What a sad day. I never thought i would be affected so much by the passing of someone i never met. Having watched Mr. Hope for the past fifteen years or so, I never got the impression that he let a computer do his thinking for him, much like south Louisiana's most revered meteologist, and WWII compatriot Nash Roberts. They both seemed to make their own forecast decisions, and were not afraid to give their opinions. He also demonstrated how one could be the best at what he does, and still be humble at the same time. His loss is surely a great one.