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

[N.C. Weber]

Bravo!  Any accolade that pushes forth open source, and more 
importantly, the community spirit behind such, is a worthwhile accolade, 
to be sure.

- N.C. Weber
   Curator of the Afrodiseum
   http://www.afrodiseum.com

On 04/05/2013 07:24 AM, flint 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.