Wave Fronts

Hal Blackwelder

Hal was at Business Application Systems, a 1978 Data General spin off that created general and medical billing and data communication and other software products to finance development of a portable operating system anticipating the Java platform by about 17 years. That OS, named "BASPort", might have equaled or surpassed Pick as a highly portable application platform, but for various reasons that wasn't to be (and that's another story that others may help me tell some day).

Hal's obituary only hints at the depth and breadth of this man who was alive until late last month. One of the BAS founders (Forest Earl Gilmore) had a strong artistic background (he was a student of Chinese poetry, to name one piece of his experience). So it seems only natural to me now that a guy with a masters degree in teaching theatrical arts would be invited to work at a place with its corporate eye fixed on the design of a good three address virtual machine and a minimalist OS kernel sitting over bare metal. Hal started out doing technical writing, as I recall, but at some point I introduced him to an Intel ISA reference and he pointed to that as the starting point in his career as a software engineer when we chatted on the phone for the last time. It was a long hard road from artist to writer to programmer to software engineer, but Hal traveled that road skillfully, partially satisfying his parent's expectations.

Hal was thrown out of work by the high tech slump around 2001-2 and was appparently unable to maintain employment that 'made the grade' in his mother's eyes, or so it seemed from conversation with Hal's stepfather. Hal apparently ran out of reasons to function and descended into an alcoholic depression and eventual distintegration of health. His death not too long after the death of his mother seems unsurprising to me in view of the facts, but that doesn't reduce the tragedy of such a wonderful spirit withering away in a state of psychological asphyxiation.

I'm sure there's a lot more to it, and invite Hal's friends and family to comment if I'm creating a distortion or incomplete picture here.

But I could only bring myself to talk with Hal's stepfather for a few minutes. It turned out to be an extremely difficult task to get to and through the memorial service a half day's drive southeast of where I live. I entered the church with just a few minutes to spare, broke down, left to blow my nose and wipe my face in the mens room, then went back. I made it through the ceremonies reasonably well, although the guilt the minister laid on Hal's head made me fight the urge to shout something and walk out of the place. But I was there representing other ex-BASers and I needed to connect with Hal's relatives. So I sang the hymn and read all too familiar bible passages while the minister's utterances passed my ears on their way to sound absorbing walls behind me.

I felt numb walking away from the church, but I'm keeping Hal's easy smile and chuckle fixed forever in a corner of my mind.

Posted at 07:46AM Sep 12, 2006 by microwaves in Departed Friends  |  Comments[6]