Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Tragedy Hits the Fox Community

On Friday Drew Speedie and his son, Brent, fell a few hundred feet to their deaths from a bridge in Yellowstone Park while vacationing there. My heart goes out to Irene his wife. Drew was a Visual FoxPro MVP and regular conference speaker and writer.

I remember the first time I ever met Drew was at the Visual FoxPro 6.0 DevCon in May 1998 in Orlando. I remember how funny and engaging he was showing off the VFP Grid. Drew was great at showing you the ins and outs and tips and tricks of a particular feature -- things you never thought of.

The first time I ever met Brent was at an Essential Fox conference (I think 3 years ago) in Kansas City. The first thing that came to mind when talking with him was "Wow, this kid is smart. And just like his father." He was very engaging and had the same wit as Drew during our conversation about Arizona. The last time I spoke with Drew he told me about some beautiful places to visit in Arizona -- I think I'll have to go see them now.

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1 comment:

Ricardo Almeida said...

Hi Beth,

I confess I only met Drew at DevTeach, this year, but I'm still in shock.

I remember very clearly of his wallpaper with Irene's photo, and look to the back of the room and see her and Brent. Drew has also asked Brent to reach him a book, clearly to embarrass the shy kid he has.

Always speaking quickly and with a Coke on his right hand, Drew had the gift to show the right spots of VFP you need. With him, every minute was a lesson. I’ll not forget his VFP 9.0 presentation.

As you did, Beth, I’ve created a post on my blog and included a photo I toke at one of his sessions, at Devteach. I’ll keep remembering and passing his name in the future for other VFP developers.

Thanks, Beth. See you.