I received word last night that our friend Jim Dowden passed away unexpectedly on Saturday.  I know many RxTrace readers knew him in one capacity or another.  See his obituary here.  Most recently Jim was Head of Logistics Management, North America for Genentech.  When I first met him back in the mid-2000’s he worked for Hoffman-La Roche and represented them at various industry ePedigree and track & trace meetings.  For a period of time I ran into Jim fairly often and we had some great conversations.

As I knew him, Jim was a very open and expressive person who was always ready for a good laugh.  He was razor-sharp, quick witted and not afraid to get to the point of the matter.  To me, he was fearless and a fun guy to be around.  I remember listening in on the webcast of the FDA Track and Trace Workshop last year when Jim’s unmistakable voice came through my speakers during one of the input periods.  “When would you like that by?”, he asked rhetorically.  The room erupted.  Jim had already made the point that many in the room were still trying to formulate in their minds.  Classic. Continue reading James “Jim” Dowden (1955? – 2012) →