Thank you for visiting this memorial site for J.D. Falk.
J.D.’s professional focus was email technology and anti-spam systems and policies. His life was devoted to his passions: writing, music, travel, volunteerism, charity, culinary delights, and so very much more.
He had a long and storied career, most recently employed by Return Path Inc. as their Director of Internet Standards & Governance, beyond which J.D.’s boundless energy made him an industry leader; as a founding member of the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE), the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), and publishing standards with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Quite simply put, J.D. worked every day to make the world a better place.
Mostly, J.D. Falk was a Son, a Brother, a Husband, a Friend, and a Colleague in the truest sense of the word. He will be missed by so many, because above all, he was a truly nice person. We invite you to share your memories of our beloved J.D. We welcome, and value your contributions.
I didn’t know JD that much, we just had few talks during Maawg. But to me he’ll always be the sweet, nice, awesome guy in hawaiian shirt and flip-flops.
Sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
I first exchanged email with JD in the late 90s when as a young college student, I ran into some spam problems that led me hunting online for help and resources. I found myself part of a wonderful, funny and caring (besides geeky, opinionated, liable to argue points of antispam best practice) community, and found myself choosing antispam as a career.
JD was a legend even then, in a very small group of people with a deep love for email – a community that’s changed, and grown out of all recognition in a few short years.
He’ll be deeply missed, as a good friend, great person and one of the most brilliantly original minds on spam that it has been my privilege to know.
Here’s what i wrote about J.D>
http://www.welikeballs.com/2011/11/jd-falk-bad-pictures-of-good-food.html
This is very sad news. RIP J.D.
I don’t know if it’s me being a luser or if something is going on with the submission form but I cannot get my memory to submit and post. So here it is in comment form (and if the administrator would care to post it for me that would be great – this can just be one final luser story from me that JD laughs at!)
I was not that close to JD, but we knew each other for years and would sometimes correspond. Of course I knew him through his Internet-related work but that’s not what comes to mind when I think of JD. Whenever I think of him, I always remember this one time years ago, when I was in DC I think for NANOG, and he invited me to his home, where he made a banoffee pie that was incredibly delicious, and served it up with the hugest of smiles. I’ve carried that memory with me for – 15 years? Something like that – and it just breaks my heart to know the world will never taste that pie or see that smile again.
-Hillary (Gorman) Israeli
I didn’t know JD personally that well but was made aware of his impact on the industry from early on when I was still a novice. He will be missed and we certainly appreciate everything he gave to advance the cause. As someone who’s lost folks very close to me over the years, I can empathize with Hope and send my condolences to the family.