Bill is one of those guys I've known for so long that I honestly don't remember how we met. Everytime he would speak at a conference, I'd rush over there to watch him, always a fan and always supporting him. I started in this industry a year prior to when he started, but always amazed at the depth of his research.
I've never thought of myself as anything truly remarkable, even though I've been told I have done remarkable things. I have for the most part, modestly kept to myself but like Bill, I spoke at a lot of conferences. Every time I spoke and he was at that conference, he would always show up, front row. I asked him one time why he came and he said, "I've always found you fascinating, you speak about multi-lingual and cultures and there are so many questions I come up with in my mind." When you have a rock star like Bill following you, I don't think I've ever felt so honored and so confident in myself. That was the kind of person he was, I'm going to miss him deeply.