Today would have been our founding Executive Director, the late Tim Carpenter’s 63rd birthday.

If it weren’t for Tim, there would be no PDA today.

His intelligence, compassion, wit, and unmatched work ethic drove this organization as he battled for decades with arthritis that stiffened his body, lost an eye but kicked cancer’s butt once, only to have it come back and take his life just weeks before our big 10 year anniversary celebration in 2014.

If you knew Tim you know how lucky we were to have him in our lives, and working for all of us.

If you never got to know him, here’s a compilation of some videos from his work for PDA — including clips from CNN, Crossfire, and Thom Hartmann— that I hope will inspire you as much as he inspired me.

I miss you, Chief.

Tim Carpenter, Presente!