One of the things Don England, vice president of sales and business development for Livewire International Inc., was known for, was his sense of humor.
Just ask David McCracken, president of the company. McCracken recalls an incident in which an employee wrongly feared that he was going to be fired. When the employee confided this to England, McCracken said England mustered the most serious expression he could and dryly said, "We wouldn’t fire you on a Friday. We’d fire you on a Monday so we’d have all week to enjoy it."
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Don England passed away May 1. |
It was England’s wit, McCracken says, that brought levity to the situation and alleviated the employee’s fears. It's a trait many of England's friends came to appreciate.
"He just had a good sense of humor," said Jim Kruper, president of Kioware and another friend of England. "He was not someone to denigrate someone or talk badly about someone. He took the other approach. He’d make light of the situation."
Those fond memories bring comfort to the friends and colleagues who knew him well. On Saturday, April 26, Don England suffered a severe brain aneurysm and was rushed to the hospital. He went into a coma and passed away on May 1, just days after his 57th birthday.
McCracken said the self-service industry has lost a champion.
"He was just a great guy," McCracken said. "From day one, it clicked. I could tell he was very grounded, but he was also enthusiastic about what we were doing."
From POS to kiosks
England’s path to the self-service industry was a winding one, according to McCracken. Shortly after graduating from college, England became a systems analyst for NCR, but soon left that career and spent the next 25 years working sales positions in the point-of-sale industry for companies such as ParTech Inc. and Triversity Corp.
Then in 2006, McCracken became president of Livewire.
"I wanted to bring somebody new on board as sales – basically a right hand man for me – with a lot of experience in sales," McCracken said. "Don was available at the time and just brought a great wealth of experience with him, particularly from the point-of-sale industry in retail, which is one of our focuses."
McCracken said England turned out to be a capable addition to the company and began traveling regularly to trade shows all over the world, representing Livewire. It was his charming personality, McCracken said, that often won over many new clients.
"It’s funny. We would meet with potential clients or partners and he always seemed to be able to find a connection with those people," McCracken said.
He recalls that one client in particular had been in the Navy in his youth and had served aboard a submarine – an experience England shared. The two became instant colleagues.
"It’s just amazing how he could come up with a connection with everyone," McCracken said.
A fast friendship
Ed Crowley, vice president of sales at 5point, says he came to know England through the rough-and-tumble world of trade show life.
"I got to know him sort of on a fast pace," Crowley said. "Sometimes in the industry it takes years to develop friendships and partnerships, but because of the close tie we had with Dave and Livewire, we kind of jumped in with both feet, and we really got to know each other really fast."
He says one of his fondest memories of England occurred years ago during the Self-Service & Kiosk Show in San Antonio, when he and others had dinner on the Riverwalk.
"The evening was filled with laughter, good friends and good food," he said. "Then we walked the Riverwalk together."
Crowley said England was an avid golfer, enjoyed traveling and was a connoisseur of fine wine.
World traveler
McCracken says he was moved by the industry’s response to England’s death, which brought condolences from all over the world.
"After his aneurysm, I had been communicating with several people he had worked with, and they kind of spread the news throughout their organizations," he said. "Because he was in international sales, he had moved around quite a bit. He had the opportunity to travel the world."
Last year, England expressed his confidence in the self-service industry as a whole while speaking with Travis K. Kircher, editor of SelfService.org.
"As the population of the U.S. – and of the world for that matter – gains more computer experience and technology experience, it is more convenient at times for consumers to use self-service terminals to not only get information, but purchase things and have them provided to them at the point of sale," England said in that interview.
England leaves behind a wife, Sandy; two sons, Chris and Mike; and four grandchildren.
"He was just a wealth of knowledge who was just incredible to have around," Kruper said. "And he’s going to be really missed because of it."
