Marc Orchant- the greatest man I have known
Marc Orchant- 1957 – 2007
I first came in contact with Marc Orchant about four years ago. I had followed his writings on his blog, Marc’s Outlook on Productivity and realized he was a very bright guy that I would probably like to know. It was a Saturday morning and I checked my email as I usually do and in popped one from Marc. He introduced himself and said he really liked my writing on jkOnTheRun which at that time had only been in existence for a few months. He went straight to the reason for reaching out to me as only Marc could and said he wanted the two of us to "do something together". His insight into people was unfailing and he knew we would be good friends and should work together. We exchanged a few emails and then jumped on the phone to properly get introduced to one another. I quickly realized what Marc had already figured out, we were so alike in our passions and our desires that we became fast friends. I am so thankful that Marc reached out to me that day.
Thus began our friendship which I consider one of the best I have ever had. We have been speaking frequently ever since and jumped at the chance for everything we could work on together. When I decided almost three years ago to do a Tablet PC podcast Marc was the first person I thought of for a co-host and when I asked him about it he was excited in that way that only Marc could get because we would finally be able to work together. That began a near three year ride podcasting together but in recent months it became difficult due to scheduling conflicts to record the show as often as we wished. This was particularly sad because Marc often told me that our recording sessions were the highlights of his week and I felt the same way too. In the last two weeks we had come to the realization that we couldn’t do the show justice and were going to do a final show to let the listeners know we were going to end the podcast. This saddened us both but it was the right thing to do. Now it is very sad that we didn’t get that last show done, I even tried to find him on Skype the morning of his heart attack.
Marc touched so many people that the great outpouring of concern about his health episode didn’t surprise me. He was a person that you couldn’t help but respect and like because of the way he always conducted himself. He was passionate about the things he spoke and wrote about but it went much further than that. Marc genuinely cared about the people who were behind the things he was passionate about and that came through in the way he conducted himself. It wasn’t just that a given technology was something he thought was great, it was how he really liked the people behind it that made the difference between what Marc did and what others do in the blogosphere. He genuinely liked people and loved to interface with them every chance he got. I can safely say that anyone who came in contact with Marc instantly picked up on that. Marc didn’t just like to converse with others about his passions, he wanted to hear their take on it too. He derived a great enjoyment of hearing what others had to say and he actually listened to them. If you ever had a conversation with Marc I am certain that you felt he was aptly listening to what you had to say, because he was. He didn’t only want to hear things that agreed with his point of view either. He loved differing viewpoints and discussing them with you because as he told me more than once, that’s how he learned. He was passionate about learning.
Marc and I had hundreds of hours of conversations and of course we had differing opinions about some of the things we discussed. He would passionately and intelligently give his POV about the topic at hand and then aptly listen to mine. I remember once laying out my differing POV about some topic we were discussing and at the end he told me "well pal, you didn’t convince me but I’m less sure than I was when we started this conversation". That was high praise indeed and a total Marcism.
Marc was always able to look at an upcoming technology and tell if it was going to have an effect on our lives. Take a look at this video shot at Microsoft where Marc explains what a blog is when people were just starting to hear about them:
Tech world aside Marc was a devoted family man and spent hours conversing with me about the accomplishments that Sue, Jason and Becca were making. He was so very proud of them all and rightly so. They were the fuel that drove him each day and he loved them so much it was a joy to behold. Marc was the most grounded individual I’ve ever met and his devotion and love for his family were the basis for that. It drove everything he did each day and it was always a wonder to listen to him talk about his family. He understood how lucky he was to have the great home life that he did but I am sure that the great man he was played a big role in that life.
The software company for which Marc worked when I met him had given him the most apt job title I have ever seen- Chief Storyteller. This fit Marc to a T and he relished the role of sharing the company’s story to others. He carried that on to every venture he embarked on after that too, and he was very excited that a new gig he was to undertake early next year would have him sporting that same Chief Storyteller title. It was a chance for Marc to get immersed in one of his major passions and it’s a shame he didn’t get the chance to do it. Chief Storyteller, that was Marc all right.
Marc touched me deeply as few other people have done so. He was a nice guy, something that sounds trite but he really was and in such a way that it touched everyone with whom he came in contact. He and I had a great friendship and he will be sorely missed. I consider Marc to be one of the finest people to walk this earth and I know I am a better man for having his friendship. I hurt where my heart and soul meet.
UPDATE: I just fired up Skype and find it only fitting to see this:
I hope you are up there listening to us buddy.
This tribute was the first post I saw here today and I kept saying Oh no oh no oh no.
Then I saw the post below it.
I hate to be a nitpicker here, but please add at the top of this post that Orchant has passed away. It wasn’t clear until the next post.
God rest his soul. Condolences to family and friends.
Mike, it was at the top when it was first announced last night, this is James latest post.
i was really rooting for Marc to pull through, My condolences to his friends and family. My prayers are with you. The community has really lost a great man.
I won’t be blogging today. It just doesn’t seem right somehow and I hope people understand and respect that. However, I would like to share some thoughts on Marc. I was going to do that in a post, but I don’t want to take away from what James has said so well.
Marc is one the most influential reasons that I do what I do today. When I put a two-year plan together in 2005 that would enable me to quit my IT career to focus on writing, I reached out to Marc for thoughts. He in turn directed me to the editors of Weblogs, Inc and I had a Skype interview with them almost immediately. During that conversation, I mentioned Marc’s guidance and I was practically hired on the spot. His name carried that much weight and respect.
Later that year, November of 2005, I had the pleasure of meeting Marc in person for the first time. He and I shared a hotel room in NYC for a Weblogs weekend conference. I’ll never forget walking through Times Square with Marc when he stopped me to hand me his Palm Treo. “Can you get my picture with Times Square in the background?” Of course I could and did. I only wish now I had thought to have someone else take our picture together there.
Unknown to everyone at the conference (there were around 40 people there), I felt ill that entire day. After a full day of discussions we went back to the hotel room while most folks went out on the town. Marc postponed his plans and stayed with me back at the room even though I was very sick at that point. In typical Marc fashion, he set up his widescreen Tablet PC and popped in the DVD of “Batman Begins” to give me something to do since I couldn’t move from my bed. Marc hung out with me during that movie and then went on to catch up with everyone only after making sure I was feeling better. He was a giver.
The only other time I saw Marc was at last year’s CES. For many, it was their first time to meet Marc and the requisite handshaking went on. When he got to me however (and I’ll never forget this memory vividly etched in my mind), he walked up with a big hug and said “I already know this guy”. It was great to see him again.
I’ve lost track of the hundreds of e-mails, Skype, and Gizmo conversations I’ve had with Marc. Each of them was informative and fun. I’m really appreciating my Gmail account right now as I searched it last night and there are well over 300 e-mails from Marc.
We’ve lost a great friend in blogosphere but more importantly the world has lost a great man. Anyone with the privilege of knowing Marc would likely agree. Thanks for everything my friend… good times, good conversation and great friendship.
>>>Mike, it was at the top when it was first announced last night, this is James latest post.
Not everyone is online 24/7. I was offline from 8:30PM last night til 9AM today, so this was the first post I saw.
I see he added a line. That makes it clearer for newcomers.
I hate death.
I feel you James, indeed the community have lost a great man. May The Man rest in peace.
Thanks for this James. I only came into contact with Marc a few times via email, but each time he was kind, curious and gracious. I feel I’ve got to know him a bit better through your post.
A fitting tribute James –
He will be missed.
Thank you James and Kevin. I was very moved by your words. Marc was about the same age my mother was when I lost her in 2005.
I will remember Marc.
Thank you James and Kevin for your posts.
I never had the pleasure of meeting Marc, but I listened to the Tablet PC podcast religiously. Marc and James kept me company on Saturdays while I took care of chores around the house. I am terribly sad that I will not hear his wisdom in my ears again, and am heartbroken for the loss to his family.
Rest in Peace Marc. You will definitely not be forgotten.
Folks,
Marc was always helpful to me. Is there a page with an Amazon affil. link so I can order our Christmas junk – with his family receiving the commission?
RIP Marc.
James, thanks for the moving entry. I’ll follow Kevin’s lead and add my thoughts to your moving post as a way to capture the memories we have of Marc in a single post.
I met Marc in person back in 2004 at the MSN Search Champs conference held in Seattle. He struck me as a very intelligent person who also had a smile on his face and intently listened to even someone like me. I then started following his blogs and podcasts and had the pleasure of chatting with Marc in person at 3 or 4 more events (including CES, Gnomedex, and more Search Champs events) and my latest memory was of sitting down with Marc at Gnomedex just a few months ago where we swapped iPhone stories and he showed off his Plantronics Phone Booth headset. He then hooked me up with Plantronics so I could get an eval unit that has allowed me to podcast on the road for MoTR.
I’ve chatted with Marc numerous times via email and online forums with our latest “debate” concerning the Amazon Kindle vs. Sony Reader just 2 weeks ago.
I consider Marc my ZDNet blog mentor since it was his Office blog that inspired me to start looking at the ZDNet blogs. I then contacted Marc to tell him I was thinking of submitting a proposal to start a mobile blog, but I didn’t want to step on his toes since he blogged about mobile stuff (mainly Tablets) on his ZDNet blog. He gave me some good advice and encouraged me to go for it and now a year and a half later my ZDNet Mobile Gadgeteer blog is going strong, thanks in large part to Marc.
He was an amazing person who I had an extremely high level of respect for and my heart hurts so much to know that I won’t be hanging out with Marc at the Tablet PC meetup at CES next month. I am still in shock that he is gone and am praying for his family and friends who are also in pain today.
Thank you Microsoft for helping Marc and I cross paths. I am a better person for knowing Marc and may just have to order a Kindle in his memory since he made some very convincing arguments to me just before he passed away.
God Bless you Marc and let’s get together and chat about mobile devices when I join you in heaven.
Dan,
Wonderful idea about the Amazon affiliate. I just posted a link (http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=733) to a new Amazon affiliate account I setup where everything will go to the Orchant family. Marc and I have been having some great conversations about the Kindle and I thought it was fitting to make this post since 10% of a Kindle purchase will go to support the Orchant family. I plan to order one myself through the Associate link to add to my support for the family.
My condolences and best wishes to his family.
May him rest peacefully
soda
That was a beautiful tribute. I didn’t know him, but feel like I do now. The skype image at the bottom broke my heart. God bless you and all who were close to Marc.