His Name Is Ron
Authors: Kim Goldman
HIS NAME IS RON
HIS NAME IS RON
The Family of Ron Goldman
with
William and Marilyn Hoffer
BenBella Books, Inc.
Dallas, Texas
(Previously published by William Morrow and Company Inc.
New York
)
Copyright © 2014 by RLG Family Corporation
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in the United States in 1997 by William Morrow and Company, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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eISBN: 978-1-940363-67-7
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In loving memory and in honor of Ron
Ron,
We can no longer hold your hand,
Embrace you in a hug,
Or share in your dreams,
But you are with us every day.
Our minds are filled with the sounds of your voice,
Our hearts ⦠with your love,
Our souls ⦠with your warmth,
We are forever connected.
You brought us pride, love, joy, and happiness,
We hope we have brought you honor.
Missing you now,
Loving you always
âDad, Patti, Kim, Michael, and Lauren
We dedicate this bookâ¦
To the hundreds of thousands of victims of violent crime and to their families. We hope that by expressing the pain that we share, a nation will better understand the total devastation caused by the violence that has become a part of all of our daily lives.
On behalf of our loved ones,
we need, we demand, we deserve change.
A Letter from Ron's Family
About 5:20
P.M.
on June 13, 1994, we received the phone call that is every family's worst nightmare, and our lives were changed forever. Within minutes of that call, a photograph of our beautiful twenty-five-year-old son and brother, Ronald Lyle Goldman, filled the television screen. From that moment on, our quiet family was caught in the eye of a legal and emotional hurricane. Part of our heart and soul had disappeared forever, but we had no chance to grieve in private for the son and brother whom we loved so dearly. Our loss was so profound, our pain so deep, that it was almost impossible to function.
Many people had suggested that we write a book about our experiences. Originally we had no interest in such a project, but subsequent events proved to be so bizarre that now we are compelled to speak.
Our primary purpose is to give Ron an identity. So much attention, publicity, and even sympathy swirled around the defendant that Ron's death seemed to become a mere postscript to the “trial of the century.” Ron was a real person, with talents and faults, promises and disappointments, hopes and dreams. We cannot allow him to remain the forgotten victim.
For clarity, we have chosen to tell much of this story in Fred's voice, but the reader should note that this book is a collective family effort. We
have all shared our memories, our experiences, our heartbreak, and our search for healing.
For his own reasons, Ron's brother Brian chose not to participate. We respect his wishes.
We have received thousands of letters of support from all over the world. People invariably ask us to keep speaking out about the excruciating pain of our loss and our frustration over the inequities in a system that frequently seems to care more about the rights of criminals than of victims. When you speak out, these people said, you are speaking for us. Their letters, and our increased involvement in victims' rights issues, convinced us that sharing our experiences with the public might serve a worthy purpose. Ours is a very personal story, but one that far too many people in this country have lived as well. If we can help just one family deal with its own agony, Ron's memory will be well served.
âFred, Patti, and Kim Goldman
âMichael and Lauren Glass
HIS NAME IS RON
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