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Emotional turmoil
Nov. 5th, 2008 09:30 amThe energy from the election yesterday - poll working then Obama's victory, and then the disappointment of Prop 8.
Today I arrived at work at 7am to find an email from the unit director concerning the sudden death of a close colleague. At about noon yesterday, David Northrop walked out of a staff meeting and dropped dead in the corridor. Although other colleagues worked to revive him, and with our office located next to a hospital, paramedics were onsite within minutes, nothing could be done. David had just turned 50. He was a non-smoker, wasn't overweight, and appeared in excellent health.
He has been a great support to me in my five years with the department. Aside from sharing and enjoying my (British) dry sense of humor, he was a very talented manager, excellent team player, and a very approachable and supportive person.
Over the past year, a number of people in our organization (only 150 strong) have died. Most I knew only tangentially; David is the first close colleague I have lost here. Once again, his early death reminds me - at 56 - that time can't be wasted. It makes me more certain that I must retire as soon as practical, so that I can start concentrating my efforts on things that truly matter, rather than the trivial projects of IT in a University.
Today will be hard.
Today I arrived at work at 7am to find an email from the unit director concerning the sudden death of a close colleague. At about noon yesterday, David Northrop walked out of a staff meeting and dropped dead in the corridor. Although other colleagues worked to revive him, and with our office located next to a hospital, paramedics were onsite within minutes, nothing could be done. David had just turned 50. He was a non-smoker, wasn't overweight, and appeared in excellent health.
He has been a great support to me in my five years with the department. Aside from sharing and enjoying my (British) dry sense of humor, he was a very talented manager, excellent team player, and a very approachable and supportive person.
Over the past year, a number of people in our organization (only 150 strong) have died. Most I knew only tangentially; David is the first close colleague I have lost here. Once again, his early death reminds me - at 56 - that time can't be wasted. It makes me more certain that I must retire as soon as practical, so that I can start concentrating my efforts on things that truly matter, rather than the trivial projects of IT in a University.
Today will be hard.
