Michael, thanks for sharing this. I haven't seen Tim in at least a decade. I'll follow up with you separately about visiting him.<div><br></div><div>-- </div><div>Ben<br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">On Fri, Sep 28, 2018, 09:37 Michael R. Wolf <<a href="mailto:MichaelRWolf@att.net">MichaelRWolf@att.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Earlier this week, I visited Tim Maher. It would mean a lot to him if you would, too.<br>
<br>
Because I live about 6 blocks from Tim in Ballard, I used to see him in the neighborhood with his wife, Yeshe. Over the years, his Perl (and other) training slowed down (as did mine), so we'd trade stories about post-SPUG activities. Tim had begun teaching psychology, and enjoying his music. Later, he claimed to be officially retired.<br>
<br>
When I saw him at the beginning of the summer, he was using a walker. Last week, I saw Yeshe and she told me he was no longer leaving the house.<br>
<br>
One of the things I liked best about SPUG was that there was a sense of community, not merely a shared technical interest. The connections I made at SPUG and OSCON were more than professional networking. They were a critical part of my life and my self-identity.<br>
<br>
My wife Wendy is fond of saying "Community is who shows up". <br>
<br>
In its prime, SPUG was a community with a lot of people showing up. Tim was a catalyst for that happening. Even though NY claims to be the first Perl Monger group, SPUG has bragging rights to the first Perl _user_ group, having started meeting before the PM moniker took root. Tim was instrumental in this, and even won a White Camel award for this community building work.<br>
<br>
Now, "Community is who shows up" has a different flavor. Tim has difficulty speaking, but he can still understand conversations around him. And he definitely appreciates the company. If you can show up for a visit, it would make a huge difference.<br>
<br>
Feel free to contact me if you'd like to hear more, or call Yeshe on (206) 789-8924 to schedule a time.<br>
<br>
Thanks, SPUG.<br>
<br>
-- <br>
Michael R. Wolf<br>
<a href="mailto:MichaelRWolf@att.net" target="_blank">MichaelRWolf@att.net</a> | LinkedIn.com/in/MRWolf | +1-(206)-679-7941<br>
All mammals learn by playing<br>
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</blockquote></div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><p dir="ltr">-- <br>
Ben</p>
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