We’ll miss you. Kind of.

About 20 years ago, I decided to go to a lunchtime seminar to look for an internship. I was a student and, well, running late is being kind. The doors had just closed so I sat down next to a guy who also seemed to be waiting for the right chance to make an entrance. He immediately struck up a conversation about how excited he was to hear the speaker. He had heard that the guy was good: Brilliant. Funny. Handsome. I gave him a sideways glance— I had never even heard of the speaker before. Of course, just a few minutes later, my chatty seatmate strolled on stage.

That was how I met Bob Garfield, the critic for Advertising Age. Garfield always had his own take on the latest work that made him the first thing to read when the new issue arrived. Sometimes we agreed. Sometimes we disagreed. Either way, I always knew he called it as he saw it. Except for maybe the handsome part.

Thanks for keeping us honest.