timwburke

…man, he was impressive.
As a boy, Mike wanted to know how things worked. He took apart our mom’s typewriter. Was very angry with himself when he couldn’t figure out how to put it back together.
When a fifth grade teacher told our mom that a fifth grader was not capable of the quality of work needed for an A+, Mike worked until he got an A+.
He worshiped General George Patton. Became an Eagle Scout and a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster.
Played offensive line in football, because yes, he was big, but also because it was an essential and overlooked job.
Random things:
Liked women with “thick ankles”, meaning athletic.
Relaxed with a bowl of nachos, a diet coke, and the “Beastmaster” TV series.
Loved the music of Meat Loaf.
Swore by Subaru automobiles.
Coined the term “pioneerish”.
Fond of cats and horses.
Could not abide pocket change. Before getting married, his car and living spaces were strewn coins he dumped from his pockets.
A geek: Monty Python, D&D, painted soldiers.
Went on to be an expert in his field, which included study of HIV.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmr.2157/full
He did that while dealing with an ill wife and his own chronic hospitalizations (at one point, he had a hemoglobin count of “four”. He was up at midnight packing for a business trip when they notified him).
Mike was the toughest man I have ever met.