Category Archives: Life

Farewell my Friend – Tribute to Russ Jones

I recently lost an amazing friend, Russ Jones.

Russ was the best man at my wedding, a mentor for my career who always encouraged and believed in me, an inspiration and role model as a husband and father, the friend I knew would always be there if I needed (and was in many times when I felt I had nobody), and a confidant I could easily entrust with my most personal secrets…

When I first met Russ, I was quickly amazed by his quick wit, deep intellect, clever and creative approach to all things, his compassion for others, his unquenchable thirst for Diet Coke… and one of the most impactful impressions.. his love for Morgan.

  • At first it was “subtle” things, like witnessing the the way he was always available to her as his first priority, even when we were on a tight schedule. When traveling, speaking, entertaining clients, etc, it seemed so effortless for him to drop everything for 30 minutes to talk with her throughout the day and make sure he always called to say goodnight (and good morning) and tell her how much he loved her.
  • He always had the most thoughtful gifts for her.. I remember him spending hours upon hours digitally recreating a family cookbook for a surprise… I remember a trip where we spent hours and hours over several days combing shops to find a gift, and how excited he was when he found the perfect one, a beautiful locket. I want to think it was for their dating anniversary, a special day which he celebrated religiously.
  • There were many less subtle things…I think everyone knew Russ wanted to give Morgan the world… and he did, with Claren, Aven, and Ellis.. three incredibly smart and beautiful girls that he adored endlessly.

I can still feel the excitement he had when he shared with me that he was going to be a father. I watched him daily for years as he eagerly refreshed the page waiting to see pictures of the girls being posted by their teachers throughout the day. He always put family first, it was non-negotiable with no room for any debate..  which for Russ was a big deal, as he was always up for a debate.

I will always cherish the time spent discussing politics and philosophy with Russ. He believed in the good of humanity… that we should all hold ourselves accountable to our responsibility to be generous and care for the plight of others and to create equal opportunity for everyone.

It wasn’t just a belief he discussed over a great meal or a thoroughly researched bottle of amazing scotch… His philosophies were part of his identity and he practiced this in his daily life, constantly helping others, raising awareness, and advocating for respect and compassion. He would cover his eyes during certain movie scenes, not because he was too modest, but because he didn’t approve of the objectification, and this was his protest… one of his many amazing character traits that I would come to revere.

I’m grateful for the time I was able to share with Russ.  My only regret is not spending more time watching him with the girls, as I’m certain it would have made me a better father to my own children, and it would have given me so many more wonderful memories to cherish and stories that I could share with his girls.

I think about a story he shared when the girls were being ‘too’ competitive with each other, and his efforts encouraging them to find joy in celebrating each other’s wins. It was important to him that we embrace the mentality that our victories are never won alone, our success is the byproduct of all our experiences and the love we receive from those around us, and that regardless of any differences we are all God’s children.

In every story shared, it is clear that with everyone Russ left a permanent impression… always marked with  generosity and comfort, humor and challenged perspectives, and an unquestionable love for his family.

You will be sorely missed my friend, may you rest in peace.

You can find information about his memorial service, share stories that will be preserved for the family, and give support for the girls  at https://RememberingRussJones.com

 

 

 

I love you

Sometimes we just don’t say it enough.   All of the people in my life are simply amazing, and I couldn’t be more happy, proud, or motivated by those around me.   Thank you all!

Update: Salman Khan and Google Play

So, I was selected to be one of the individuals to ask Mr. Khan a question during the Google Play interview…  YAY.      Here is the video of the interview and its full of all kinds of fantastic information and ideas that are shaping education for our future.

Salman Khan will be hosting a Google Hangout!

You may be familiar with the name, Salman Khan is the founder of the Khan Academy, which is an organization providing a large library of educational videos to facilitate self-learning.   I’m really excited about the hangout and look forward the momentum this is helping to build.     This is a pairing with Google as part of an effort to build awareness around education and to discover talent within the space. There was a recent search for “Education Gurus” – http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2012/09/finding-next-generation-of-talented.html, and it appears Google is working diligently to bring positive attention/change to this sector.

Unfortunately, with getting married, work, etc.. I haven’t quite been paying as much attention to the space as I would like and I’m very grateful for Mark Traphagen bringing this to my attention.

If I were participating in the hangout I would probably ask some of the following questions:

  1. In this more global economy, do you see the purpose of education to be preparing children for “life” by continuing to focus in a broad curriculum, or do you foresee a shift in which the curriculum becomes more focused on catering to the specific strengths and passions of the individual students to foster a more specialized individual?   Why?
  2. There is a significant gap in learning between single-parent, low-income, light/no involvement households and those in which one or both parents are more involved.  From this, it seems one of our biggest challenges is parents prioritizing their child’s education and overcoming other socioeconomic barriers preventing them from being more involved.  Is it our responsibility to the children to adjust our education system to accommodate for these scenarios, and how could you foresee that being handled?
  3. The Kahn Academy is providing a much needed service by facilitating the shift to online education.  As technology continues to improve education, how do you foresee the roles of a teacher shifting?  For example, if each child has a custom curriculum being delivered via videos, etc..  does the teacher role become more of a classroom moderator and facilitator than a traditional teacher?
  4. Many educators strongly support the increased learning resulting from online and technology-driven educational strategies, but fear negative social impacts and a decrease in collaborative thinking.  How does your opinion agree/differ, why, and how do you see this being addressed?
  5. Ideally speaking, how do you envision a typical day for a kindergartner, 5th-grader, high-school senior in 20 years?
Would be great if someone wants to chip in their opinions to answer the above questions..   🙂

 

 

Home School Domination

Below is an infographic that was shared with me, and I thought it would be appropriate to post here.

I’m somewhat of a homeschooling fan, as I was homeschooled for 3 years, and I feel like I benefited greatly. Granted, I had an eduNazi mom for a teacher (love you mom!) and I loved school. I think the benefits would mostly in allowing me to move forward at a pace that kept me interested.. When I was excited about a topic or concept, I would get lost in learning about it.
Continue reading Home School Domination

Virante

Virante is awesome.   Everyday that I come in to work, I get to hang out with really great people that want to change the world in a better way.  Most importantly, they all care about each other.  If someone hurts, we all band together to try and help, and that is what makes this company truly feel like a family.   Most companies claim that is the case, but here, it is true.   Malcolm, our CEO, gets personally invested in ever person that works here and makes it a personal ambition to make their lives better.

Thank you Virante..    I once said, during my interview, I would only be here for a year… but now I know this is my home.

I’m Getting Married!

Proposal Painting

I proposed to Michelle in March (via the painting Chandler and I painted), and am looking forward to sharing our lives together…

The final date is November 10th, and we will be having an intimate wedding at the King’s Daughter’s Inn in Durham. You can get more of the details by visiting our official shared site at http://www.bohallfamily.com.

I will likely keep this blog going for my personal rants and random thoughts, but will share my family experiences at the bohallfamily.com site.