Walk / Ride / Run #ForSmitty This Week
June 23, 2020 - by Bill Jelen
Our good friend Chris “Smitty” Smith is in hospice this week, after a three year battle with cancer. I met Smitty when he was in the process of writing 29,536 answers at the MrExcel Message Board. Smitty became a Microsoft MVP for many years. He then actually joined the Excel team, and worked on cleaning up the Excel Help files.
Smitty is an avid outdoors person. He loved to ski. His wife Cyndi has asked people who know Smitty to reach out, send cards, e-mails, voicemails (https://www.facebook.com/strive4peace/posts/10158319571114034). With Cyndi’s blessing, I am organizing a virtual bike-a-thon, run, walk, row, whatever.
This week, from June 23 through June 28, 2020, I am asking anyone who usually runs, walks, kayaks, swims, cycles to dedicate one ride #ForSmitty this week. Take a selfie of yourself on the ride. If you use Strava or Polar or any tracking app, post a screenshot of your run/walk/ride with your photo on Twitter with the #ForSmitty hashtag.
Cyndi reports that Smitty loved hearing from everyone. He passed away peacefully on June 23. Continue to post to Twitter to show your support for Smitty's family.
Smitty recently wrote a book called Excel 2019 Business Basics and Beyond. For everyone who tags #ForSmitty this week on Twitter, the book’s publisher, Holy Macro! Books will send you a link to download a copy of the book for free. They will also donate $10 per book to a scholarship fund for Smitty’s daughter.
If you can’t walk/run/ride #ForSmitty, there is also a way to participate. You can buy Smitty’s e-book this week for $10 and 100% of the proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for Smitty’s daughter.
Smitty was a great friend to me. He would tell me when I made a decision that wasn’t right for the Excel community. He took an interest in my boys, offering advice. Smitty had over 25 years experience using Excel. Prior to corporate life, he worked as a Ranch Manager in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Australia. He fondly remembers convincing ranch owners to move from paper ledgers to spreadsheets.
Title Photo: Paul Green on Unsplash
