Terry and I first met working together at OPIRG Carleton's Burma-Tibet group. It was great working with a person so ultra committed to the cause, although sometimes overcommitted. At that point, I'm pretty sure Terry was breathing, sleeping and eating Burma. He would call me regularly to hash out ellaborate campaign strategies he seemed to be always thinking up on his own.
I laughed a lot with Terry. We'd been working together at Canadian Friends of Burma for the past few months on a new data base Terry installed for us. Just before I left for Thailand this past October, he came to the office to help relieve my frustration at using the new data base. We were joking around and I suggested to Terry that life is a data base, because if you don't put the information in consistently and correctly, you can't get the information out effectively, or something to that effect. Terry expanded the metaphor to the vision of a person who manages life, one record at a time.
I was very sad and shocked to find out about Terry's death while I was in Thailand. This website helps a bit to compensate for not being able to go to the funeral. I still hope that we, his friends and family, can get together from time to time, in the spirit of Terry Cottam.