Fond Farewell (long)
Ted Owen, Moderator
>I have been asked, and have agreed, to come out of retirement and help our local community. The position will require far too much time for me to monitor effectively the lively threads of WoodCentral. As a result, my three-and-a-half years as Moderator of the Hand Tools forum must now end, and effective November 3, I will be leaving the volunteer ranks of WoodCentral. Ellis will be announcing the new Moderator shortly.
It is difficult for me to leave Ellis. He works harder than most realize, and his dedication to making WC a welcoming and entertaining home for woodworkers worldwide is unmatched. I know you�ll all join me in expressing our gratitude to Ellis for his caring efforts. For my own part I wish Ellis the very best and hope our paths cross often in the future.
How often some of us have traded emails commenting on how woodworking seems to attract such fine people. A prosecutor friend recently noted, �Who has heard of a felon whose hobby is woodworking?� I won�t even try to compile a list of great people who enjoy woodworking personally or professionally. But let me just mention one of my personal heroes. A few weeks ago the great golfer, and even greater gentleman, Byron Nelson, passed away. He had recently completed in his woodworking shop small gifts�a sliver of wood with his name on the back and a biblical quote on the front�for each of the Ryder Cup American team members. He dearly loved woodworking and passed away in a chair on his porch overlooking his shop. What a blessed and inspiring man he was.
There is just something about woodworking that gives us so much pleasure, whether from actually completing a project for sale or gift, admiring the woodworking tools and machines we gather through the years, or simply talking about woodworking with our friends on the Internet. For the many hours of enjoyable reading you have provided me; for the woodworking education that I couldn�t have bought anywhere else; for the fun-filled gatherings at Bill and Lisa Grumbine�s, at clubs, and at shows; and most of all for what I expect will be lifelong friendships�I thank you all.
Best, Ted
