Memories of Kevin
Kevin joined Cisco in 2000 with the acquisition of Active Voice in Seattle and served as the General Manager of the Enterprise Communication Software BU for several years. In 2005, Kevin became the CTO of the Voice Technology Group and was responsible for advancing our long-term technology strategy. A true visionary, Kevin continually challenged all of us to look beyond the limitations of our current technology and take advantage of breakthroughs in areas such as speech, mobility, and video to dramatically improve the way we communicate and collaborate with one another.
Over the years, Kevin also called on his energy, intelligence, and creativity to help make the world a better place. As Cisco executive sponsor for the Community Voice Mail organization, Kevin helped make it possible to provide voicemail services to people without basic communication resources throughout the US, most recently assisting thousands of evacuees from last year's Hurricane Katrina disaster connect with loved ones and government agencies. During the later stages of his illness, Kevin applied the same tenacity and passion to help develop a promising new treatment protocol for his rare form of cancer so that others might benefit from his experiences.
Plans for a celebration of Kevin's life are currently underway, and a fund will be established in Kevin's name to continue supporting charities that were so important to him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kevin's partner, Curtis Crawford, his family, and his many friends and colleagues during this difficult time.
Please offer your memories of Kevin by using the comments feature of this article.
Over the years, Kevin also called on his energy, intelligence, and creativity to help make the world a better place. As Cisco executive sponsor for the Community Voice Mail organization, Kevin helped make it possible to provide voicemail services to people without basic communication resources throughout the US, most recently assisting thousands of evacuees from last year's Hurricane Katrina disaster connect with loved ones and government agencies. During the later stages of his illness, Kevin applied the same tenacity and passion to help develop a promising new treatment protocol for his rare form of cancer so that others might benefit from his experiences.
Plans for a celebration of Kevin's life are currently underway, and a fund will be established in Kevin's name to continue supporting charities that were so important to him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kevin's partner, Curtis Crawford, his family, and his many friends and colleagues during this difficult time.
Please offer your memories of Kevin by using the comments feature of this article.
posted by David Smith at 2:16 PM
11 Comments:
During the heyday of the Internet, we were talking about the market cap and valuation of various companies and how difficult it was to invest with confidence. Kevin came in and hearing the tail-end of our conversation quipped, "Real men don't sell Amazon short."
-Dave
Kevin-isms as I call them always made me smile: "We all learned how to get along in kindergarten. Do I need to remind someone of this!"
And, with hands folded, Kevin would remind me to push back with "And this is my problem because?"
Melissa
One of my favorite Kevin quotes: “I get paid to be optimistic!”
-alan
I am pretty sure Kevin owned every single Blackberry handheld device that was ever made. If you ever wanted to see what RIM’s latest device was, all you would have to do is stop by Kevin’s office!
-alan
Another Kevin-ism: “I will not eat anything that has a mother.”
-alan
I fondly remember the following Kevin-ism...."No one ever died from a Voicemail accident"...HA too funny Kevin. Your sense of humor, very intelligent humor I might add, was spot on. I truly enjoyed being around you with customers, you owned the room, and your depth of thought and focus were amazing to me. I learned much from you!! Thanks for making my life better...:)
Dave O
I never met Kevin in person, however, we spoke often when we were working on the launch of the Community Voice Mail system here in Richardson, TX. What I remember most is every time we chatted, he would say something that would just make me laugh - he was always the optimist!
I was fortunate enough to work with Kevin, both at AV and through CVM. I was also privileged to spend several hours with him at home and in the hospital as he fought his disease.
A Kevin-ism I will always remember is only three words long: "People are complicated."
This was usually followed by the reminder..."we can never really know what drives people to do the things they do..and so we should just forgive them and move on."
My giant crush on Kevin since day one is probably the worst-kept secret on the planet. I adored him. And still do -
Patty Bonnell
I was lucky enough to work with Kevin as an employee of Community Voice Mail. His unwavering support and enthusiasm for this program and (by extension) for people in need was truly inspirational and exceptional. A natural leader with a great sense of humor, tremendous intelligence and true compassion...this is a rare combination.
I remember during the Katrina effort when scores of Cisco people and the CVM staff were working one weekend to get the boxes built and out into the hands of people who needed them. Someone once again thanked Kevin and Cisco for this huge effort. With a smile, Kevin said "Never underestimate the power of a huge corporation." (What he actually said was a bit more colorful, but this will suffice). Very glad to have known Kevin in even a limited capacity.
http://www.kevinchestnut.org/
I knew and admired Kevin's intellect in the 90's and now to hear of his passing saddens me beyond belief. I count him as a true friend and colleague.
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