Bill was always there, somehow. I was working at Sottsass Associati over 20 years ago when I first met him. He was, like Ettore, a design mystic, a seer of the things human and beautiful that we were all searching for. The second time we met, I had started working with IDEO in Boston and made a pilgrimage to the California mothership. Bill remembered me and invited me to his home for dinner. Karin made a delicious meal while Bill showed me his collection of Japanese food models. Legendary. A few years later, I found myself back in Italy guest lecturing at Ivrea, when Bill walked in. He made me feel instantly at ease, like an old friend would. Fast forward to London and the book launch of “Design Interactions”. While he wrote a lovely dedication in my copy of his book, the warmth of his smile and the gleam of his eye never left him. The last time I saw Bill was in New York a year ago, where he shared his desire to expand the reach of his design mission across the United States. I volunteered to help him in any way I could. He was always there. He still is.