One of the problems with living as long as we do today is that important accomplishments achieved by industry luminaries over a lifetime of work can be submerged in the distant past. Often, we don't realize on whose accomplishments we now stand. The passing this week of Mike Bruno at age 93 should serve as a reminder of how far the industry—especially offset printing—has advanced, and how one person's efforts can truly make a difference. There will be many tributes, I hope, to his distinguished career, and I regret that our paths did not cross more frequently.

I met Mike casually a couple of times, usually on a trade show floor; I think it was Dennis Mason who first introduced us. I didn't have the opportunity to spend much time with him until we sat next to each other on a trade show shuttle bus as it meandered through the streets of downtown Philadelphia on its way to 1996's Graph Expo. We had a marvelous chat. He commented that he liked what I was doing (I was finishing the second year of the fledgling TrendWatch business at the time), he was sincerely curious, and I appreciated that. We had an interesting discussion about how he got Presstek and Heidelberg together, an effort that eventually led to the development of the groundbreaking GTO-DI. He was a giant. “God bless him,” he used to write in his newsletter as he humbly and glowingly wrote about others he knew and respected who had predeceased him, and as I write now about him. God bless his family for sharing him with us.

Personal note: The first word in the industry of Mike Bruno’s passing was Frank Romano's commentary that appeared on Electronic Publishing's site. Editor Keith Hevenor also mentioned Mike Bruno in the EP e-newsletter. American Printer ran his obituary on Wednesday. None of the organizations with which he was steadfastly involved, GATF or TAGA, have issued statements or press releases about his death and his contributions to their organization or the industry at large. Neither Printing Impressions norGraphic Arts Monthly had the information about Mike's death on their web sites, either, as I submitted this for publication yesterday. Companies with which he was involved as an advisor, consultant, or matchmaker have yet to be heard from. Printing has always been an important tool in the preservation of the history of others, yet it seems that we have trouble remembering our own.