He must have been a symbolics founder like Dick Gabriel? (Dick now does the IT conversations stuff, and seems like a good guy to advise and mentor a new generation, except sadly we don't seem to want to learn from the past in this industry).

Personally if I meet someone who was around in the 80s, spent time with xerox machines, or (sometimes) at some great lab/company, I plant myself, and hoover their brain dry. I can't get enough of software history, there is gold in their experience. I just wish it was more common.