Willard "Bud" Lynch I found out today that Bud died. While we hadn't been in contact the last few years, Bud was often on my mind. I met Bud early in my first career in Silicon Valley. I was a "know it most" young manager, running the final assembly and test departments at one of the capital equipment companies. Bud was a "special assignment" from the president of the company. Bud was 22 years my senior, and clearly my superior in experience, maturity and most other important things. After a few days of jousting with Bud I asked him how the hell he ended up here, working for me? Well, he had already had several successful careers before he showed up in my cubicle. He was recovering from the most recent one when his equally better half, Irma, had told him that he was buggin' her and that he should find something to do. He filled out an application and when he interviewed for the job the people in the personel department had told him that he was over qualified. Without complaining, Bud called up his stock broker, secured 100 shares of the companies stock, and called the presidents' secretary, as a stock holder, requesting a meeting. When ushered into the presidents' office Bud handed a copy of his resume to the man, asked that he read it, and sat back. When the president was finished Bud asked, "Now don't you think that if WE could hire that man at a bargain price that it would be a good deal for OUR company?" "Well, of course," responded the president, placing both feet firmly in the loop of rope he had no idea that Bud had placed directly in front of him. "Well then, I'd like to suggest that OUR personel department is full of idiots because they told me that I was over qualified". Bud was hired, the personel department chastised, and I had a new employee. So began 5 years of being Bud's "boss", and a lifetime of being his friend. With the exception of my father, Bud was the most influential male in my adult life. If we have the time down here sometime I will tell you a Lynch story or two, they're all beauts. Bud was a real guy in all respects: independent, intelligent, compassionate, loyal, and funny as hell. A no nonsense man when he needed to be, a nonsensical wizard when he wanted to be. I regard myself as extremely lucky to have had the chance to take and pass the Bud Lynch Mangement Obstical Course. Bud is survived by his lovely wife Irma, one of the few people in life who could ever match up to Bud in all respects, and his sons and daughters, each one the recipient of both genetic and environmental input from these two loving and in all respects superior people. Their children, and now grandchildren are extremely fortunate people, all out making the world a more Lynchful place, and the rest of us are all the much better off for that. Bud, I did and do love you, and I miss you.