Al Barsa - from a Friend

A friend of mine and Al's asked me to post this to Midrange-L:


It defies words to say how much of a loss Al Barsa will be to this "i" community and to all of us who were lucky enough to be his friends.

Typically, I first got to know Al because of COMMON -- we met in an airport waiting for delayed flights back to the New York area where we both lived at the time. Over the years, I worked for Al on projects and he worked for me on projects, but it was always a collaboration with Al. It was easy to think of Al as having a large ego (he did), but he also had great respect for competence in any endeavor, and he was never afraid to ask for help.

The last time I saw Al was also typical and also at COMMON. He shared his insights and concerns about the future of the platform (AS/400, iSeries, System i, and now Power) that he cared about so passionately. He was upbeat about the future. He was, as he always was, bursting with pride about the accomplishments of his children, Albert and Christie. I expressed concern about his health (he had fallen badly the previous week hitting his head), but Al was focused on the three sessions he had to deliver on Wednesday.

It's hard to believe that I'll won't pick up the phone and hear Al's voice and it's practically impossible to imagine COMMON without him. With so many others, I mourn his passing and celebrate his life. May he rest in peace. May the joy he brought to his life be a source of comfort to his family who he loved so much.

Sharon L. Hoffman