Tuesday, April 24, 2007

An Ending ... A friend gone home

This week I learned of a close friend's passing. Natural causes. Too soon. Not unexpected. The causal events being a shock nonetheless. It made me reflect on my life and his, as well as the various intersecting and divergent paths we took.

We met one autumn night in 1981 at a security user group. He was mid career, presenting and championing the underdog solution as an independent. He was quiet, convincing, and sure of his facts. I was at the start of my career, beginning in security and eager to get involved with other like minded people. Afterwards, at the pub, we had the opportunity to speak. We covered important topics like governance, technical vulnerabilities, single malt scotch, and Armagnac.

We must have managed to make an impression on each other for we continued to cross paths over the years. Often at events or in pubs. We watched the '87 crash unfold over a pint. He also introduced me to some of the most interesting people I know. They in turn led me to others.

We found synergies. Eventually we found ourselves working together officially; although, only for a surprisingly short three years. Afterwards, we continued to get together irregularly to stay in touch and discuss our field, lives, foibles, pet peeves, and paths.

The time pressures of family and career limited my opportunities to reconnect. Here is one path where we diverged. Where I chose the path of family. He did not. Recently, he confessed to me that it was a path he regretted not taking.

He was a man of many interests, knowledgeable, humorous, charming, and at times highly distractible. Here's to Colin Rous, a mentor and a friend gone home.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice to see the tribute and know he was appreciated. Hadn't seen a lot of him over the years, but Colin was my cousin and I thought very highly of him.

Anonymous said...

In memorium - Colin Rous
We are saddened to report the passing of one of our founding partners, Mr. Colin Rous, on April 20, 2007. Colin was both a pioneer and a recognized leader in the field of information security, with expertise covering the full spectrum of computing and network technologies. His career spanned decades, during which he influenced and inspired countless other security professionals.
Colin was our friend and a business partner of many years. We will miss him.

Cerberus ISC. Inc

Anonymous said...

Good words.