We at CSO were saddened to learn this week of the death on Jan. 1 of Dr. William Hancock, a long-time leader in the security field. He was 49 and died from a combination of complications from surgery, dialysis and diabetes.
Bill Hancock was an early supporter of the magazine. In fact, as the CSO of Exodus, he was the first source in the cover story of our premiere issue back in September 2002. The story, "Let's Talk," was about communication skills for CSOs, and I remember it well because Hancock described the gutsy step he had taken to be a better presenter:
Faced with the challenge of having to communicate about security to large groups both inside and outside his company, Hancock took the unusual step of enrolling himself in a stand-up comedy course to improve his communication skills. The final project for the class was to do an actual stand-up routine at The Improv, New York City's renowned comedy club, on a Friday night. "It was one of the most horrifying experiences I think I've ever been through," says Hancock. "You get up in front of an audience, half the people there are probably inebriated in some fashion, and you've got to communicate what you have to say very quickly, very succinctly and to a whole bunch of people that don't know you from nobody."
Such a dedicated and creative professional doesn't come along every day, and his death is truly a loss. "I had the privilege to know him and am greatly saddened at the loss of his humor and leadership in this field," said Motorola CISO Bill Boni in an e-mail.
Dr. John Rittinghouse, who with Hancock co-wrote the Cybersecurity Operations Handbook, recalled Hancock's impact on the formative years of the U.S. government's serious approach toward cybersecurity, noting that his expertise was often solicited by the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission. Quoting from a sermon to be delivered at Hancock's memorial, Rittinghouse wrote to CSO:
When the Federal Communications Commission wanted its industry advisory committee, the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC), to develop best practices in the cybersecurity area, they invited Bill Hancock to serve as the chairman of the Focus Group on Cybersecurity on NRIC VI. His reputation alone would easily have sufficed for recruiting experts from across the communications and IT worlds to participate in this very successful two-year effort. However, it was his charisma, borne of a larger-than-life approach to tasks just hinted at by his own physical presence, which had experts from companies literally pleading to participate in the focus group on cybersecurity. One hallmark of success is whether one is invited back to lead a second time, and the FCC asked Dr. Bill Hancock to lead the focus group on cybersecurity for NRIC VII.
Tim Donahue, CEO of Nextel and chair of NRIC VII, once remarked at the beginning of a NRIC meeting that Dr. Bill Hancock could be relied upon for at least one light-hearted moment and at least one memorable graphic. Mr. Donahue made no such reference to any of the other eight focus group chairs.
We extend our condolences to Hancock's family, friends and the many colleagues he influenced over the years. His memorial service will be held Sunday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m., at Biggers Funeral Home in Lakeworth, Texas.
Feel free to share your remembrances here.
-Sarah Scalet
Update: Rittinghouse asked that attribution for his quotes above also go to Daniel C. Hurley, Jr., Director, Critical Infrastructure Protection, U.S. Department of Commerce.
He also added that if people would like to donate to Hancock's family, they can do so at any Bank of America by contributing to The Landreth Hancock Fund, ACCT 5860 0235 7369. They can also mail checks to: Trustee, The Landreth Hancock Fund, 15302 Hilltop View, Cypress, TX 77429.
