Dr. Wilde's Birthday Blog

Imagine That

2007-12-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

70 Years ago today Dr. Daniel Wilde was born. This great man not only received a PHD from MIT, but went on to found one of the greatest information companies worldwide.

This website is not meant to list his many accomplishments, but instead for people that know him to join in his birthday celebration and have some fun.

Happy Birthday

2007-12-27T07:59:00.001-08:00

There are many stories I can tell. I bet you are wondering which one I will choose?

We were on a business trip in Boston and when it was time for dinner Dan asked what kind of food we should have. After choosing Italian he said he knew where to find the best Italian food in the city. He always seems to know the best place to eat in every city worldwide. He brought us down an alley off the Commons. The food was great, but the conversation was even better.

He told story after story about the pranks that the students at MIT play. My favorite was one he told about somebody that tied a steam radiator to another students door and then put the radiator out the window. When the student arrived back to his dorm room and opened his door, not only did the door fly open, but the weight of the radiator tore the door right off the hinges. We laughed for hours, making it one of the best dinners I ever had.

Thanks for the fun and the many lessons you taught me!

Happy 70th and many more!
Mike Mahoney

2007-12-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

Dr. Wilde,

Happy 70^th!!

There isn’t nearly enough room on the pages of this blog to recount all the stories and adventures we have shared together…from the road trips for the many ASIDIC meetings, the drives to and from Boston for the flight to London Online, front seats on the upper level of double decker busses, Hazlitts, pints at the Dog and Duck, Monk’s Jazz Shop, cheese shop on Jermyn Street, Amalfi desserts, DaBrunos, Quo Vadis, Waiting for Godot, Kings Cross and Paddington Station, York Minster, the Viking Museum, lunches at Willington Pizza or Little Marks Big BBQ, the red light district in Amsterdam and a Mass in Dutch, Tiffany’s emeralds in New York, the Manhatten Ocean Beach Club, Beef Jerky, Clark Kent and the list just goes on and on…story after story after story. (Helen is now holding up two fingers) Suffice to say that my life would not be what it is today without the experiences we have shared and the many things you taught me. I’ll be thinking about you today, as I do on many days, re-examining those many lessons. You’ll be pleased to know that Nerac continues to thrive in spite of anything that I do…

Regards,

Kevin

Engineering Joke

2007-12-27T07:58:00.002-08:00

We all know that MIT educates engineers. Wonder if Dr. Wilde fits this mold?

Two engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The first engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

2007-12-27T07:58:00.001-08:00

Dan and Helen have traveled across the globe and eaten at all the finest establishments. They made a special trip to Goldsboro, NC to eat some the best southern barbecue on the planet.

2007-12-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

Happy 70th, Dan!

Hard to believe it's been 23 or 24 years ago when you called me and said: "I have a small problem and Don Edwards said you may be able to help. I moved some beams in our office to make room for a new computer, and now we have a little sagging." What a way to begin, with a wood frame building in an office park built in a swamp. We've come a long way, baby!

A few years later there was the call when you said: "Klewin's site contractor pulled onto the site [in Tolland] and immediately sank out of sight. I think we have some problems." You had raised understatement to an art form.

I especially enjoyed occasional lunches at Little Mark's enjoying the best barbecue in the North. I also really enjoyed the Pops in Boston that very cold December (so much for Global Warming).

Best wishes on your 70th. I still chuckle when I think of some of our escapades.

Russ

2007-12-27T07:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Dan,

Happy birthday and many more!

I will always remember you at ASIDIC meetings sitting in the back row reading the paper. You knew what multitasking is long before it became a fashionable computer term!

Best wishes!

Don Hawkins.

Telling time

2007-12-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

He always carries a fancy pocket watch, but pocket watches only have one time zone on them. Ian Leadley, knowing Dr. Wilde's mathematic abilities, presented him with this clock so that he didn't have to do any high level mathematics to know what time it was in England.

2007-12-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Dan.

Although I was not one of the privileged to work for you, for a few minutes you thought I was.

Recall a Trade Show in Philadelphia back in early 2000. I accompanied Mike and, as I have an IT background, I offered to help set up the Nerac Booth. There I was, looking like a typical IT schlep on my hands and knees, running computer cords when you approached the booth looking for Mike.

I introduced myself and commented that you must be thrilled to retire. You’d worked hard and now it was time to enjoy life to the fullest. “Let it all go, and turn the company over completely to the young kids. They’ll do fine!”

I had a distinct feeling you didn’t want to hear it at the time, especially from some unknown whipper-snapper employee. When we met again at dinner you learned who I was. We had great chats about your hobbies, worldly travels, and the mid-west where I’m from. Since that first meeting we’ve had the chance to meet again numerous times.

And now, at 70, with retirement in full swing, you are enjoying the fact that the “”Kids” are doing fine with the company and you can concentrate on having the best time of your life.

Sincere best wishes for a Happy Birthday.

Barb Schmitt

2007-12-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Dan;

You have been a solid ASIDIC contributor for years and we thank you for all you have done for the organization. On another note and more importantly, watching you over the last few years we see that retirement can also be fun, rewarding and enlightening. You have set a new model for all of us. Enjoy your day and keep us all young and in envy.

Mike Walker

2007-12-27T07:53:00.001-08:00

Dear Dr. Wilde:

Blessings and best wishes to you on your 70th birthday! It's amazing how the time flies by. Although I will not be with you, I want you to know that I will be celebrating you and your life on your birthday and will be with you in spirit. I have quite a lot to thank you for, and I'm grateful to have the chance. You and Helen both were my greatest teachers in my young adulthood, I can not think back on that time without thinking of you both. You both freely gave to me knowledge that has enabled me to build my life, I am deeply grateful to you both for that. I will always be thankful for the confidence you had in me at that time, it gave me confidence in myself when I needed it the most.

I enjoy thinking back on our funny times as well. I have to apologize to you for telling you (making you) kiss the blarney stone, I didn't know that that you had to kiss it leaning over backwards!! And anyway, you were already blessed with the gift of gab. I will always remember one Valentines day when I was single and feeling particularly down, you gave Helen a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and then gave everyone else a single rose, it really cheered me up. I have so many memories like this of that time that mean a great deal to me.

I hope you enjoy your day and know that many people are thinking of you with respect and gratitude and wishing you all the best!

With Love and Respect,
Colleen

Neither an Optimist or a Pessimist

2007-12-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

An optimist says the glass is half full.

A pessimist says the glass is half empty.

Dr. Wilde says the glass is twice the size it needs to be!

2007-12-27T07:52:00.003-08:00

Dear Dan, remember me?

This is certainly a voice out of your past.

Congratulations!! Your 70th birthday ! Wow!! There is nothing better than being 70. You can get away with a lot of things that you never could before and that's so much fun! May your birthday be wrapped tightly with God's love and peace and may there be many more birthdays to celebrate.

Hannah (Howe)

2007-12-27T07:52:00.002-08:00

Happy Birthday Dan,

It has been a pleasure working with you for many years
providing NERAC patent data files.

Our hardest part, in the beginning, was explaining to Thomas Jefferson
how to disseminate patent information on punch cards and magnetic tape
media.

Ed Johnson

2007-12-27T07:52:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, Dan.

We've travelled many roads together or at the same time, at least! From Data Courier to DIALOG to NFAIS to CAS. . . quite a trek! For all the fun times, thanks. My very best wishes for fun B-day and a healthy 70th year!

Betty Unruh

2007-12-27T07:51:00.001-08:00

Happy 70th Birthday Dr. Wilde!

I think of you and Helen often, the opportunities that you have afforded me and all that I have learned from you. I am glad that I still get to chat with you and live in your warmer, snow-free life vicariously through the telephone, emails and postcards. Now let's get back to work on that PC issue you are having.

Enjoy your day.

John

2007-12-27T07:51:00.000-08:00

A 70^th Birthday Celebration…wow... We were certain It would be hard to think of a way to top the past 69 celebrations, but we are giving it a try!! Warm wishes and great admiration go out to you Dr. Wilde! I have enjoyed working with you and I continue to smile when your name crosses my desk. Have a great party with friends and family and swing on up to see us in Connecticut when the weather gets warm---we’ll continue the festivities!

Best Regards,

Gerri Potash

2007-12-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Doc,

Did you know that today is the 70^th anniversary of the Orient Express. That makes two reasons why you need a nice relaxing train ride (maybe these “facts” will grease the skids…or rails with Helen).

JoeT

2007-12-27T02:02:00.000-08:00

Dan Wilde,

You were a fierce competitor of mine while I worked for NASA at the Technology Application Center. You incisive wit and excellent grasp of the subject, as well as the politics of the business, made you a formidable opponent. When I quit TAC in 1978 to start my own business, you and I buried the hatchet at the Online meeting in San Francisco. If we had known before what we learned then......... Ever since you have been a worthy ally. Not much later, at the Cranfield Meeting in England, we stood in the glass atrium of the building next door and spoke for hours about taking NERAC private. A hard decision for you and obviously the right one.

I enjoy the verbal fencing and debates we have about the direction of the industry and our own businesses. I hope they go on for years to come. Sitting in the back of the ASIDIC meetings with you while you listen to the sessions and read the Wall Street is a hoot! Your stage whispered comments carry to the front, alter the proceedings, and unsettle the speakers. You enjoy the reactions. The "old fire for effect" will always work well for you!

Thanks for the dinners at DuBrunos at the London Online meetings. I will arm wrestle Kevin for that three cream crepe anytime!

Happy Birthday my OLD friend !!

Margie Hlava