[DC LoCo] Kevin thinks his 15 minutes of ... fame is a mite strong.

[Jeff Elkner]

Wow!  Mr. Cole, this is wonderful news!  A highly deserved recognition
of all the hard work and dedication you have put into this.  It is
encouraging to know that even though it often didn't seem like it,
someone at Gallaudet was paying attention.

Congratulations!

On Fri, Apr 5, 2013 at 7:24 AM, flint <flint at mail.flint.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Kevin,
>
> It really does my heart good to see good things happen to good folk.  I am
> both proud and jealous.  Needless to say this is what should be the result
> of a career founded on truth, excellence and open source.  I relay this,
> despite your soon to arrive protestation, because the entire open source
> community is happy when one of its leaders is recognized.  If, as an
> associate of this community you receive this note, please relay this good
> news...
>
> Hopefully talk to you Monday.
>
> Regards,
>
> Paul
>
> On Thu, 4 Apr 2013 21:34:27 -0400, Kevin Cole <dc.loco at gmail.com> wrote:
>> The guy on the right is Gallaudet President T. Alan
>> Hurwitz<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Alan_Hurwitz>
>>  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Alan_Hurwitz). Unbeknownst to me,
> there
>> was only one award of any kind slated to be given today.  (I had
> expected
>> that there would be several, as it was an event to celebrate both grant
>> winners, and to encourage grant applicants who had tried and were either
>> waiting to hear back or had failed to win the award -- a bit of a pep
> rally
>> for the later. But nay.)
>>
>>
> http://research.gallaudet.edu/~kjcole/grants-special-recognition-2013-04-04.jpg
>>
>> At the Board of Advisors meeting among the topics addressed was the
>> board's recommendation that Gallaudet researchers use and produce open
>> source.  Leading the charge was former Gallaudet Board of Trustees
>> member, and newest inductee into the Board of Advisors / Associates,
>
>> Chief Evangelist for Google, one Vinton Cerf...
>>
>> Fortunately, my boss, while editing the president's speech for the
>> above photo, happened to mention open source:
>>
>> Thursday, April 4, 2013, 430 pm
>>
>>
>>> Today I am pleased to recognize Kevin Cole, research applications
>>> programmer with the Gallaudet Research Institute, with an award for his
>>> three decades of creative and pioneering effort in designing software
>>> solutions for campus researchers that have benefited our University
>>> tremendously..
>>
>>
>>> Kevin, one shining example of these efforts is your creation of a
>>> database
>>> of all research and scholarly achievement at Gallaudet. Your work
>>> enhanced
>>> our Annual Report of Achievements and put Gallaudet's accomplishments
> on
>>> the worldwide web, gaining significant exposure to Gallaudet and the
>>> innovative research and programs we are involved in. [
>>> http://research.gallaudet.edu/ara/, the Django app. -- KJC]
>>
>>
>>> Over the past 35 years, you have played an integral role as a valued
>>> member of numerous research teams. Gallaudet researchers have relied on
>>> you
>>> for your dedication and commitment to developing new and improved
> methods
>>> for collecting, storing, and analyzing data. You have a long history of
>>> locating innovative software and demonstrating to people how it can
>>> improve
>>> their productivity and the quality of their work. Notably, you are
> known
>>> for favoring "open source software," which enables more customization
> in
>>> research problem-solving while saving a lot of money over proprietary
>>> software.
>>
>>
>>> Just as important, I believe that you are valued because you truly
> listen
>>> to people when they describe what they need and devote your skills to
>>> developing custom solutions to problems.
>>
>>
>>> Last but far from the least, you have a reputation for giving back to
> the
>>> community. You often volunteer for worthwhile programs in Washington,
>>> such
>>> as the "One Laptop Per Child" initiative. The giving spirit you display
>>> in
>>> your work and your civic endeavors reflect well on our university, and
>>> I--and many, many others--appreciate it. Kevin, I am pleased to give
> you
>>> this award, and I ask the people here to join me in a round of
> applause.
>>
>>
>> I think more than anything, the endorsement of open source, while not
>> exactly for the primary "right" reason, was the most valuable bit.
>
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