On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 2:12 AM, Michael Snow <wikipedia(a)frontier.com> wrote:
With their long and diligent service on the board,
Jan-Bart and Stu are two
of the best examples of something we should appreciate more in general -
volunteers and movement participants who were not first and foremost active
in wiki editing. I'm thankful they managed to break through the barriers we
sometimes create for "outsiders", so that we could in turn benefit from
their extraordinary talents.
In Jan-Bart's case, I believe his optimism and gift for making everyone feel
welcome made it much easier for us to welcome him in return. And if you ever
had a discussion with Stu, I think for many of us his desire to explore and
understand movement metrics of all kinds (not just financial ones) helped
identify him as a kindred spirit.
By focusing on their personalities, I know that I'll fail to do justice to
the actual work they did on the board. I would likely fail anyway, given how
much of it I've seen and the long list I'd need to make. But to be honest, I
think who they are is as important as what they have done. Thank you, Stu
and Jan-Bart, for being Wikimedians.
--Michael Snow
+1. I always laughed -- and cringed a little -- whenever someone
referred to JB and Stu as "appointed outsiders" -- the two of them are
some of the most dedicated Wikimedians I have ever known.
I met Jan-Bart at Wikimania 2005 and Stu at Wikimania 2007, and then
later served on the board with both of you for four years. Over the
years we've discussed, argued, solved the world's problems, created
the world's problems, come to consensus, influenced each other, and
gotten through some tough times and some joyous times. I have also
stayed up with you more late nights in hotel lobbies than I can count,
debating the state of things, and have learned a tremendous amount
from you both. It is hard to imagine Wikimedia without either of you;
thankfully, once a Wikimedian always a Wikimedian.
As someone who has managed to leave the board twice now, I am happy to
offer advice on how to manage the withdrawal ;) But more than that, I
hope to see you at future events and online, and hope you enjoy your
newly cleared calendars.
with stroopwafels,
Phoebe
--
* I use this address for lists; send personal messages to phoebe.ayers
<at>
gmail.com *