Ted O'Neill's passing

[Tom Munnecke]

I just got news that Ted O'Neill died last Tuesday. He called me a
few weeks ago, excited to talk about some future ideas in green
technology, but with some side comments that he had just gotten out of
the hospital and "was sure things would be OK."

Ted was a man of fierce determination and vision who was crucial to
the development of MUMPS, ANS MUMPS, and the original DHCP project
that became VistA today. He and Marty Johnson hired the original
staff (lead by Marty Johnson) that created the initial Decentralized
Hospital Computer Program while he was the director of the Computer
Assisted Support Staff (or something like that), which got him fired
shortly after the seminal Oklahoma City meeting in December, 1978. He
had the wisdom to hire the staff as field positions (one of which was
me at Loma Linda) so that they were (relatively) untouchable by the
forces of centralization ( who wanted to put a single mainframe
megacenter in Austin, Texas). Leaderless, without Central Office
control, the "Underground Railroad" emerged to continue the technical
and political challenges required to make DHCP a reality. There was a
constant stream of people and talent to step up to the challenges, in
a most remarkable history.

You can watch some of the oral history of these early days in video
interviews I did of Marty Johnson http://blip.tv/file/1186772 and
Henry Heffernan http://blip.tv/file/1187514/


www.keeneybasford.com - look for Joseph O'Neill for more information.

[Nancy Anthracite]

Ted O'Neill's name has come up a lot lately as we have been discussing what
changed, not for the better, in VistA development in the last couple of
decades.

I never met him personally although I talked with him a couple of times, and
heard the great stories from Marty Johnson and others.

I am sorry to hear of his passing.

--
Nancy Anthracite

[Bhaskar, KS]

I am saddened to hear of Ted's passing. While I only met him a couple of times and never got to know him personally, it is a very rare who puts principle before personal gain. Ted O'Neill is worthy of high honor and respect from all of us.

Regards
-- Bhaskar

--
GT.M - Rock solid. Lightning fast. Secure. No compromises.

--
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[Tom Munnecke]

I've blogged a bit about him at http://munnecke.com/blog/?p=1037

the services are set for tomorrow... I know Rob Kolodner will be there, and am trying to reach Marty Johnson now, as well.

I'm happy to pick up on the software development topic later this week... I have lots of thoughts on the recent VA RFI for "custodial agent"

[Frederick D. S. Marshall]

So passes a truly great man. Ted O'Neill was one of America's unsung heroes.

It is no exaggeration to say that countless people owe their lives and
health to him, because their healthcare was improved by the use of VISTA,
which was made possible by the classic VISTA open-source software lifecycle
that Ted formulated at the National Bureau of Standards and brought to the
Veterans Administration in the 1970s. Without Ted's courage, without his
insights, character, and persistence, none of this would have been possible.

In return, he was badly treated by VA, punished for challenging the
ineffective and wasteful centralized model of authority for EHR
development, dragged before a congressional inquiry on trumped-up charges,
slandered, and forced into early retirement, and VA has purged him from its
official story of how VISTA came to exist.

I would ask that Roger Baker recommend that the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs rectify this injustice by formally recognizing O'Neill's
accomplishments and thanking him for his service to the cause of improved
healthcare for humanity. VA owes this man a debt it can never repay.

For my part, I will do my best to ensure that he is never forgotten and
that his legacy of the VISTA software lifecycle lives on to continue making
all our lives better.

Thank you, Ted.

[Gordon Moreshead]

I would echo those comments, Rick. The kind of visionary leadership and integrity that Ted brought to the VA is a very rare thing indeed. It was a great honor to have worked with Ted for the short time he was in the VA.

Gordon

Sent from my Windows Mobile phone

Thank you, Ted.

--

[r...@rcresearch.us]

Wow, I just heard. How awful to loose such a man of such conviction. He
has labored long and hard for what he held to be true and honest. May his
memory be honored as such. I had the honor of meeting with Ted numerous
times over the last decade and had dinner at his house and at his
daughter's house when we met at the Sheppard's College VistA Community
Meeting. I knew he was having health issues, but he was always ready to
step in when he was needed, even when his strength was in question. He
worked hard to make this movement possible and we should encourage the VA
to recognize him for his value to the VA family of care-givers. His
efforts helped make these tools happen and improve the care given to the
Veterans that we all serve and have served.

Best wishes for you, Ted. You will be missed.

[elanchezhiyan krishnadevan]

My deep condolence to his family and friends. Thanks Ted.

[George Timson]

This is very sad news. Ted was really something. He could play the
tough guy, the cynic, but underneath he was one of the most idealist
men I have ever had the privilege to know. I'll never forget that
deep, wise, infectious laugh, and the way he stood up to every
challenge. I know that he was immensely, and justifiably, proud of the
legacy he created. He changed the lives of all of us.

--George Timson