John was such an amazing man it's hard to know where to start or which things to talk about. He is certainly the most generous person I've ever met. Generous with his time, his knowledge, hist perspective, wit, humor and friendship. Even after leaving TM Forum and his retirement, I knew I could call John with an obscure technical question (probably about the SID) and he'd always answer. My brother won't even do that!
One of my lasting memories is sitting at any of a dozen hotel bars with him, having a late dinner and just chatting. Frequently it was trading ideas about cooking something but many times, it was about nothing in particular. But "nothing" with John was something. Something special.
Another time while huddling with Rebecca Sendel and David Andrews about how to "re-invent" Forumville (or whatever it's called today), we hit upon the idea of stealing the Genius Bar concept from Apple Stores. We'd create a spot with a white board where people with questions could stop by, discuss them and hopefully find an answer. We knew that in reality, this was the "John Reilly full employment act" because there was never any doubt who our genius was going to be. We were a bit concerned that we would be monopolizing his time, so we created a schedule (or rota) so he'd have some time off.
Maybe the others on the schedule took a turn but it was "John's Place" from day 1, hour 1. Unless he had another place to be, John held court and it was never a chore. He'd answer the same question 10 times a day if it helped people understand and solved their problem.
There are hundreds more stories and anecdotes and I know as soon as I send this, a great one will come to mind. But that's OK – others will add theirs and the full picture of a great guy with a full life will be memorialized.
I don't like thinking of a world without John but wherever he is – the folks there are lucky SOBs to have him around.
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Jim Warner
Former President, TM Forum
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Jim Warner
Westport Group
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Original Message:
Sent: Jul 08, 2019 01:47
From: Jonathan Goldberg
Subject: Remembering John Reilly
Along with my colleagues at the recent TMF Open API Specjam in London last week, I was upset to hear of the passing of John Reilly, one of the stalwarts of the SID in particular and the TM Forum in general.
I am sure that there are many people out there who worked with John intensively and can gave an appreciation of his qualities. From my limited encounters with John, I can say that I was impressed by his quest for truth and integrity. He pushed forward his views and agenda, even when perhaps they were not always popular.
The richness of the SID surely testifies to John's dedication, and hopefully this will be his abiding legacy.
RIP John
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Jonathan Goldberg
Amdocs Management Limited
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