Since graduating from college with a journalism degree and working for a variety of publications, I have had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing a wide variety of well-known people from around the world. In one job, I interviewed plenty of celebrities — people like Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton, Dorothy Lamour, Harrison Ford, Cher, Willie Nelson and Sammy Davis Jr.

In another job, I had the opportunity to interview several titans of the business world, including Michael Eisner, who was then the head of Walt Disney Co., and Ted Turner. I’ve had the chance to speak with Prince Albert of Monaco. At an awards dinner, I was once seated at a table with Walter Cronkite.

There are more names I can drop, but I think you get the point because one person who ranks on my personal list of making a big impression on me is Hotch Manning. I can only describe him as an acquaintance because I only had a few chance meetings with him at The Rental Show in 2006 and at the special American Rental Association (ARA) Homecoming event in November 2005, as well as a few phone calls and e-mail exchanges for interviews and columns he did for RENTAL MANAGEMENT. While it may not have been much time, it was enough for me to know that I liked the man. Those of you who had the good fortune of meeting Hotch know what I mean.

The Homecoming event happened only about a month after I joined RENTAL MANAGEMENT. Hotch was one of the first ARA past presidents I met. He was one of those people you gravitate toward. He had an infectious smile and you could feel how much he was enjoying whatever he was doing at the moment. By late 2005, Hotch had been out of the rental industry for at least seven years, yet here he was, filling me in on some of the industry’s history as well as what he thought the future might bring. It’s no wonder that he became an advisor as part of the ARA Foundation’s Rental Executive Advisory Program (REAP).

I did a question-and-answer interview with Hotch that appeared in the March 2009 issue. Because of his banking background, we thought Hotch would have a unique outlook on the challenging economy and could offer tips on how to best deal with banks and financial institutions. After that article appeared, he received several questions from people in the rental industry and he answered them all. Then he decided to forward the questions and answers to me because he thought his answers might be of help to other people. The result was the Financial Aid column we ran for the last six months in the Industry News section of the magazine.

I was saddened by the news of his passing in mid-January and started to work on the story that appears on page 66. After reading articles that appeared in the Las Cruces, N.M., newspaper and talking to those who knew him well, I know I’m not the only person with whom he had made such an impression.

I also found a copy of the January 1995 issue of RENTAL MANAGEMENT with Hotch and his wife, Carolyn, pictured on the cover. The story, by Bob Buttgen, captured much of what made Hotch one of ARA’s most popular presidents, describing him as a “big, friendly bear of a man with an endless stream of energy.” One story in particular highlighted Manning’s activities, serving on dozens of committees and councils at the local and state level, which he said led to several business contacts whom he turned into customers. “When I first started my business, I didn’t have any money. I had to go out and get involved and get my name into the community,” he said then. Whether it was by necessity or just part of his charm, his activities and volunteerism touched and inspired many people, including scores of those in the equipment rental industry, who will now carry on his legacy.