On Friday June 18, 2010 our dear friend and architect of Polaris technology passed away after "fighting the good fight" against
lung cancer, friends and family by his side.
I have known Laurent since 1986 when he started writing code and building a search engine for Sygma, the agency where I worked. He was one of the pioneer programmers to work with a photo agency. His approach was daring and the tools he used were unheard of at the time in the photo agency world: Unix, 4GL code and other technologies that integrated Search, Traffic, Accounting at a dazzling speed. He was a designer, an innovator and a creator that saw the big picture, yet always looked for the "nimble" solution, practical, fast and elegant.
A jazz player and aficionado (soprano sax) he named his servers Gordon, Duke, Mingus, among other Jazz greats, and rightly so as the pages of his systems unfold like a symphony. He was fond of photography and photographers. He appreciated their technical ability and saw much in common between their work and his. He was always available to guide them and show them "computer" tricks, many will miss him.
As I write these words, I also think of how much he will be missed by the staff at Polaris and myself. He was present for us at all hours, finding solutions and improving the system. Laurent was with me when I started Polaris in September 2002 and his tech support is an invaluable contribution to the agency's success and longevity during a time that saw the industry move from partially to fully digital. About five years ago during a trip to Perpignan for the Visa Photojournalism festival, Laurent met Julia Lucke and fell in love. Soon, they were married and their first boy Dexter was born, followed shortly after by Oscar.
Laurent, thanks for all the good work and all the good times. While up there and till we join you, just blow the horn and, if you feel the urge to "move electrons rather than atoms," then write a few lines of code between notes.
jpp
06/22/2010
See below the information for the June 24 memorial. If you can not attend and wish to send a message, please do so to my attention: jpp@PolarisImages.com
Dear All,
Laurent Marcel Imbaud, a beloved father, son, husband, brother,
favorite troublemaker and most of all, friend is gone.
Please come to share your memories and say Good-bye this Thursday
June, 24th 2010
5:00 p.m
8-03 43rd Ave
Long Island City, NY
Please go through the main gate and follow the signs that will lead you to the DuVal loft. Be aware that there is also a wedding in the courtyard, but the "pita-and-bread" will be served upstairs.
