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Remembering Jeanette Symons
This morning’s news rocked the WorkHabit staff, and I’ve spent the day trying to figure out what to write, and where to post it. We decided to post this up in our blog, and tag it so it gets picked up by Drupal Planet, as this really is Drupal news.
Over the last couple of years, Drupal has come to the forefront of consciousness for a lot of companies looking to build social networks, or add social networking components to their existing businesses. However, there have only been a handful of companies built that have received direct funding built on Drupal, though the list is growing. One of these companies was Jeanette Symon’s company: Industrious Kid and IMBEE (the actual network).
For those of you who don’t know, Industrious Kid is a really interesting attempt to build a social network for kids that is safe. It’s built in Drupal, and in fact has been since it’s inception.
Merlin, one of the most intelligent, honest, and wonderful people I’ve met in the Drupal community, worked at Industrious Kid, and until we came along was the driving engineer inside the company. I wouldn’t have the pleasure of knowing him as well as I do if he hadn’t been.
My friend and all-around good guy Chris Bryant at AlianDesign did design work with them.
Peter Atkins at OpenCircle was the one who introduced me to the project, which we’ve been working with for a long time. Peter is an old and close friend of mine, and we worked together on this project for some time.
IndustriousKid also happens to be a long time WorkHabit client. We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with them, and Aaron, Jim, Gary, and I have had the pleasure of working with folks from IDK on various cool and innovative Drupal and Java engineering projects.
So, as you can see, IMBEE and IDK have a long standing relationship with Drupal and the Drupal community. That’s why I think this is an appropriate place to say something about what happened to it’s founder today.
It’s with a very heavy heart that I have to deliver some sad news. Jeanette Symons, founder of Industrious Kid, passed this morning when her jet crashed. Her son was also killed in the accident.
I knew Jeanette personally, and she was a whip smart, hard working, driven individual who represented the kind of “just do it” entrepreneurship that’s made the valley and amazing place to work.
The first time I met Jeanette Symons was at an Airport, where she had flown in to conduct meetings and interviews with Peter Atkins and myself. We met Lori Brown and sat down to talk about the project. I liked her almost immediately. She was self-assured, honest, incredibly straight forward to work with, and conducted herself like someone who knew how to get things done.
Jeanette has a long history of innovation, including being one of the founders of Ascend Communications, and has a lot of friends in the Bay Area - friends that are grieving her loss tonight.
She is survived by a husband and second child. Please keep her and her son in your prayers and thoughts.
Jonathan
Our thoughts are with you
On behalf of the West Gardiner (Maine) Fire Department and one of the team of 150 individuals from this small close-knit Maine community who provided search, rescue and recovery for Jeanette and her son in the last three four days, I want to tell friends and familiy that we carried out our difficult work with the utmost respect and caring for these folks who we knew only from your stories. Our heartfelt condolences.
Our Prayers are with you
As a volunteer firefighter who also worked with Tom and other fine volunteers I hope what we did helps bring closure to Jeanette’s family and friends. This was a tragedy and our hearts go out to all who knew and loved she and her son. My Condolences , Manchester(Maine) FF
Your facts about her family
Your facts about her family are incorrect. She is survived by her adopted 7 year old daughter Jennie, her mother, father and 2 brothers.
Your facts about her family
Your facts about her family are incorrect. She is survived by her adopted 7 year old daughter Jennie, her mother, father and 2 brothers.
Facts are incorrect here:
Facts are incorrect here: Jeanette was not married. She is survived by her 7 year old daughter, Jennie and her mother, as well as her father and two brothers.
I am just a girl from West
I am just a girl from West Gardiner just half a mile from the accident and when i heard about this it was aweful, I am sooooooo sorry to hear about the loss of what seemed to me a great woman and son, to all of thos who knew her, my thoughts and prayers are with you all
FYI - Jeanette wasn't
FYI - Jeanette wasn’t married.
Jeanette RIP
Me and my wife both know Jeanette from work. She used to work at Zhone. I used to work at UTStarcom, which partnered with Zhone on some projects. I feel so sorry about her passing away. She will be remembered by all of us.
Jeanette, Rest In Peace!
I was shocked to learned
I was shocked to learned that Jeanette was killed in a plane accident. I was in Jeanette’s engineering group at Ascend Communication in the year 1998. She started flying jet plane around that time. She was a fun person. She sometimes wear short to work. She took us out to lunch sometime. And there was a couple of favorite Italian Restaurants the group went to in downtown Alameda. I missed her smiling face and wish her rest in pace.
She will be sorely missed
She will be sorely missed for entrepreneurial spirit had the pleasure of encountering her during the Lucent days for the development of my own competitive local exchange and to test in you some of for products. She was a breath of fresh air in the crazy Telcom business of buying and selling each other we’d Unitedcallingnetwork would like to extend to her family and friends. The best in their time of loss also. But whatever occurred for us to looser so soon the time that you spend here was just phenomenal. And that should count for the short 46 years. It was the things that she did, and the people that she touched. We will all see you soon.
With deep appreciation: West Gardiner Fire Department
Tom,
I found your note here on the http://www.workinghabit.org site and it just melted my heart. I found your note when looking for mementos for a memorial service and special collections for her family. I’m so touched.
When news stories about the contributions of your fire department started turning up I was paying attention — the story of the casserole brigade for the fire fighters, loaned snowmobiles from the community and now this thoughtful consideration.
We are deeply appreciative — and reminded both of the never-say-can’t attitude Jeanette taught us all … AND humbled that this is what you and your team do or are prepared to do every day.
Please extend our sincere appreciation to your team and community.
Thank you,
Barbara
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