A special note from Elliot about the passing of former Tucows board member, Lloyd Morrisett

All of us at Tucows were sad to learn of Lloyd Morrisett’s passing at 93, but it hits hard especially for me.

Lloyd served as a Tucows board member for well over a decade. He came to the Tucows board through our merger with Infonautics (thanks to Howard Morgan and Josh Koppelman for this gift). During that time he served as an anchor for both the company and for me. I was a young CEO running a public company for the first time and this was during a period, the early oughts, when markets were down hard and there was a LOT of pressure to engage in tactics that would either boost results in the short term at the expense of the long term health of the business or to follow the latest fad, many of which simply did not suit what we were as a business. I had a sense of what I wanted the business to be, and to not be, but it was Lloyd who calmly supported me and allowed me to avoid some of the pitfalls that I have seen so many others fall into. There is also no question that it was Lloyd who allowed me to do my best to imbue the business with an appreciation of customers and employees and to avoid the false choice of “maximizing shareholder value” which is inevitably a call for short term thinking. He was always calm and resolute and watching him stand against others who were more sharp-tongued was an inspiration. He was a solid business thinker and an admirable human being.

On a personal level, Lloyd was a delight. At board dinners and when he would arrive in Toronto early I would get to spend time with him listening to fascinating stories and learning from his past and present. He was a role model and an inspiration. Hearing his humble version of finding and cultivating the genius of Jim Henson. The amazing, sometimes untold, origin stories of Children’s Television Workshop and how to live full of wonder at any age. I am deeply appreciative that I would often take extra time just to be with him. Ironically the last time was a year ago next week. I am deeply sad that I didn’t take more time. The last lesson of many that Lloyd will teach me is to remember to spend time with people you treasure while you can. I thanked Lloyd many many times over the years, but never enough. I only wish he could read this and know that I am one of so many people he impacted deeply in his time on earth.

Rest In Peace Lloyd.

Tucows and I are forever grateful.

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If you would like to learn more about Lloyd and the legacy he leaves behind, the CBC has published an article on his passing here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/obit-morriset-sesame-street-1.6725189