journal features

rest in peace, Brian Handy

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Toronto, 2014.07.24

A friend and mentor has died. Brian Handy, my Director at NikkoCiti, died when the plan he was piloting went down in a clearing in a wooded area in Montana. He's left his Japanese wife and their son in a small city that had been his home town before his time in Japan. The boy is about five years old. The story is here.

Brian and I had last spoken only about three weeks ago, he was telling me about a new job lead with a bank (which led, in fact, to an offer that he accepted two days before his untimely death).

Thanks to Audrey for letting people know, and filling in some blanks in my knowledge.

rand()m quote

One day you will take a fork in the road, and you're going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go one way, you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and get good assignments. Or you can go the other way and you can do something [...] for yourself. If you decide to do something, you may not get promoted and get good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won't have to compromise yourself. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That's when you have to make a decision. To be or to do.

—John Boyd, US Air Force