Vale Kathleen Tinkel

[annc]

It is with great sadness that I have to report to you all that Kathleen Tinkel lost her battle with cancer on 21st November. Her husband Jack was with her at the end, and was joined by one of his and Kathleen's oldest friends soon after. This friend is helping Jack deal with the emotional and physical challenges he has to face now.

I've known Kathleen for around 20 years, ever since I joined the Desktop Publishing Forum on CompuServe. She helped me improve my skills as a document designer and typesetter with encouragement, incisive but never cruel criticism and – mostly – by example. She also taught me the art of being a sysop, an art that is sadly missing in many of the online forums today.

But Kathleen was much more than a sysop on an online forum. She learnt about type at college, then started work at a newspaper. Her working life always revolved around type and design, and she was also an early adopter of computer technology, buying one of the first Macs in 1984. A talented writer, she contributed to leading journals for many years.

Over the years of working together on forums, Kathleen and I became friends, sharing forum management both on CompuServe and later in our independent forum endeavour here. We had long online chats when this became possible, developing the ability to carry on a conversation covering several topics at a time and keeping track of all of them! During some of these chats, we performed major upgrades to the forum software while simultaneously discussing everything from world and domestic politics to the mundane such as plumbing, meal planning and irritating neighbours. And everything in between. I dunno about KT, but I also managed to cook and eat meals, set and move garden sprinklers, and do the washing including hanging everything on the line.

Kathleen was one of those people who influenced everyone she met. She was also a great raconteur, and I have fond memories of the vignettes she would drop into discussions in both business sections and the Pub. Please express your feelings and contribute your favourite KT stories here for all to enjoy.

[BobRoosth]

My daughter and I had the pleasure of meeting her for lunch in the winter of 2000. I don't recall much of that meal other than it was near the LIRR tracks and we had a good visit. I have valued her advice on typography issues over the years. We will all miss her sage advice and good humor.

[mksf]

I'm so sorry to hear this. KT and I "met" in the Internet Publishing Forum many years ago, and she quickly became my Mac guru.

[annc]

Originally Posted by mksf

I'm so sorry to hear this. KT and I "met" in the Internet Publishing Forum many years ago, and she quickly became my Mac guru.

I'm not surprised.

[marlene]

I was stunned and saddened to hear the bad news. Although I rarely visit the forum these days, I've thought about Kathleen often, and hoped she was winning her battle.

She will be missed.

[jgr]

I am so very sorry to learn of Kathleen's death. What a loss to us all who knew her... her smile, her quick wit, her deft hand with a spaghetti carbonara... Rest in peace, friend. Rest in peace.

-- Judy G. Russell

[Howard Allen]

This is terrible news. I was concerned that we hadn't seen her on the forum recently, but I guess I'd hoped that she was just busy doing other things. I considered Kathleen to be the keystone of the DTP Forum, and I know she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

[annc]

That's so very true, Howard.

[Andrew B.]

I don't know what to say. There is nobody like Kathleen. She was a force in the DTP community, and someone who's advice I valued. I wish I had been able to speak with her on the phone more.

[Steve Rindsberg]

Kathleen was one of ... maybe the only ... Grand Ladies of this thing we call DTP.

When I first stumbled my way through Compuserve in mid 80s, I somehow found the DTP forum, and while I had only a peripheral interest in DTP, kept coming back because I learned so much that was genuinely useful to me from KT (and the rest of the rogue's gallery who were regulars there.)