Bill Bug

In Memoriam — William John Bug, 1961–2008

It is with great sadness that we received news of the untimely death of our friend and OBI colleague, Bill Bug, in May 2008. Bill lived in Philadelphia, PA and was 47 years old. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University and had been working in the field of neurobiology and ontology at Drexel University and most recently at the University of California - San Diego. Bill was one of the driving forces behind the Ontology for Biomedical Investigations project and his energy and academic brilliance have ensured the continued progress of the work. His warmth and sense of humour will be greatly missed. Bill is survived by his wife Amy Bug; his sons, Murphy and Moses Bug; his brother, Joel Glickman; and mother, Therese Glickman.

Please, add your thoughts here:

"Non mortem timemus, sed cogitationem mortis (Seneca)" We do not fear death, but the thought of death. Rest in peace dear Bill, you will be missed. Susanna

"Besitz stirbt, Sippen sterben, du selbst stirbst wie sie; eins weiss ich, das ewig lebt: des Toten Tatenruhm." (EDDA) - Daniel.

Kind, humorous, and intelligent; a friend and colleague I enjoyed talking with and seeing at workshops and TCs. You'll be missed, and remembered. - Allyson

One of the really great things about Bill (aside from being so very knowledgeable and his willingness to share that knowledge) was that he was so much fun after the meeting. He had done so many interesting things. He was great company and he always talked about his family and how proud he was of them. We will miss Bill, and we will remember him, Helen.

By Gully Burns in memory of Bill

The gap in the conversation

We are all seekers,
In our ongoing work.
And you were the best of us all.
The one who always gave all of himself
And kept nothing for himself at all. 

In our ongoing struggle,
For wisdom and truth,
You always had so much to say,
To move us all forward, to get to the point
Gently making your point in your way.

And now you are quiet
And there is a gap
In our work and our lives and our hearts
You are missed beyond words by all of your friends
And we hope you are well where you are.

I will miss Bill and remember him for the contributions he made to the project and the impacts he had on our lives. I always enjoyed talking with Bill during the workshops and on the conference calls. He was fun and kind. I also remember how proud he was of his sons. Liju

A poem by Emily Dickinson in memory of Bill:

Because I could not stop for Death-

He kindly stopped for me-

The Carriage held but just Ourselves-

And Immortality.

We slowly drove-He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility-

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess-in the Ring-

We passed the fields of Gazing Grain-

We passed the Setting Sun-

Or rather-He passed Us-

The Dews drew quivering and chill-

For only Gossamer, my Gown-

My Tippet-only Tulle-

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground-

The Roof was scarcely visible-

The Cornice-in the Ground-

Since then-'tis Centuries-and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity-

Michael Miller

there is so much i want to say, but i must wait until i can think of this without weeping. Suzi

I am glad that I got to work with Bill and got to know him at the workshops. As many have noted, he was thoughtful, gracious, witty, full of information and happy to share that in his long emails. He was a driving force for OBI using it even in its embryonic state and showing us what could be done with BIRNlex. We will certainly miss him. - Chris S.

Always generous, always patient, always willing to help and share. Bill put a lot of effort into fairly representing everyones views and working towards a true consensus. I will miss him. - Bjoern

It was wonderful to have had the opportunity to meet and work with Bill. I know you will all smile when I mention his emails - they were as unique as Bill. He was always so enthusiastic in sharing his wealth of knowledge and I still have no idea how he found the time to give so much input in so many areas. It was a pleasure to know you - you'll be missed - Ryan

I considered Bill a friend as well as a colleague. He was a popular, kind-hearted guy; everyone that knew Bill had nothing but good to say about him and I respected him immensely. His energy, his warmth and his intellect will be sadly missed by all. - James