Tom Terez loses a special person

And captures the ongoing meaning of legacy. From Tom's email newsletter: Tom's

ON A PERSONAL NOTE...

I've been receiving lots of e-mails and calls from concerned
people asking whether I've packed up and shipped off to some
new vocation. Many of the inquiries have been from long-time
subscribers to this e-letter. They've noticed that after more
than two years of consistent delivery, the e-letter stopped
showing up in their in-box. So what's going on?

The short answer is that life and death intervened. My 84-year-
old father, who had been living in a wonderful assisted-living
residence close to my house, came down with pneumonia. He
spent time in the hospital, followed by seven weeks at a skilled-
nursing facility, followed by three touch-and-go weeks back in
assisted living. Then he fell, apparently from a stroke, and
was rushed back to the hospital. He held on for three weeks,
but each day brought new problems -- and he passed away on
October 18.

I spent much of that time with him. When I wasn't with him I
was consulting with doctors, nurses, therapists, ministers,
family members, and others. After his death, I devoted myself
to the funeral and our family gatherings. Only now am I getting
back to my pre-summer priorities, one of which is this e-letter.
Thank you for your understanding...and expect to receive the
"Better Workplace Now" e-letter once again on a regular basis.

LIFE AND LEGACY

My Dad was a tremendous person in every way: a nurturing
father, a loving husband, a great neighbor, an empowering
manager at work, a brilliant inventor and engineer, and a
compassionate person all around.

Two years ago, I wrote an article about his life. It's really an
article about legacy, with important and inspiring lessons for
all of us who want to make a difference.

The full article is directly below.

LEAVING A BRIGHT LEGACY

by Tom Terez (September 2002)

Whenever I flick on a light these days, I think about invention and
pride. I find myself asking questions like, "What have I created
today?" "What have I done that's meaningful?" "What am I leaving
behind?"

It's all because of my father, Clarence Terez. He's 82 years old
now, shaky from a stroke he had 10 years ago. But for 43 years,
until his retirement in 1983, he worked as a mechanical engineer
and machine designer for GE's lamp division. He and his colleagues
invented machines that produced incandescent lamps that brought
light to homes and offices throughout the world....

Finish reading this great piece here