Matthew MARGOLIN

MARGOLIN, Matthew Matt died unexpectedly in Oakland on Sept. 24, 2010. He was born on Sept. 13, 1966, and graduated from Santa Monica High School, and UC Berkeley. After college, he remained in the Bay Area, where he blossomed as a guitarist in the Smokin' Rhythm Prawns and Black Kali Ma. His guitar work was distinguished by both technical virtuosity and a diversity of musical influences, including Jimmy Page, Steve Howe, Brian May, and D Boon. He had a parallel career as a journalist, covering Bay Area sports for the Associated Press, and as a technology-related writer and editor. He was passionate about making communications technology democratic, free, and accessible to all. Some of the work he took most pleasure in was providing technology planning and training to the Kingdom of Tonga, and co-founding the Humboldt Institute of Technology. Matt was a contrarian thinker, a voracious reader, a happy traveler, and a major consumer of ESPN. Above all, he was a compassionate person and committed friend who cared deeply about the people around him.
He was predeceased by his mother, artist Carol Heifetz Neiman, and his father, Lionel Margolin, MD. He is survived by loving partner Michele Posner; sister Jessica Margolin; nephew Nate Bailey; his stepmother Andrea Forman; his cousins Eddie and Margaret Neiman, Eric Neiman, Nancy Neiman; cute dog Gracie, and many grieving friends and fans. The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries - Hollywood Hills (800) 600-0076. People can honor Matt's memory by treating each other with kindness, reading Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," and making donations to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (www.eff.org), Creative Commons (www.creativecommons.org), or the charity of their choice.