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http://blogs.sun.com/microwaves/date/20060912 Tuesday September 12, 2006

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]

Comments:

Dear Pete Sober et al ~ Hope you'll forgive my intrusion. I am a Massachusetts friend of Hal's, meeting him in recovery at the clubhouse he belonged to in Fall River. We're having a memorial service for him this Friday, sharing memories, building a picture for us all to keep, & ending with coffee and cake. All who wld like to/are able to attend are welcome: 2 pm, Towne House Clubhouse, 51 Purchase St., Fall River 02720; 508.674-5716 With your permission, I'd love to copy & share yr remarks with those at the service. You may well not want them shared in a greater sphere than amongst his old friends; I want to respect yr heart-sick circumstances. You can reach me at the above number Mon thru Fri or via my email, kmarin@gis.net. Please also accept my sharing great grief for our most excellent friend's having to go- I wicked miss him. sincerely, Kate Marin

Posted by Kate Marin on September 12, 2006 at 10:23 PM EDT #

pete, thank you for sharing your memories of my cousin. hal was such a special person - he deserved all of the beautiful music in life - and his death leaves this world strangely silent. and, to kate, who loved him and was loved, i am sure, by hal in return - thank you for sharing his life and for being his friend. in love, for hal - edrie

Posted by edrie blackwelder on January 27, 2007 at 04:05 AM EST #

Dear Mr. Soper, I'm trying to determine if the person you wrote about, Hal Blackwelder, was originally from Raleigh, NC. If so, I was a childhood classmate of his. I cannot be sure if of the identity, as we had not kept up over the years, nor were we close friends, nonetheless, the name is distinctive...and the Hal Blackwelder I knew was remarkable, even as a child. Please send reply. Thank you, Sandra Green

Posted by Sandra Green on April 03, 2007 at 10:53 PM EDT #

Hello everyone, Pete, I remember my ex-husband (Tom Rauschenbach), speaking very fondly of you. We might have actually met very briefly in the late 80s in Boston --- I can't remember. Tom and Hal were colleagues for quite a few years and the best of friends for far longer. Through Tom, I came to know Hal very well and was his roomate for about a year. I was a student at a conservatory in Boston at the time (the mid-to-late 80s) and, although music was only one of Hal's long list of passions, he more than held his own with me as we often talked late into the night about music (largely classical, although sometimes jazz or the Beatles). Hal and Tom shared a pointed sense of humor and a fiercely intellectual bond. I'd often sit there watching them talk about a computer programming issue, or Sherlock Holmes trivia, or a book they'd both read (and I hadn't) and was just utterly entertained by the banter. He served as the Best Man at our wedding, and really "did it up" --- to this day, I wish we had recorded the wickedly funny speech he gave at our rehearsal dinner; we were all practically falling on the floor with laughter. Sandra, I can confirm for you that Hal was definitely from North Carolina. Unmistakeably, to the very core of his being. 8^) Hal wrote a series of amazingly detailed, breezy, newsy letters in the last few years of his life. He copied them and sent them to many friends simultaneously. Usually, such mass-produced letters are tedious, but somehow, Hal made them riveting and often very funny, even in the face of discussing the difficult times he was going through. We also shared an intermittent individual correspondence, both via email and letter, in what turned out to be his last couple of years. I heard of Hal's death through Tom and was devastated. I am sorry I didn't know about the memorial for him in Fall River --- while getting to North Carolina wouldn't have been possible, I would have gotten to Fall River in the blink of an eye. Several people have contacted me in the last few months, having only just heard about Hal's death, just needing to talk with someone who knew him. Even among people with whom he'd fallen out of touch a decade or two ago, Hal was an unforgettable personality and a wonderful human being. For me, he was like a wonderfully knowledgeable, warm, generous older cousin --- always there for a good talk or a hug. I miss him so much and I don't see that ever changing. My best to everyone else whose life was touched by him.

Posted by Elise MacDonald on April 15, 2007 at 12:03 PM EDT #

I was just doing a random Google search of people I sang with in Men's Glee Club in the mid 1970's at UNC-CH and was woandering if this was that same Hal. I am very saddened by this whole story and doubly so if it's indeed the same person. Any information that anyone can provide would be much appreciated.

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