Incredible People

In my 25 years in the software industry I have met a lot of really sharp people and some not so sharp :-). So since I have been layed off from Micron and focused on getting my health straight I have been using LinkedIn to try to get back in touch with the people I have known. That brings me to thinking about the really stellar ones on the list. Some of these are:

• Joe de Witt at Micron. Joe is a Incredibly sharp architect and business man. He has that rare ability to find the technically correct answer that is also the best solution for the business. He is also one of the most socially conscious men I know. He has a passion for doing what is right. Joe can teach you how to be a better person by example alone.
• Grady Bryant at VeriSign. Without a doubt one of the smartest people I have ever met. I have watched Grady rewrite entire TCP/IP stacks in weeks while keeping his cool around a screaming client. If you have ever had the privilege of working with him you know what I mean. No surprise that he is the VP of R&D at VeriSign.
• Dan Cambron. Dan taught me more about Object Oriented programming in two years then anyone else I have known. I must admit I thought I knew what I was doing. He showed me I still had a lot to learn and then proceeded to be one of the best mentors I have ever had. Truly a exceptional software engineer and architect..
• Herb LaFond. Herb is beyond a doubt one of those rare individuals who is a born leader. He balances a strong technical skill set with a incredible set of people skills. He is one of the best project managers I have ever seen, He taught me more about how a good process can improve software quality in two years then I have learned in the last 25. Anyone of his team members will tell you the same.
• Doug Lawson. I first met Doug when he came to Micron to talk about some of the products his company has sold us. In too many meetings with vendors you will meet a technical guy that just does not have the depth you need. That is not the case with Doug. I have talked with about everything from Development Processes to BTB to network protocols for PLC's. It got so bad that the sales guy for the account started limiting our discussions so they could actually cover the business that brought them to town. Doug is truly an exceptional individual that I am proud to know.

This is just a small list of the exceptional individuals I have met professionally. In my 47 years I have also had a list of friends (which all of these definitely count as) that have been just as great Susan LaFond, Robin Callahan, Deb Lafond, John and Helene Myers, Kim and Kevin Labrum, Jerome Pioux, Tim Blaylock, Colin Robertson and others to numerous to mention.

Sometimes you just have to be amazed at how great your life can be.