Although I first got interested in Smalltalk when I read the 1981 Byte issue, I didn't get an opportunity to start using it until 1995. I was hooked right away. OOPSLA '96 was exciting because it was the first time I got to meet practicing Smalltalkers. I was thrilled to find people who were crazier than I was. One of them was Kent. Kent was working at the Tektronix labs at the time, and I spent a day there after OOPSLA was over, meeting Kent and Ward and lots of other Smalltalkers. They were bold, adventurous, experienced; they were pushing Smalltalk to its limits. I wanted to be like them.

Over the years, I've gotten to know Kent better than I ever expected. He has made me eat sushi, jump out of a redwood, and write about patterns. I've always felt that I was following where he had broken the trail. It's been a good path to follow.

Kent has always epitomized the spirit of Smalltalk to me. He is an intellectual and a nonconformist, yet he is an intensely practical person. He is concerned with making the world a better place for others, and not just for himself. He is open and sharing. Smalltalk is like that, too.