RIP David Okamura

[ccoyle]

I just found out this morning that NRG member David Okamura has passed away. You may not know of him, but if you have ever enjoyed any of the card model builds I have shared here at MSW, then you owe a small debt of gratitude to David -- he's the man who got me started in card modeling.

 

I first met David at a meeting of the Ship Modelers Association (they met in Placentia, California) about twenty-five years ago. He was already a very skilled card modeler at the time, and when I saw his models at the club's show-and-tells, I said, "Wow, I can't believe that's made out of paper!" Sound familiar? David almost always had a new model or two to show at the meetings. He often did beta builds for designers, and if you had ever had the chance to admire his work, you would understand why those designers sought David's assistance. I decided I had to try a card model, too, and that was all it took to get me hooked. So, if any of my models have tempted you, or perhaps even persuaded you, to try a card model, it's partly thanks to David's having persuaded me to try one.

 

Rest well, friend.

 

David showing one of his models at a 2009 SMA meeting