I remember being at a Whilfest once on Halloween. Many of the speakers and some of the attendees had costumes for the day. Whil came in full Kiss makeup/costume as Gene Simmons. Several people thought it was his wife. Nope, it was Whil. It was the first time in many years (20 comes to mind, but could be wront) that he had shaved his beard.

He's definately one of the good guys.

>I had forgotten Whil's award came from Microsoft. Maybe others did more in terms of contributions to the product or add-ons. To me he has always epitomized the spirit of the FoxPro community, the ultimate tireless participant. That doesn't just refer to FoxPro but to other things Whil has plunged headlong into, like distance running and involvement in his (many! <g>) children's activities.
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>This may tell you something about Whil's character. When we first met he was just another guy who showed up at meetings of Chicago FUDG, which along with FoxPro was in its Prague spring. After three or four meetings I recognized him as one of the regulars who always seemed to have something intelligent but not pushy to say. A true Wisconsinite. We got talking after one meeting and one thing led to another. He helped me get some articles published, then invited me to speak at the first two WhilFests. (I let him down).
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>He also helped me complete a couple of marathons. He was in demand as a coach, having run marathons in the 2:30s himself, and never charged me a penny. He steered me to some good approaches and away from some bad ones. I finished in the middle of the pack four times and credit a lot of it to Whil. My body is not the classic marathoner's body. He has a gift for making you believe and making you excited. That to me is his gift -- the ability to energize others.
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