yelling while standing on the river side of the bridge fence.
He was fortunate that the Challengers were that far up the river yesterday. The team usually leaves its launch from Lloyd Hall, just west of the Art Museum, and turns around well before Girard Avenue.
No other boats were in the area.
Joan Turek and Carol Lee Lindner hold on to a man who is exhausted from having nearly drowned.
“I love to hear the roar of the crowd,” said Lindner’s daughter Alexis, 30.
The Philadelphia version of the 2,400-year-old Chinese tradition was the brainchild of Carol Lee Lindner. The first competition here had 42 entries.
This years festival has 128 teams, the maximum that can run the race in one day, Lindner said.
“Their timing is coming along nicely,” she said of the Challengers. “But the idea is to get these children out into society, to let people know what a gift they are.”
Alexis Lindner volunteers with Alzheimer’s patients. Christian White recently won gold medals for swimming in the Pennsylvania Special Olympics.
Team members Drew Dolan and Dan Drinker, and volunteer paddlers Frank Kelly, Joan Turek, Hubert White, Chandler White and Sue Dolan, also helped with the rescue yesterday.
“Now, I’m famous!” said Drinker, 20. “The whole team’s famous!”
Christa Bergman White, Christian’s mother, said, “You could have a boat full of typical people and they wouldn’t’ have reacted as calm as these kids did today.”
12/11/2008
12/05/2008
Statue Man Saves His Sister
Statue Man, Statue Man,
Does whatever a statue can,
Turns to stone, on his own,
If danger's near, he'll be here,
Look out! Here comes the Statue Man...
Diane Drinker arrives at the swim club with a pool chair and her three children.
Emily, 4, models her brand new bathing suit which has an inner tube built in. She struts along the side of the pool as the family reaches their usual patch of grass.
Dan, 9, sets up his towel next to his brother Will, 8, who tests the water with his toe.
Diane sees Patty sunbathing.
Diane: Hey Patty.
Patty: Hey, Di, how are ya?
Dan takes his first real notice of Emily's odd looking swim suit.
Dan: Will, her suit weird. Why?
Will: That’s an inner tube so she can stay afloat.
Dan holds up his inner tube, which he’s just finished inflating.
Dan: Mine bigger.
Emily: Yeah, well I’m smaller.
Dan: Mine bigger. Yours not. Mine better.
Will: No it’s not, Dan. It’s just different.
Dan: I special.
Emily: So am I!
Diane: Okay, lunchtime. Who wants to go to the snack bar?
Will: Me!
Emily: Me!
Dan: Not me, I stay here.
Diane: Dan, we’re all going, you have to come with us.
Dan: I fine.
Diane: Come on, we agreed: food first, pool second. I need your big strong arms to help carry the food back here.
Daniel Drinker has transformed into… STATUE MAN!
Will: Come on, dude. You love the snack bar.
No response
Diane: Danny Boy, don’t you want some chicken fingers?
No response
Will: Lets just go mom, he’ll still be frozen when we get back.
Diane: Patty, can you keep an eye on these two? I'll be right back.
Patty: No problem.
Diane: Thanks. Emily, you stay with Dan. Will, you come help with the food. Okay, stay right here. No pool until after we eat. Got it?
All this time, Dan’s eyes have remained fixed on a distant lifeguard stand. He has remained motionless.
Diane leads Will to the snack bar.
Dan and Emily are alone by the pool.
Patty's eyes are closed under her sunglasses.
Emily gets up and begins to wander the edge of the pool.
Dan turns his focus to her but remains still.
Emily pauses to watch an older girl dive in head first through her inner tube.
Emily looks back at Dan, who quickly averts his eyes back to the lifeguard stand.
Emily turns back to the pool and dives in, head first.
Because her inner tube is part of her bathing suit, Emily finds herself stuck, upside down. Her head under water, her legs up in the air.
Dan returns his gaze to the pool and sees Emily.
Emily's legs begin to flail.
Dan looks and sees an unaware Patty continuing to sunbathe.
ZAP! He shoots up. With a running dive, he's in the pool.
He reaches his sister and flips her over.
Emily coughs up some water.
Dan looks and sees an unaware Patty continuing to sunbathe.
ZAP! He shoots up. With a running dive, he's in the pool.
He reaches his sister and flips her over.
Emily coughs up some water.
Dan: Em, I sorry.
Emily: For what?
Dan: My tube better.
Diane: I thought I said, “No Pool”?
Dan and Emily turn to see Diane and Will standing on the pool’s edge with the food.
Emily: For what?
Dan: My tube better.
Diane: I thought I said, “No Pool”?
Dan and Emily turn to see Diane and Will standing on the pool’s edge with the food.
Statue Man, Statue Man,
Friendly neighborhood Statue Man,
He's a rock when he's in shock,
He'll hold still, against your will,
Watch out! Metamorphic Statue Man!
11/30/2008
Statue Man Meets The Cardinal
INT. ST. VINCENT CATHOLIC CHURCH – MORNING
Dan and Will stand in a line of their peers, wearing blue blazers, white khaki’s, and brown loafers. Their hands are clasped in prayer as they slowly move up the aisle toward the pulpit.
Will: Okay, Dude, remember how we practiced?
Dan: Will, I nervous, Will.
Will: There’s nothing to be nervous about.
Dan: He not my priest.
Will: I know. He’s your Cardinal.
Dan: Not mine. He a stranger.
Will: You’ll meet him up there and then he won’t be a stranger anymore. He’s here to confirm us.
Dan: Why?
Will: He has that power.
Dan: Why?
Will: Because that’s one of his functions, along with electing a new Pope.
Dan: Why?
Will: Because, in the Catholic Church, Cardinals are appointed by the Pope and the Pope is elected by the Cardinals.
Dan: Why?
Will: I don’t know. That’s just how it works. Not much of a system, really. Listen, just act religious and look serene.
Dan and Will reach the Cardinal.
Dan steps up to the plate first.
Dan notices the Cardinal is wearing a red beanie.
Dan: He Jewish? (pronounced Goo-ish)
Dan and Will stand in a line of their peers, wearing blue blazers, white khaki’s, and brown loafers. Their hands are clasped in prayer as they slowly move up the aisle toward the pulpit.
Will: Okay, Dude, remember how we practiced?
Dan: Will, I nervous, Will.
Will: There’s nothing to be nervous about.
Dan: He not my priest.
Will: I know. He’s your Cardinal.
Dan: Not mine. He a stranger.
Will: You’ll meet him up there and then he won’t be a stranger anymore. He’s here to confirm us.
Dan: Why?
Will: He has that power.
Dan: Why?
Will: Because that’s one of his functions, along with electing a new Pope.
Dan: Why?
Will: Because, in the Catholic Church, Cardinals are appointed by the Pope and the Pope is elected by the Cardinals.
Dan: Why?
Will: I don’t know. That’s just how it works. Not much of a system, really. Listen, just act religious and look serene.
Dan and Will reach the Cardinal.
Dan steps up to the plate first.
Dan notices the Cardinal is wearing a red beanie.
Dan: He Jewish? (pronounced Goo-ish)
11/23/2008
Statue Man Saves His Brother
INT. PLYMOUTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HALLWAY – MIDDAY
Dan Drinker walks alone down the hall like he owns the place.
Mrs. Overcash spots him.
Mrs. O: Daniel, where are you going all by yourself?
Dan: Bathroom.
Mrs. O: Does your aide know that?
Dan: Yes, Overcash.
Dan continues down the hall.
INT. BOY’S BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS
Will sits on the toilet in the furthest stall from the door.
Tommy and Bobby enter and use the urinels.
Tommy looks under the stall and sees Will’s feet.
Tommy: Carpo is that you? Taking a dump at school again?!
Bobby: Don’t have a john at home, Carpo?
The boys begin wetting toilet paper in the sink and launching it into Will’s stall.
Will ducks as the wads stick to the wall of the stall.
Bobby: Don’t you know how dirty these bathrooms are?
Tommy: Yeah, gross! You’d be better off shitting yourself again.
Dan enters the bathroom.
Dan: Bad word.
Tommy: Dan the man!
Dan: You say bad word.
Tommy: I know, I know. I’m sorry, Dan. How about this… you don’t tell on me for cursing and I won’t tell on you for this.
Tommy places a wad of toilet paper in each of Dan’s hands.
Bobby points under the stall.
Dan bends down and looks beneath the stall.
Will is already bent down staring back and Dan with his finger to his mouth “Shhh”
Dan puts his finger to his mouth and smiles.
Tommy: Come on, Dan!
Bobby: Yeah, do it! Teach him a lesson for not being able to hold it!
Dan throws the first wad at Tommy and the second at Bobby.
Tommy: What are you doing you retard? I said throw it at Levi!
Bobby: I’m going to tell your teacher.
Dan grabs more wads from the sink and continues his assault on the boys.
Tommy: Stop, Dan!
Bobby: Alright, you asked for it…
The toilet flushes and Will appears from the stall.
Will: If you lay one finger on him I’ll make sure you don’t play football til summer camp.
Bobby: Drinker? Dude, we thought you were Levi Carpo.
Will: Well, I’m not.
Bobby: I know you have stomach problems. We really thought you were Levi.
Will: And what if I was Levi?
Tommy: Lets get out of here. They’re nothing but freaks, anyway.
Tommy and Bobby exit.
Dan: He say bad word.
Will: I know. You know throwing is bad, too?
Dan: Yes, but you my brother.
Will: Thanks, dude. Come on, I’ll walk you back to class.
Dan: I gotta pee.
Will: Oh. Right.
Are YOU an artist? If you'd like to contribute to The Adventures of Statue Man just send us an e-mail. Maybe you know Dan and have the perfect story to share. Maybe you don't know Dan but want to express your creativity and illustrate a scene I've already written. Let's get to work, people! Daniel Drinker is no longer limited to a single medium!
Dan Drinker walks alone down the hall like he owns the place.
Mrs. Overcash spots him.
Mrs. O: Daniel, where are you going all by yourself?
Dan: Bathroom.
Mrs. O: Does your aide know that?
Dan: Yes, Overcash.
Dan continues down the hall.
INT. BOY’S BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS
Will sits on the toilet in the furthest stall from the door.
Tommy and Bobby enter and use the urinels.
Tommy looks under the stall and sees Will’s feet.
Tommy: Carpo is that you? Taking a dump at school again?!
Bobby: Don’t have a john at home, Carpo?
The boys begin wetting toilet paper in the sink and launching it into Will’s stall.
Will ducks as the wads stick to the wall of the stall.
Bobby: Don’t you know how dirty these bathrooms are?
Tommy: Yeah, gross! You’d be better off shitting yourself again.
Dan enters the bathroom.
Dan: Bad word.
Tommy: Dan the man!
Dan: You say bad word.
Tommy: I know, I know. I’m sorry, Dan. How about this… you don’t tell on me for cursing and I won’t tell on you for this.
Tommy places a wad of toilet paper in each of Dan’s hands.
Bobby points under the stall.
Dan bends down and looks beneath the stall.
Will is already bent down staring back and Dan with his finger to his mouth “Shhh”
Dan puts his finger to his mouth and smiles.
Tommy: Come on, Dan!
Bobby: Yeah, do it! Teach him a lesson for not being able to hold it!
Dan throws the first wad at Tommy and the second at Bobby.
Tommy: What are you doing you retard? I said throw it at Levi!
Bobby: I’m going to tell your teacher.
Dan grabs more wads from the sink and continues his assault on the boys.
Tommy: Stop, Dan!
Bobby: Alright, you asked for it…
The toilet flushes and Will appears from the stall.
Will: If you lay one finger on him I’ll make sure you don’t play football til summer camp.
Bobby: Drinker? Dude, we thought you were Levi Carpo.
Will: Well, I’m not.
Bobby: I know you have stomach problems. We really thought you were Levi.
Will: And what if I was Levi?
Tommy: Lets get out of here. They’re nothing but freaks, anyway.
Tommy and Bobby exit.
Dan: He say bad word.
Will: I know. You know throwing is bad, too?
Dan: Yes, but you my brother.
Will: Thanks, dude. Come on, I’ll walk you back to class.
Dan: I gotta pee.
Will: Oh. Right.
Are YOU an artist? If you'd like to contribute to The Adventures of Statue Man just send us an e-mail. Maybe you know Dan and have the perfect story to share. Maybe you don't know Dan but want to express your creativity and illustrate a scene I've already written. Let's get to work, people! Daniel Drinker is no longer limited to a single medium!
11/20/2008
Dan's Last Day of High School
Chronologically speaking, this scene follows Coping With Death and Discussing Dan's Transition. If you haven't seen those, I suggest you do before you check out this one because you'll have more context.
Click Here to watch this scene on You Tube
Plymouth Whitemarsh high school was Dan's world. He loved going to school. When he was ill he would hide his symptoms and feign health in order to attend class. In 2005, Dan's friends and classmates graduated. He stayed at PW one more year because he could stay in public school until he turned 21. Therefore, in 2006, all his friends began college while he attended high school one final year. At the Class of '06 PW Picnic, he really only knew the faculty and staff. Had it been the Class of '05 Picnic, he would have been the star of the show. After all, they'd voted him king of several of their dances. Dan made due at the '06 picnic, of course. Once he was able to obtain his yearbook he found a way to fit right in.
Click to enlarge
Click Here to watch this scene on You Tube
Plymouth Whitemarsh high school was Dan's world. He loved going to school. When he was ill he would hide his symptoms and feign health in order to attend class. In 2005, Dan's friends and classmates graduated. He stayed at PW one more year because he could stay in public school until he turned 21. Therefore, in 2006, all his friends began college while he attended high school one final year. At the Class of '06 PW Picnic, he really only knew the faculty and staff. Had it been the Class of '05 Picnic, he would have been the star of the show. After all, they'd voted him king of several of their dances. Dan made due at the '06 picnic, of course. Once he was able to obtain his yearbook he found a way to fit right in.
Click to enlarge11/19/2008
Statue Man - Girl's Bag
A few months ago I called for artists to volunteer their talents so that together we could begin to visualize a series of comics I'd written about Dano Mano. There are just too many good stories others have told me or I simply wasn't able to film. Thankfully, a designer named Aram Fresh contacted me. He and I have never met but we share in common a love for Dan the Man. I sent him the script for the episode above and his work speaks for itself. It is moments such as this when I marvel at the communicative and collaborative power of the internet. Thanks so much, Aram. I'm sure our viewers will thank you for getting the ball rolling on this new facet of our project.
Speaking of which... are YOU an artist? If you'd like to contribute to The Adventures of Statue Man just send us an e-mail. Maybe you know Dan and have the perfect story to share. Maybe you don't know Dan but want to express your creativity and illustrate a scene I've already written. Let's get to work, people! Daniel Drinker is no longer limited to a single medium!
11/17/2008
Statue Man vs. Sammy Weak
The Adventures of Statue Man - Episode 2
Present day: Will and his friend Sam are walking.
Sam: One time, when Dan and I were in 5th grade, Mrs. Meyer’s class.
Will: Right…
Sam: Dan wanted to arm wrestle…
Cut To: Mrs. Meyer’s class room.
Dan and Sam sit next to each other. They are both nine years old.
Dan: Come on, Sam.
Sam: I don’t know, Dan. I’m pretty strong.
Dan: I stronger!
Sam: Alright… but I’m warning you.
They lock arms and begin to arm wrestle. Sam narrates while they fight it out.
Sam’s Narration: Naturally, I let him win. I knew if I beat him I’d never hear the end of it.
Dan beats Sam. Classmates cheer.
Dan: Sammy Weak!
Sam: Nice job Dan, I guess you were right!
Dan: I strong, Sammy Weak!
Student 1: Haha! Sammy Weak!
Dan: Yeah!
Student 2: Sammy Weak!
“Sammy Weak” catches on throughout the classroom.
Sam sits quietly, trying to keep his cool.
Cut back to the present: Will and Sam walking and talking.
Sam: From then on, I was known as “Sammy Weak”.
Will: I never heard about this.
Sam: It lasted for the entire year.
Will: Well, you know… I mean, Dan didn’t know that would happen.
Sam: Oh no. I give him more credit than that. He knew exactly what he was doing.
11/05/2008
A Great American
Dan is having a great fall season so far. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series, he dressed as Ryan Howard for Halloween, and Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States. Dan lives in Pennsylvania and I live in California so he called me this morning to make sure I knew Barack won. I asked him how he felt,
“I’m so happy, Will. He’s my man.”Dan has an elegant way of summing things up. Honestly, what more could my brother have said? It is a truly happy and historic day and whether you voted for him or not, he is our man for the next four years. Barack has been Dan’s man long before he was mine, or anyone in our family’s. During the primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama we lived in a split household, right down the gender line. Years before that, Barack gave a speech at the 2004 DNC and Dan made a note of how sharp he was.
Today is a day of celebration for many reasons but I would like to celebrate my brother’s extraordinary achievement as a citizen of this great nation. After countless You Tubers have insisted Dan should not be allowed to vote, that me or my family are dictating his vote, or that he’s simply too stupid to vote (the latter comments always coming from those who have worse grammar than Dan) I feel compelled to shout “NO!”
Dan Drinker is a man of his own volition, a proud American whose sense of responsibility and duty called him to participate in this election in every way he could. If you’ve spent even five minutes watching him in action you’ll know that the only reason he’s been so committed to this election is because he wants to be. I wish to celebrate his patriotism.
Dan watched all the debates, he voted in the Pennsylvania primary, he saw Barack speak at Penn State University, he endorsed his candidacy right here on his website, and he voted for him in the general election. Yesterday he called to tell me he just voted for “Barack Obama and his friend Joe Biden”. Today after gushing about our new president he insisted I post something today. So here I am. I explained that’d be difficult since the scenes I’ve been working on don’t really speak to the election. He said, “I don’t care, Obama won”. So, let us celebrate that we live in a country that allows a 23 year-old man with Down syndrome to have a voice in the most important election of his lifetime.
Dan has always been an excellent judge of character. Whenever a new friend comes to our house, Dan finds a way to test their personality and reveal who they really are. He understands that he is special and always cleverly determines if you can handle it. You could call Dan the litmus test of our household in a way. If he doesn’t like someone, it’s usually for a very fundamental reason that no one can ignore. If he loves someone, they usually deserve it. I’m not kidding. When I would bring a girl home and she failed the Dan test, there was no turning back. There is no alternative to Dan Drinker’s approval. Maybe that’s why I try so hard to impress him.
So maybe Dan doesn’t know all of the policies being debated, or the solution to the current financial crisis, or whether we’ll go to war with Iran but neither do I and neither do you. Dan voted with his heart. Dan cares and he tries. He tries very hard. For that, I believe he should be commended. Equal opportunity is nothing more than an opportunity. Because he seizes the opportunity, Dan Drinker is a great American.
9/26/2008
9/11/2008
Dan's April In Paris
CLICK HERE to watch this scene on You Tube.
Dan took Sarah to Melmark's "April In Paris" formal. I would like to give Dan credit for the concept as well as the execution of his beret, glove, and song list. Countless people that evening tried to give me credit saying "That's so nice you dressed him in a Beret". It's amazing how quick people are to assume Dan's limitations. After finding clips of "An American In Paris" on youtube, Dan asked his grandmother to buy him a beret. He came prepared all by himself. I discovered his plans when the camera was rolling.
9/05/2008
7/14/2008
Dan Gets a Haircut
CLICK HERE to watch this scene on Youtube
Dan Drinker and Terri Lynn Mckenzie were students in Mrs. Overcash's 4th grade class together. Dan was part of an inclusion classroom where he was the only student in the class with special needs. My mother kept a communication book with all of Dan's teachers. Dan would carry the book back and forth between home and school. Below are excerpts from the daily conversations my mother had with Dan's teacher and Aide.
Dan first met Terri in the first week of September. The first week of school:
9/4/96
Today I spoke to the class about Dan. Everyone was very receptive. His classmates at his table are: Terri Mckenzie, Shannon Kearns, and Fred Chang. Terri was commended today for being so wonderful and helpful to Dan.9/5/96
Terri mentioned that Dan kissed her at lunchtime. She was very understanding as we spoke to her. 9/6/96
Dan’s friend that sits next to him is Terri. Apparently, he was following her around and not allowing her time to play with other friends. She appears to be a very nice and fair friend. She isn’t truly complaining about him – she’s just suggesting that she be able to play with other kids, too. I talked to him. Could you, too? Some other boys also came up and said they want to play with him for tomorrow. So I felt good about this because they all worked this out on their own.Those accounts were from Mrs. Overcash and Mrs. Haegel. The following year, in fifth grade, my mom was corresponding with two other teachers, Mrs. Meyer and Mrs. Kozeniewski. Terri was no longer in Dan's class but the first week of school was all about her:
9/3/97
He didn’t want to come in for recess. I went out to get him and asked him if everything was okay. He said, “no” and asked for Terri. He asks for her a lot. I told him he could see her during recess. He seems to accept his friends being in other classrooms, but not Terri.9/5/97
If you could talk to him about how important it is for him to come in from recess in the class line it would be very helpful. He stays outside to wait for Terri. We haven’t given in on his requests for Terri. I’ve been telling him that she is in another class where she is learning, like he is. Overall, we had a great first week. I think Dan and I will have a wonderful year. Looking forward to Monday.9/11/97
We think that Dominique is replacing Terri. Dan taps her on the head when he walks by her. She seems to be understanding, so far.5/29/2008
Chestnut Hill Local
CLICK HERE to read the article.
Dan and I made the cover of the local section of the Chestnut Hill Local. A big thank you from both of us to Kristin Pazulski for taking the time to tell our story and to the Local for shedding light on our project. We met with Kristin twice at McNally's Tavern. I had a Schmitter and water while Dan had a burger and a glass of wine.
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