Sometimes in life you meet a person, and you feel it from the spot that he or she is special. You couldn't explain why, but the feeling is just there. It happened like this to me in Singapore 23 years ago during a shot peening workshop in the year 2000, when I ran into Giovanni Gregorat at the trade show at the Hilton at Orchard Road. He was an elegant and polite Italian Gentlemen, who could easily communicate with any kind of person regardless of their background. A philanthropist, well spoken, warm-hearted and always trying to make people around him feel comfortable. Giovanni had dozens of stories to tell--About his time working for an international bank, living as an expatriate in Hong Kong and Singapore, not to forget about his life in his hometown in Venice. And his stories were never shallow, always with a deeper content and meaning. He was so knowledgeable on almost any topic that concerned life, but at the same time always being modest and humble. Furthermore, he could speak at least 4 languages fluently and could blend into different cultures of this world in the blink of an eye. That was my first impression of him. 

I was so glad when he agreed to become an MFN trainer and he has been one ever since. Giovanni was not a man who changed sides easily. That was, among many things, also something I admired about him. He could commit, and a good friendship meant much to him. 

When he occasionally wrote for MFN, I discovered his exceptional skills in writing. Therefore, I suggested to him in 2005 that he become a Contributing Editor to MFN. He had his own column called "Off The Beaten Track". It was a bold step for me to have a non-technical column in a surface preparation magazine. But Giovanni did so well! It became the only column in MFN that was able to gather a real fan base. We often got feedback from our readership congratulating us for his column. Giovanni Gregorat did not miss an issue for 16 years until 2021. Then he got seriously ill and had to stop writing for MFN. He died on the 28th of August 2023. He was only 71 years old. 

Fair well my good friend, Giovanni! Thank you for the times we had with each other! I am very blessed to have known you! You will be missed by many people!