"CAESAR: When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."
-- William Shakespeare,
Julius Caesar: Act 2 Scene 2

For those who were not aware, one of the giants of modern literature has departed our company. Douglas Adams, famed creator of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series, died on May 11, 2001 at the age of 49. I was crushed when Justin called me with the news. The best response I could come up with was, "No more books?"

I was once honored enough to hear him speak once at Ohio State and, as I've said many times in the past, that speaking engagement was the best three-and-a-half hours and five dollars I've ever spent. Even moreso because I remembered to bring along my old, tired, dog-eared copy of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" that I've read more times that I can imagine. And that book is probably my most prized possession because, that night, Douglas Adams added his signature to the title page.

I had intended a eulogy befitting the dying of kings, but I find myself unable to come up with anything proper. For all of us who have had our hearts buoyed by the remarkable stories he constructed, there is nothing I can add. It just won't be the same walking into a bookstore and checking, just in case, if there is a new title on the shelves.

As to the quote up above, there is an old superstition that, when a comet or a shooting star crosses the sky, a person is going to die. And should you go home tonight and glance into the vastness of the night sky, some of you may wonder what if it's true and, if so, what Adams' star looked like. I don't need to wonder, I know which one was his. It was the space station Mir crashing to earth. I think he would have appreciated the humor in that.