Tomorrow (June 2) is the anniversary of Bill Soberanes’ death in 2006. I usually post a “Remembering Bill Soberanes” on this date, but have been struggling with what to say. In order that I do not miss this “deadline,” so I will resort to a solution that Bill used quite often in order that he would not miss a single publication date during his 49 year career with the Argus-Courier. He just reprinted an earlier “My Fascinating World of People” column. Copied below is one of my earlier “Remembering Bill Soberanes” columns. Enjoy.
Remembering Bill Soberanes #3 – June 2, 2006
Today is not only the anniversary of Bill’s death three years ago; but the date of his first column (So They Tell Me) for the Argus-Courier, 49 years ago. It is also the day that this Blogger-Peopleologist (Bill H.) will cut back on the number of entries he’ll post each week.
I know that I’ll never be able to match Bill’s record of over 1200 Peopleology articles. Tallying the numbers isn’t the important thing; it is the information … the message that you’re trying to communicate … whether it be in print or digital format. I will admit that my Web logs have bordered on being a personal catharsis, as well as informational. Just like “Mr. Petaluma,” himself.
Like Bill Soberanes, this Bill (aka the Volunteer Cybernaut) had his picture taken with the personality he is writing about in this blog in 2002. Just like the legendary Bill S, this Peopleologist-wantabe looks beyond his notes (mine are more legible, while BS’s were scribbly), and tries to capture the essence of the human being he is meeting with. It was enjoyable to mingle with Bill Soberanes, but you had to struggle sometimes to get a word in edgewise.
For example; when we were sitting in his living room going through his collection of photographs in order to match his My Fascinating World of People columns with the right photograph, he would go off on a … “Oh, I remember that interview … it took place on … and this is what I thought.” Quite often, that interview was many years ago. Bill had a photographic memory. He could recall the smallest detail. The #1 impression and memory I have about the world’s foremost peopleologist, is his love of people. This person … the individual who coined the words peopleology and peopleologist looked deep inside a person and tried to capture the essence of that person in his articles.
This native Petaluman, who loved his hometown and boasted about it and its citizens whenever he could will be missed. He was an original, a unique human being. I know that there are thousands of tales that can be told about Bill and his community building endeavors, as well as his shenanigans. Hopefully, as time goes on, this blog will recall some of these stories under the heading Remembering Bill Soberanes, which will remain as a category in the next version of this Web log. Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.