Goodbye, I'd hoped to call you friend

In January this year I met a wonderful guy, who was interesting to talk to, and very funny. He ran the BlueCollarScientist blog, and was fascinated to learn about the kinds of people we come across as members and moderators on the JREF forum. Of all the people I met that week, he was one who made a real impact, and I had hoped to get to know him better.

I'm sorry to report, bad news this morning:
http://scienceblogs.com/aardvarchaeology/2008/08/jeff_medkeff_19682008.php


I'd like to remember the nice stuff he did and said, so here is an entry I had enjoyed, from his blog:
http://bluecollarscientist.com/2008/03/25/asteroids-named-for-pz-myers-phil-plait-rebecca-watson-michael-stackpole/

The odds on beating cancer

An odd mix of information here.
I'm very sad to see that a delightful man I was pleased to meet in January has been diagnosed with cancer, and I wish him all the best for his treatment and hopeful recovery.
Blue Collar Scientist

I have a lovely photo of myself with him after I regaled him with bizarre stories of corn-dogs, Corn Gods and law suits. A genuinely nice guy.


The odd mix I mentioned comes from seeing this story:
Cancer victim beats the bookies, and the odds

Doctors told Mr Matthews if he lived until June 1 - he would beat the longest survival time for killer cancer Mesothelioma.

The Bedfordshire punter put down £100 at 50/1 that he would live until June 1.

William Hill's spokesperson Graham Sharpe said: "We had never been asked to accept a bet of this nature before.

"But as Jon approached us directly and was adamant that it would give him an additional incentive to battle his illness, we decided to offer him the bet he wanted.

"Never, in thirty years in the business, have I been so pleased to pay a winning client £5000."

Not only did he win, Mr Matthews has already placed a bet he will still be around this time next year.

He plans on giving half to cancer charity Macmillan.