I just wanted to fire off a quick post while I had a spare moment. My father just passed away, so I haven’t been in the right frame of mind to put up much of anything… but I promise to get back into the swing very soon. His memorial service is coming up on Saturday, which will be a tough thing to get through. I would like to selfishly take this opportunity to say a few words in Cyberspace about my father, Jim Wilkinson.

• I loved the fact he wore suspenders and a baseball cap all the time.

• I loved the fact that he loved animals.
• I loved that he taught me the value of hard work.
• I loved the opportunity he gave me to pursue my education and encouragement he gave me to travel the world.
• I loved that he was proud of my accomplishments, no matter how big or how small.
• I loved that he ate ice cream out of the container.
• I loved that he raised me with the right values.
• I loved that he would go out of his way to help people.
• I loved that as old school as he was, he learned how to use a computer and had a TiVo. OK, he had a little help with those two things.
• I loved the fact there was still a little boy inside of him.
• I loved that he was a curmudgeon.

He was a civil engineer by trade, and spent much of his career running Public Works Departments in some suburban municipalities outside of Chicago. His was a thankless, physically demanding job. But he loved it nonetheless. I loved being around his office when I was a child, with all the drafting tables and blueprints, trucks, and tractors.

I’ll close this post by saying that it was my dad who nurtured my love of computers and technology. One could say he literally paved the way for my career. I’ll never forget the day he drove me to pick up my 8th grade graduation gift… a Commodore Vic 20. He was a nerd before nerds were trendy. He was a nerd armed with mechanical pencils and slide rules.

So Pops, wherever you are, may you have an endless supply of ice cream and Brach’s Star Brite peppermint candy. Rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed, but never forgotten.

[tags]engineer,jim wilkinson,public works,memorial,brach’s,hard work,thankless job,curmudgeon,friend[/tags]