Saying Goodbye to a Close Friend

I remember walking through the Tampa Convention Center. I was in search of hope, a reason to keep going.

Bill Montgomery and I walked through stairwell after stairwell, until I saw a familiar face with a cowboy hat. I recognized him from the news, it was Foster Friess.

I immediately came up to him and introduced myself. I was 18 at the time and Turning Point had zero donors, no real presence, just a kid from Chicago with a dream and energy to try and change the world.

Foster warmly greeted me and told me the way to remember his name was that you have a Fosters Beer and a pile of fries then add an “S” to it. For those of you who knew Foster, that intro makes perfect sense.

We got to talking and instead of brushing me off the way almost everyone else did, we kept talking. He told me his current portfolio of jokes, his favorite Bible verses, and asked me what I wanted to do with my life.

I clumsily told him the vision I had for Turning Point USA and how I felt young people needed to hear the conservative message.

We exchanged business cards and Foster told me we would be in touch and he wanted to support me.

A few weeks later he sent Turning Point USA $10,000. It was our first investment and the resources that got us started.

From there Foster remained a steady and charming influence on my life. He was always encouraging me to be a better person, act with civility, and try to seek peace with my enemies.

He generously supported TPUSA time and time again. Shocking the world when he would go up on stage and offer a match of millions of dollars if the room could step up to his level. He inspired generosity in all people.

I have thousands of pictures and stories I could share of Foster: His disgust for abbreviations without explaining what they mean, his commitment to only one person talking at a time at dinner, his unlimited inventory of jokes, his smile that was built for Hollywood, his love for Lynn, his flair for the unpredictable, his unmatched generosity, his humble beginnings, his love for America, his reverence for his closest friends.

At a time like this it is helpful to remember all of those stories, but also to know that Foster invested and believed in TPUSA and me. He knew he was going to a better place, and wanted the world to be the best it could be with the time he was given. Foster would want us to push harder than ever before, act with civility to those who wish us harm, to be happy warriors, to dream big and be efficient with our time. Foster believed every good day was a ‘REP,’ which meant:
Relationship
Excerpts
Productivity

His wisdom was rooted in his love of God, nation, family, and the eternal beauty around us.

We all miss you, Foster. Our TPUSA events won’t be the same without the man with the cowboy hat coming in elegantly with the $1,000,000 smile. It won’t be the same without you charming the waiter and giving them your card asking them to check out your recent commentary on price transparency.

It is now up to us to continue your larger-than-life commitment to the best of our nature. We miss you Foster, we pray we will never let you down.