A Kind-Hearted Swashbuckler

A good friend, Chuck Hooper, passed away on August 11, 2026. Chuck was 81 years old. Born February 9, 1945, he was a product of 1950s America. Confident, independent, and unafraid. Chuck Hooper, Craig Bloodworth, Joe Mako I met Chuck in 2008, during the first Tableau Conference in Seattle. A year later, I quit my job to start a business intelligence practice at InterWorks. In 2009, Chuck and I had dinner in Houston with Tableau Enterprise Rep, Deepak Ghodke. Discussing ways we could work together, I got to know both of them well over the years that followed. They were instrumental to InterWorks' success, and my own. Chuck was a gruff, old-school, tell-it-like-it-is fellow. He tempered his brash personality with a generous spirit and kind heart. His influence in the data community is widespread. In my my case, deep. He was a wonderful friend who applied himself 100% to whoever or whatever he engaged. The best way I can describe Chuck is to tell a story about a time he helped me. In the…