Dear Chip

~ Shared by Paisley Piasecki ~

I know it’s been quite some time since this site was created, but Chip has been in my thoughts lately and I am grateful to the family for giving us this space to share. Chip is a key person in my personal and professional development. I first met Chip in high school, when he, Val, and I had dinner to talk about my interest in careers in entertainment. Chip (or Mr. Hooper, as I first called him) was the first person who fully understood my dreams of working in the industry and encouraged me to chase them with everything I could give. I was thinking of attending law school and possibly becoming a producer or agent, and he was very confident that I could do it with the right mindset and skills. He explained that anything could be possible with hard work, passion, dreaming big, and never being above taking any job or opportunity that puts me closer to my goals. A few years later, I spent time with Chip again in New York when visiting Val. During college, I would share updates with him about my internship adventures. I remember his last text to me, saying how he was so happy to see me pursuing my dream. It was 5am in California, and he still answered my text! Today, I have been thinking about Chip often because I just graduated from law school. Ironically, my  school is just a few blocks from one of his former apartments; I always saw this as a sign that he is still cheering me on. In times like these, I wish I could tell him about school, my internship at ABC News, and how much his encouragement impacted me along the way. I wish I could hear his life advice, telling me how to do well at my first job. And I wish I could tell him about the Jonas Brothers reunion concert, my first concert at the Garden, as he always enjoyed speculating about their comeback tour and teasing me about my fandom. 

Hey Chip – It happened and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! 

I miss his laugh, I miss his kindness, and I miss his wisdom. Thank you, Chip. I am forever grateful, and I hope that I can give others the same generosity and care that you gave to me. I hope I can make you proud.