Announcement about Mike Jenkins

May 27, 2021

The AASHTOWare Project community lost a real champion recently in the person of Mike Jenkins.  Technically, Mike worked for the Indiana Department of Transportation.  They allowed him to be a participant in AASHTOWare Project activities was fortuitous certainly for his employer.  But it also reaped great rewards for the product itself.  When Mike was doing volunteer work for AASHTOWare Project, he was difficult to ignore.  His presence, accomplishments, and contributions, from participation in the User Group to his many stints as members of various Technical Advisory Group and TRT’s, were truly impressive.

When Mike was in the room, you had to take notice.   His contribution, among other things, was to ensure those around him paid attention and specifically thought about how to make the product better.  Why?  Because the man was stubborn, argumentative, focused, smart, really smart, dedicated, opinionated, fearless, optimistic, pessimistic, unrelenting, unashamed, loving – yes loving, predictable, unpredictable, unashamed, and loyal to name a few.  You did not dare come into a room with him without being ready to contribute to the best interests of the product.  All of us who knew him had those days where he could just be so aggravating, but at the end of the day, you came out of it more focused and more committed to the issues of the product.  He was able to look at challenges from more than one angle.  He wasn’t interested in finding solutions by taking the path of least resistance; he was interested in helping us be sure it was the best solution and know why it was.

That was Mike’s contribution.  He was so good at helping us strive for the best outcomes by looking at all the options, not just the easy ones.  He had a thick skin and was more concerned about your liking the product the community produced than whether or not you liked him.  And the product was better by being a part of the process and forcing us to be engaged.

Mike was a true friend to AASHTOWare Project and to me.  He fought all kinds of serious health issues, not for months or years, but for years and years and years.  And the thing that amazed me more than anything else was his attitude about it all.  He just pushed forward.  He looked toward what he could do today and planned for tomorrow. And the next day, he did the same.  I really can’t say I remember him ever complaining about it.  To him, it was just a waste of precious time.

So, here’s to you, Mike Jenkins.  The AASHTOWare Project product and community are better for your involvement.  You are already missed.

 

– Jeff Hisem, Infotech