Dear Paul McKane Family, I met Paul in 1981 in New Haven at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center where Paul was attending a Computer Programming class. I had graduated from the Computer Programming class in 1980, the year before Paul did. In 1981 I was working for the CIGNA Corporation as a Computer Programmer when I received a call from Paul‘s Programming Teacher asking me to come down to the class and teach the class some of the skills I had learned in class and on the job. I was honored to be asked to teach the class and I went to teach the class several days later. I arrived in class on a Friday morning and I was warmly greeted. Everyone introduced themselves to me. The teacher then told the class that their major computer programming project was due on Monday and they had better have it completed. To assure herself the teacher asked all the team leaders (there were four teams) to give a status as to where they were on the project and would it be completed on Monday. The first three team leaders gave their status and were on schedule for completion. The teacher then turned to the fourth team leader Paul McKane and she asked him to give the status of his teams project. Paul was sitting in a regular chair, had a cowboy hat on, had shoulder length hair and a beard down below his armpits. When asked to give the status of his project Paul leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on the desk, took out a huge cigar and lit it, and then turned and looked at the teacher and said “You have a better chance of seeing the second coming of Christ if you think our team will complete the project by Monday”. I fell out of my wheelchair from laughing so hard for that was one of the most funniest things I had ever heard. It was at that moment that I knew I liked Paul. After graduating from the computer programming class Paul landed a job at CIGNA working in my department as a computer programmer. I took Paul under my arm and showed him the ropes. It did not take Paul long to learn the ropes and when he did he was off and running. Paul got along with just about everyone. He had a great sense of humor but he also new when to be serious. Paul was a true leader. He worked his way up the latter from a computer programmer to a project team leader responsible for managing many other people under him. Paul was highly respected. Paul was very smart, articulate, detail orientated and pleasant to work with. I worked with Paul on many projects at work and we also attended many functions outside of work. Paul was a YANKEE fan and I was a RED SOX fan so we were always having intense discussions about the games. I knew Paul up until I became ill in 1995 and I had to leave work and go out on disability. Paul truly enriched my life as well as many others that were honored to have known him. I consider Paul a FRIEND and friends are forever ! I truly am very sorry for your loss but you can rest assured that Paul is resting in peace and no longer suffering. With Deepest Sympathy, Dewey L. Santacroce III