The technology world lost a special person yesterday, friend Matthew S. Theobald. Matt was an amazing and brilliant person, developing and designing a means to index the data of the world through the Internet. I wrote about Internous after meeting Matt after a local Smaller Indiana event last year.
Matt had a vision and tirelessly pursued it. The last time I saw him, he was nervously having a smoke out on the circle. I recognized him and we wound up talking about his vision, his family, Indianapolis and shared some crazy stories. We laughed a lot. A few hours later, I drove him home and had to explain to my kids why I was 4 hours late. Matt was that kind of guy – he just pulled you in and you couldn’t help but feel like you had an old friend across the table from you.
I’m going to miss hearing Matt’s smokey voice, cough and laugh at our next Smaller Indiana event. I know he struggled at times, he was alone in his genius and didn’t have the underlying support to help push his vision. I also know that his vision will become a reality, though, and I told him that each time we spoke. It may not be the Internet Search Environment Number that comes to fruition, but a system like it for organizing data across the Internet will be a reality some day.
Matt left me a couple messages on Facebook to get together and go out to lunch with him. I was too busy, though, and we never managed to get together. On Monday I’ll make the time to say goodbye to my friend.
Matt’s funeral is Monday 6/21, 12PM, Crown Hill Cemetery North Entrance. (Graveside ceremony plot 223)
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