Once upon a time, it was said that “Every man’s work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.” To that same end, when asked to create a portrait of a man, each person will draw that image with a hand and eye loaded by a wealth of their own unique memories and perspectives. As we here at Mission Data create our portraits of Marvin Chartoff, some of us will think partially of a quiet, diligent, grounded and light-humored man that was able to maintain a balanced level of multitasking, both in his personal and professional life, that would have left most people clamoring over themselves. And here was an individual who could do it all with barely making a sound, often surprising with his hereto unknown presence in the office. Quite simply: it amazed us.
There will be many joining us in mourning during this period. We know that many friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances will be creating an image this week, and in the coming days, with a hand burdened by grief and an eye weighted with tears. A man walks through life painting a portrait, not of what he would, could, or should have done but of what he did. So, it is from there that we draw our inspiration – with a smile on our face. A smile because we had the great fortune and opportunity to connect with and know such a wonderful human being. It’s the impressions that he left with us that will guide our hand and eyes. And, it’s for those very impressions that we’ll be painting our portrait of Marvin Chartoff with a smile on his face. We hope that you’ll join us in that, too.