Goodbye Uncle Denny

I haven't written on my blog for some time for various reasons. The main reason was that my boss decided to take his life in a rather violent way last Monday. I can't even express how surreal it is to be pulled into a staff meeting for news like that. It just doesn't register at first and even today, I can't get my head around it. Dennis was a very complex man and my range of emotions for him went from thinking he was the greatest boss in the world to wanting to set fire to his farm, depending on what day you asked. Like all of us, he had lots of flaws but he also had many endearing qualities as well. He loved animals and had a farm full of pets with unique names. He had a horse named Chuck, a goat named Gaston, and a Saint Bernard named Ethel. Those are just a few I remember. He was also a terrific painter/illustrator (see denniswalston.com) and he definitely lived up to the eccentric ways of a serious artist. The thing I liked about him most was that you could go to him with your troubles and he would always try to help. He understood that it wasn't always easy to seperate work and your personal life and he would accomodate your needs. This is unusal in a world that prides itself on its productivity and squeezing a nickel out of anything possible. He did genuinely care about his employees. He didn't always make the right decisions and he had a knack for not taking responsibilty for things but he meant well most of the time. He was human, all too human it seems. He will be missed.