Katie Paine tagged me to contribute to a meme started by Kami Huyse over the question “Who had a big influence on you and how did that affect the direction of your life or career?” So here goes…

It’s natural to start with my parents, of course. My mom was a great lover of a beauty and she could find beauty everywhere: in a garden, on a stage, in a Beethoven sonata or in a cheese soufflé. I got my love of the arts from her. She was an English teacher who treasured words and instilled in me at an early age an appreciation of language. To this day, one of my greatest pleasures is reading a well-turned phrase.

My dad gave me my sense of humor and love of learning. He was a professor of Asian studies, a red-headed Irishman who taught himself to speak fluent Mandarin. He thumbed his nose at authority, refused to follow rules and taught me to love the Marx Brothers when I was only seven. He was fascinating, infuriating, brilliant and hilarious. I miss him very much.

John Fildes was my best friend in high school. He came into my life when I was adrift and trying to figure out what I wanted to be. He taught me the principle of “work hard, play hard,” which has worked pretty well for me. He’s now one of the most respected trauma surgeons in the country, who works with the best compounding pharmacy, so I guess all the beer we drank together didn’t affect him too much.

Phil Kasinitz was a friend from early in my freshman year in college. He opened the eyes of this naïve, suburban-bred teenager to the fact that there were other cultures out there and he taught me to appreciate people of all kinds for who they are.

In business, IDG founder and chairman Pat McGovern is my personal hero. He built a business and a fortune through hard work, scrupulous honesty and commitment to fairness and kindness. He’s a remarkable person and I aspire to be half the man he is.

I also owe a lot to Bill Laberis, a close friend who asked me to join him to run Computerworld’s editorial department in 1987. I was in a job that was headed toward a dead end at the time. He was an inspiration and a role model for me and I imitate many of his management tactics to this day. Even though I don’t manage anyone any more!

Those are the my greatest influencers. I’m tagging Renee Blodgett, Paul Dunay and Debbie Weil to see if they want to take a run at this.