- 7,343
- 28,799
- Joined
- Dec 8, 1999
This is certainly a sad day for all of us fortunate enough to have known Jake in any capacity.
As his time here proved, no matter how large the setting or how limited the exposure, his personality shone through with brilliance and clarity.
It was, for many of us, impossible to be exposed to Jake, even through a medium as distant and impersonal as text, without experiencing his wit and affable,good-natured character. Friendly and thoughtful, it was easy to see why he became known as a favorite among those who knew him through NikeTalk.
Fewer know that he was also a voracious reader, someone whose passion for life led him to seek out knowledge not for abstract or egotistical purposes but,rather, to better understand and improve the world around him. Though sadly infrequent, I always thoroughly enjoyed our discussions on and off NT, some ofwhich ran for over an hour and covered a wide breadth of topics. Within minutes we could go from sneakers to politics, from pedagogy to our mutual dislike ofDuke. He was a consummate people person, easy to talk to and even easier to like.
He was a great friend to us on NT, someone who people instinctively gravitated towards, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to tell him as much and let himknow how much I appreciated his presence here - for he truly is one of those people who made it so much fun to be part of this community.
A recurring theme in our conversations, due to NT, was diversity, and I thought I'd share a couple of quotes - contrasting quotes - of his about diversityand NikeTalk in particular, that we would all do well to learn from.
When I mentioned, once, that diversity was our greatest strength he responded by saying,
As his time here proved, no matter how large the setting or how limited the exposure, his personality shone through with brilliance and clarity.
It was, for many of us, impossible to be exposed to Jake, even through a medium as distant and impersonal as text, without experiencing his wit and affable,good-natured character. Friendly and thoughtful, it was easy to see why he became known as a favorite among those who knew him through NikeTalk.
Fewer know that he was also a voracious reader, someone whose passion for life led him to seek out knowledge not for abstract or egotistical purposes but,rather, to better understand and improve the world around him. Though sadly infrequent, I always thoroughly enjoyed our discussions on and off NT, some ofwhich ran for over an hour and covered a wide breadth of topics. Within minutes we could go from sneakers to politics, from pedagogy to our mutual dislike ofDuke. He was a consummate people person, easy to talk to and even easier to like.
He was a great friend to us on NT, someone who people instinctively gravitated towards, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to tell him as much and let himknow how much I appreciated his presence here - for he truly is one of those people who made it so much fun to be part of this community.
A recurring theme in our conversations, due to NT, was diversity, and I thought I'd share a couple of quotes - contrasting quotes - of his about diversityand NikeTalk in particular, that we would all do well to learn from.
When I mentioned, once, that diversity was our greatest strength he responded by saying,
