I first met Barry Broskowitz shortly after we announced DCS in the spring of the year 2000. Like many of those who met him, Barry was quick to express his opinions about our new command control protocol and his desires for its intended functionality. His background and software development and model railroading experience made him an ideal beta tester for the DCS system. Barry, along with Marty Fitzhenry and others provided M.T.H. with real-use guidance that helped make DCS what it is today.
But Barry's beta testing was just the tip of what he brought to the world of DCS. He spent tireless hours providing users on the forum, via email, phone and even in-person visits with guidance and support to help each of those users have a better DCS experience.
Barry traveled to York, Pennsylvania for the semi-annual York TCA Meet to conduct seminars in the M.T.H. booth. He organized the DCS User Group meetings the Wednesday before York. He would answer questions about DCS to anyone who asked with a style that was uniquely Barry. He did all of this without asking a dime from M.T.H.
Once DCS was released, Barry continued to assist us in the development of the system through his beta testing. He was always but a phone call away whenever we wanted to run something by him or have him try to replicate an issue reported by others. When he suggested that he author and publish a series of books on DCS, we gladly offered our help. When production of the book editions was occasionally hampered because the M.T.H. graphics team had other deadlines, Barry taught himself to use the publishing software to maintain the release schedule. He was doggedly persistent, one of the most persistent individuals I've ever known.
When Barry suffered a heart attack years ago at York, I had no doubt he would bounce back. He's persistent I thought. He'll get through that and be better because of it. And he did. And we continued to share monthly calls about the status and future direction of DCS. I enjoyed those chats. They encompassed more than DCS and I came to know Barry differently. I'll miss those conversations. He was my friend.
From all of us at M.T.H. Electric Trains, our deepest condolences go out to Cora and the rest of Barry's family.
