So, EG.com was all chokez0rd for a little while - Westhost fell down, went boom. (Having been on the “get it up NOW” end of this equation too many times than I’d care to count, I skipped the histrionics and just waited patiently.)

Sometime in the last few days, retailing pioneer and comics evangelist Rory Root left us. I posted a few memories over on LJ, while base camp here was offline.

And ever since I heard, I’ve been thinking.

The outpouring of support and love and admiration for Rory is, well, rather stunning. Everyone has a memory. Everyone has a story. They all share a common thread, and not just the man himself.

Seems like Rory changed just about everyone he touched, in one way or another. I think it’s fair to say that, given the artists he nurtured and the readers he made and the support he gave and the late night phone calls and the on and on, the comics industry as it exists right now would probably not exist, or at least look… unrecognizable.

(Technically, I suppose that could be said about many people or things in this industry, but hopefully you get my meaning.)

Rory is an example of one guy affecting hundreds of thousands of people and creating real and positive change. How did he do it? With generosity of spirit, a passion that never flagged, love…. and action. With sincere interest and concern for other people and the Big Picture. Such things are tools we all possess.

There are a dozen lessons there for those willing to look for them. I am.

Comic Relief has a wonderful memories page up. Heidi linked to some other stuff.