In June of 2002 I entered the halls of the INET2002 conference, which was being held in Washington DC. I had about two years of working with IPv6 under my belt, both at Zama Networks, and at my own company, Native6. I was attempting to do a little guerrilla marketing - making a name for myself, and thus my company, in the IPv6 community through events like INET2002.
I really only had one objective at at that conference - meet Jim Bound. I figured that Jim was really the key to making any headway in the space, given his dominating presence around all things IPv6. I’d met Jim earlier in my IPv6 career while at Zama Networks. Jim had come to talk to us about what we were doing at Zama and talk shop a bit. I had taken a position on NAT-PT, which at the time was anathema to Jim. For those that know Jim, you can imagine the pasting I took in that meeting! But all-in-all, I found that if you were willing to hold your ground, be polite, and make a reasonable case for your position, Jim was willing to listen and give serious consideration to your counter. So I figured that if I approached Jim with a willingness to work on activities and tasks for the IPv6 Forum and the North American IPv6 Task Force, I could earn a place at the big kid’s table.
It was over the next five years that I came to appreciate and admire Jim Bound. Jim was a tireless advocate for advancing technologies he felt would not just benefit the “haves” but also the “have nots”. Jim was fiercely Amercan and a vast supporter of the men and women in uniform. He was a bona fide workaholic. He was the CTO of the IPv6 Forum, the Chair of the North American IPv6 Task Force, a long term contributor to the Internet Engineering Task Force, and a Fellow at HP. He loved his dogs and riding his motorcycle. He was passionate, intense, and always ready for a good fight.
I had many a disagreements with Jim Bound over the years. But at least you always knew where you stood. As long you were true, honest, and willing to work hard, there was a seat for you at Jim’s table of technology. He helped me make a place in the IPv6 industry and for that I will always be grateful.
On March 2, 2009 Jim Bound passed away. It was a sad day not just for me personally, but for the IPv6 community and for the Internet community at large - especially those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of accessing it. We will surely miss our “IPv6 Plumber”.
There is a memoriam page for Jim on the IPv6 Forum Website. Also, if you’d like to make a donation in honor of Jim, you can donate to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, with the following notification details:
Stephen Ellis C/O Jim Bound
PO BOX 570
Hollis, NH 03049
USA