From: (No Email available)

Date: 2001-05-14 20:24:00

Comment:

Dearest Friends of Douglas Adams,

Today, we say goodbye to a leader of men.  A man who?s writing and humor commented on the beauty of man even within the great scale of existence.

I was first exposed to The Hitchhikers Guide as a radio program on NPR shortly after the audio adaptation of Star Wars.

I remember seeing the title of the book on the library shelf and thinking that I needed to look at that later.

I read the first book on a family vacation and remember begging my dad to 'loan' me the money to purchase the (at the time) other book.

I remember the release of every book since then.  

Mr. Adams greatest character is Arthur Dent.  His great quest started out as simply a reaction to events completely out of his control...  Along his path he finds bits of happiness, his love of Fenchurch, the joy of making sandwiches.  

As a man of 33, my life has been better because of his work.  I understand that the universe is much, much more complicated than I can model.  I?ve learned that modeling the complexity can and should be fun.
I know that even among the worst disasters, it is good sense to stop and have a nice cup of tea.

Every word that Douglas Adams wrote was a challenge.  He once said that writing was easy, just stare at a blank piece of paper till your eyes bleed.  

However, his writing and style has touched me in a way no other author has come close.

So friends, fill your glasses with beer, tea, milk, or perhaps of that old janx spirits, and raise them in proud salute.

To our friend, Douglas Adams.  Wherever you are in the Galaxy, please remember 2 simple words.  Don't Panic.

Anthony Wilson
FordPrefect@adventuredude.net