It wasn’t until around 2018 that I realized he was one of the original leaders and developers of Berkeley’s BSD operating system. At that time, I was exploring the history of FreeBSD and asked Mike if I could interview him at BSDCan in 2019. We spent 1 to 2 hours discussing the history of FreeBSD and his involvement in it. It was the first time I saw him light up when he talked about the early days at Berkeley. He would start discussing something, recall something else and say, “oh, but this happened before that, so let me talk about that!” I recently found my notes from that conversation, which made me sad, but also happy that I had the opportunity to hear his story, and to witness his engagement in sharing his memories and his passion for FreeBSD.

After that day, I viewed him in a new light. Knowing his history, I began to see him as a rock star in this Project! But I also saw him as a gentle soul—quiet but with so much to offer.

I was overjoyed when he retired and expressed his desire to get more involved with the Project again. When he became involved in our release engineering efforts, I knew he was going to make a significant impact on the Project (once again!).

Mike’s legacy will endure as we follow in his footsteps to help and support others and the project he so dearly loved, while striving to make a positive difference in this world.

Rest in peace, Mike – You will be missed!