The Beloved Gang Member!

Today I chanced upon this wiki on John Vlisssides (who passed away on November 24, 2005 after a long-term battle with cancer). In case you didn't know (shame on you!), he was one of the 'Gang of Four' who wrote the book Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software. According to this wiki, what others remember most about John is echoed by the following exact words from Steve Abrams (IBM).

"The essence of John's greatness was not in his technical accomplishments – it was in his humanity"

Being a big pattern fan myself, I've read and re-read the GOF book (recommended reading for any software engineer, IMHO). Although I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, I was nevertheless very much saddened by his untimely demise. John, may you rest in peace!