There are two things I find very frustrating:  incivility and arrogance.  Because you see, I believe that the true measure of a man or woman is their humility.  There are plenty of people who are smart or successful or attractive - and that is great and all.  But if they let that inherent or earned ability become a means of comparison and derision with others, none of it matters.  In the end all of our awards, honors, job titles, degrees, and money won’t matter at all.  We will be judged on our own personal conduct and how we interacted with others.

So that’s why I’m writing.  Today I said goodbye to one of the greatest men I’m sure I’ll ever meet.  His name is Eric Billman and you probably don’t know him.  But since I started working as the EEL Manager at BYU, he has been one of my closest mentors and friends.  He’s an amazing scientist and will astound you with what he knows.  And as far as testimonies go, his is about as rock-solid as they get.  Being the oldest I’ve never had an older brother, but he kinda feels that way to me.  He’s just been placed in an incredible post-doctoral position at Oregon State and I’m sure there’s still a ton of good that’s going to be accomplished by him.  

So this is my tribute to Eric Billman – if I had to choose one word to describe him I’d choose humble.