What can I say that hasn't been said about Steve already?
Here are some random thoughts:
He was charismatic, intelligent, accessible, down-to-earth, and had a great sense of humor.
I would send him emails that would go unanswered -- and days later he would say "why don't you just call me on my cell phone?" That was Steve, he was never too busy to talk if only for a few minutes, and the calls never went into voice mail.
The first time I saw him speak was at a "how to do international business" event organized by CAR. After a panel of sophisticated tips by experts, Steve said a line that I've rehashed many times -- "folks, lets face it, international business ain't much different than doing business locally -- if you can sit down and have a beer with the guy, then he's probably okay to do business with!"
He could command a presence and light up a room in a way that few people can. At NAR meetings he worked the hallways and seemed to know everyone. He was a connector and always made introductions -- he was a hub with many spokes.
He spoke of his sons lovingly and even brought them along to NAR meetings to show them the ropes. One day he even skipped out on high-powered meetings to take them to a theme park and enjoy time together.
He was very proud of his book and always had a stash on hand to give away. He signed it, handed a complimentary copy to me, and said: "now you better go and write a good review on Amazon.com -- and I sure as hell better not see you resell it on the 'used books' section!"
Steve, you will be missed, but I'm glad to have known you.
--Jeff Hornberger
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