Meet Henry the Fiddler

After Networking, our first book was published lo' those many years ago, we received many letters, phone calls, and visits from readers around the world who felt kinship with the ideas and networks we wrote about there. One early correspondent was a guy with the curious name, Henry the Fiddler (click and you'll see why). We wrote back and forth for a while, talked on the phone, and he once came to visit - or we met up at a conference somewhere (I'm sure Henry will correct me!). Henry introduced me to Burning Man, the crazy, wild, unlike-anything-else gathering, which he rightfully called a network and, from that point on, whenever I saw anything about Burning Man, I thought of Henry. Last I heard from him was perhaps a dozen years ago.

Fast forward to a month ago when our Dutch friend, Ton van der Hoeve, posts pictures to his Facebook page from this year's Burning Man. Of course, I thought of Henry and instantly wrote on Ton's Wall, in the Facebookish way of enthusiasm and multiple exclamation points: "Ton - have you run into Henry the Fiddler yet? Great pics! Don't get sunburned!!!"

Comes then last night's email. Guess who? Henry the Fiddler - but he wasn't at Burning Man, has never heard of Ton...instead, he's reappeared via this path:

So here's a blast from the past.  Here is a good full circle networking example:  I started at Worldchanging.com, took the off ramp to my old friend Gil Friend, took the next ramp to Gil's blog, and bingo ... an off ramp to Jessica Lipnack's blog!  I recall talking to you from Memphis back in '96.  Good to see you are still at it and still on the networking trail...

Thanks, Gil! And nice to "see" you again, Henry. And please, readers: feel free to post your coincidence stories. As often as it happens, never ceases to amaze.

Comments

[Henry the Fiddler]

Well Jessica ... first of all, I'm honored to be featured at your blog. And now, you can add this "little additional coincidence" to the spiral. After I reconnected with you (just a little over 24 hrs ago), I recalled yet another networker who was in the mix back then in the '70's, one "Johnny Light", whose real name was John van der Hove, but that's as best as I can recall it. Who knows, he just might have even been:

Jon van der Hoeve

So did you just have the same AH-HA MOMENT that I did?

Jon van der Hoeve
Ton van der Hoeve

Does lightning strike twice? These two must be related! So now, we must find Johnny Light. I just googled and came up empty handed. Have you heard anything about him lately? I last saw him at Bumbershoot in Seattle in the late 1980's.

Anyway, getting back down to Earth here ....

You, me and Jeff actually met face to face at the AHP convention in Toronto in 1983. The theme of the convention was, "Conscious Networking for Individual and Social Change". If you were a networker, back in '83, Toronto was the place to be!

Also, I'm confused on this BurningMan thing. I really doubt I was your intro to that one. Much more likely I introduced you to the Rainbow Gathering, which certainly has much in common with BurningMan. When we talked last in 1996 I don't think I even knew about BurningMan yet!

Anyway, love the networking, and love the "coincidences" that are obviously not just "coincidences" after all!

:-),
Henry

[jessica lipnack]

Good one, Henry. I do remember Johnny Light but had no idea what his last name was. Well, for whatever reason, it's burned into my circuits that you told me about BurningMan - but alas ... And thanks for reminding me where we met! Virginia Satir was the AHP president that year and we worked with her to design the conference. I have great memories of going window shopping with her in Toronto. Thanks for posting! And for getting touch!

[Ton van der hoeve]

Well... I am honered too, been fiddeling around in my history if I ever met Henry, now that would be COOL I have been in seattle, rotterdam (the city, not the ship) the far east. but no.. can't remember.

But it would not surprise me if I will meet him in the future!!

Ha ha ha, that would be cool too!

Regards Ton

Ps
Thanks for the google map link Henry, hope there will be one of 2008 shortly!!

[jessica lipnack]

Enjoy the new connection, Ton and Henry.