My Memories of John Zaccagnini

"I've got to blow dry my hair" is something that John would often say when we traveled together. The routine was simple: close down the hotel bar the night before and meet for breakfast in the morning before heading off to the work thing we're all here for. Whether that work thing is an internal meeting, conference, or training. "I've got to blow dry my hair" is what he would say the night before as when we planned the time to meet next morning. That was John's sense of humor.

We were a team at work and great friends outside of work. I drove fast cars, autocrossed, loved dogs and so did John. One of my fondest memories of John is when I was able to take the team out driving around the twisties in the Bay Area. While my boyfriend's 2000 911 wasn't John's prefered watercooled version, it was his first time driving that particular generation of 911 and he got it going sideways just as effortlessly.

At work he was my backup and I was his. We would chat weekly about the triumphs and annoyances we each encountered. He would always lend a ear when I needed someone to bounced an idea off of or vent to.

When I learned of John's death, I wanted a way to share and celebrate memories of my friend. Together with Kurt Eckert, we have now grown the blog beyond what I had initially envisioned. However, knowing John, he would want to accelerate this blog with a FineGround box he had laying around so that he can access it faster with his iPhone in the afterlife.

John was someone that I looked up to and measured myself against. He was a mentor, a big brother, a partner, and a confidant. While I'm saddened by what happened, I want to celebrate the memories that I have of him. When I see the picture of John from Consuelo's, I'm reminded of the great times and the side-splitting laughters we've had together.

-Catherine