So long James Doohan, and thanks for all the Scotch.
James Doohan passed last night. Here's my condolences to his family, and my thanks for sharing him with us.
I remember getting to meet Mr. Doohan a few years ago at a Star Trek Fan convention here in Omaha. Warm, funny and completely at ease with who he was, the way it seemed. We mostly talked about drinking Scotch though, and he got me started on drinking some of the better stuff.
I'm sure there's going to be lots of tributes talking about the influences that the character Mr. Doohan is best known for playing influenced peoples lives. And I'm sure it had something with me wanting to go into the sciences, math and engineering. But for me, my all-to-brief time with him taught me something more important: that it's okay just to who you are even when you're the star on the stage. It is a lesson that I'm mastering to this day.
Well, that and let's face it, who hasn't had to drink something simply because "it's... green."