In memory of Mark Podsedly (1962 - 2008)

The day before Thanksgiving last year, Mark lost his courageous battle with cancer. He was a dear, dear friend and he will be sorely missed.

I’ve known Mark for 15 years. I first met him in 1993 when we were working together in product marketing at Sun Microsystems. From the first time I met him, he struck me as an incredibly smart, highly motivated guy:

• he had surprising influence among the engineers at Sun, an engineering-driven company
• he was instrumental in developing the SPARCstation X-terminal – a product that was very advanced for its time… now, 15 years later, the latest technology buzz is about “cloud computing” and virtual desktops. His product, the X-terminal, would be a perfect thin client. In other words – it was a product ahead of its time.
• he was way out front with technology. I understand that he was one of the first people to get a PC -- even among his engineering friends. He was doing things with the Internet in 1993 that no one had even heard of. He taught me about URL links, for example.

Mark also had a good sense of humor. I remember the Sun Product Marketing holiday party in 1994. There was another Mark in the group -- I'll call him Mark F. -- who was especially arrogant, unprofessional, lazy and even mean. This Mark was the exact opposite of Mark Podsedly. My husband at the time knew how upsetting this other Mark (Mark F.) was to me, and wanted to put Mark F. in his place. So at the holiday party, after a few drinks, my husband started changing "Dead Meat. Dead Meat. Dead Meat." He meant it for Mark F., but confused the two Marks and accidentally directed his tirade at Mark Podsedly. So he was chanting "dead meat, dead meat" to the wrong Mark!

Mark took it all in stride, laughing about it at the time -- though I'm sure he was puzzled -- and then REALLY appreciating the humor of it when he learned my husband's intentions -- he held the same opinion of Mark F! That was a good night -- a night of comradery for all of us working in that group at Sun.

It was at that Sun holiday party, that I met Melisa Stern. They got married the next year, 1995, and Mark was as happy as I'd ever known him.

Mark was one of my best platonic guy friends. He was so fiercely protective of me -- supporting me through difficult times and always asking if there was anything he could do for me. That was Mark -- selfless and full of grace and dignity to the end.

Mark was a determined man. Determined to fight his tumor ... Determined to be a loving husband to Melisa ... Determined to be a dedicated father to his daughter Natalie. And determined to be an incredible friend to me and many others ...

Friends are the family we choose. Mark and I, as friends, became family. In finding him as a friend, I found a treasure.

To paraphrase Adlai Stevenson (1962) -- I have lost more than a friend. I have lost an inspiration. He would rather light candles than curse the darkness -- And his glow has warmed the world.

May the glow of Mark's memory live on in all of our hearts.