Former Ricochet/Ratburger member 10Cents writes:
First off, I suppose I should say I don’t feel up to the task to write a tribute for John Walker. I am sure others are more able. That is true, but here is my Dime’s worth.
I got to know John Walker on the ricochet.com audio meet-ups (AMUs). He was a regular caller. Someone recently said that he was on those for over ten years. The AMU started at Ricochet but after I left there I started various ones which John joined. First at BallDiamondBall, then Ratburger which became the Scanalyst AMU without me. My guess he spent at least five hours a week since there were two or three calls per week. The AMUs were started by Curious John then through attrition I was left in charge. Now CTlaw is Mr. AMU.
I admired John for kindness in explaining things to almost anyone. I also appreciated his off-beat humor and stories. I learned a lot from him.
I don’t know about others, but I felt unbelievably surprised that someone like John would spend time with me. For me it was like going to the candy store but instead of candy it was insights and ideas. He brought so much to the table.
John was easy to take for granted because he was always there. He was a fixture in our lives. That fixture is gone. It is a struggle to think of life without him. It is hard not to cry at times.
I don’t know why John enjoyed our company but he did. I remember he teasing me when I came on a call. “There goes the neighborhood.” One of the last calls he invited me to “The Cheap Seats”. This was a part of his site where public domain movies could be seen. I am glad that the Ratburger experience showed him the way to start a forum site. He loved interacting with people on Scanalyst. And didn’t have the frustration of Wordpress there.
For those of us who got a lot of John’s time there are unending memories. For those of us who got a lot of John’s time, we struggle without the voice and wit we relied upon. I for one bow my head and humbly say thanks. I do wish I could have had a little bit more though.
I remember that John gave to this community day in and day out for years, first at Ratburger then at Scanalyst. He didn’t get a break. I calculate it was about six years. I am writing this post to fulfill my debt of gratitude to a kind man