It is with great sorrow that Wikimedia Italia announces the death of
Alessio Guidetti, better known on the projects as Cotton. He has been
treasurer of the organization for about five years, from 2009 until last
April.
Alessio started to contribute to Wikipedia at the end of 2006: after a few
months he became already a sysop. He was a tireless translator of English
articles in the most diverse fields, and also part of the small group of
the patrollers -and, indeed, he continued his precious work until the last,
even if invisible for most of the editors.
From the moment he joined Wikimedia Italia, Alessio was
very keen to
contribute effectively, guided by his well-known pragmatism. He run for
the
Board: as soon as he was elected, he took the role of treasurer, a
difficult task and a fundamental one for us but little recognized. It was
Alessio who took care of the most delicate and complicated tasks, and he
did so in the years during which Wikimedia Italia was starting to grow big,
the years of our quantum leap.
This spring he decided to not run again for the Board, but he kept
collaborating with his successor for an effective -and not only formal-
handover. He took care of the accounting, donations and employees'
paychecks till his very last days. He has been an incredible help:
trustworthy, precious, always ready for a joke.
Alessio has been a pillar of Wikimedia Italia: his pragmatism, his
hardworking disposition, his sense of humor were, and are, a part of our
organization. A part of how it was born and how it is growing. A part of
what we are.
Wikimedia Italia is close to the family and the friends of Alessio in this
grievous moment.
We will terribly miss him.
Many of you have know Alessio in Wikimanias and conferences.
If you wish, you can leave a last goodbye here on his userpage:
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discussioni_utente:Cotton#Ciao.
Andrea Zanni
on behalf of Wikimedia Italia