Nihil novum sub sole—there is nothing new under the sun—… though his absence is deeply felt.
Dedicating oneself to a discipline “since the beginning of time” grants a person an exceptional vision of that field and allows for a journey that transitions from the initial infatuation and fascination with constant novelty to the profound love of someone who has been able to see beyond the ever-expanding frontiers of that discipline—in this case, educational technology. If, in addition, your physical and personal stature grants you a perspective more significant than that of the humans around you, the depth of your knowledge about everything that affects that discipline makes you an extraordinary professional.
That extraordinary vision and perspective provide you with a pair of sunglasses that shield you from being overly dazzled by the endless stream of innovations in a field like educational technology, which is always in motion, constantly accelerating, and can make you lose sight of where to head and what the actual sources of complexity in your field are.
I have always thought of Paco Martínez as the nihilnovumist par excellence. When I joined my research group under the guidance of MPaz Prendes—first as her student and later as an Internal student assistant— Paco’s presence, history, personality, and warmth permeated everything. He allowed me to call him “Paquito,” even though his personal and professional stature made such a diminutive entirely inappropriate. And he let me debate the sacred and the mundane with him, pushing the limits far beyond what would normally be tolerated by someone in his academic position.
I was fortunate to travel with him, to appreciate sunrises in different places, to listen to his stories, to understand many of the inner workings of the university through him, and to learn the fundamentals with him. I learned not to fear the popes of the field, thanks to the fact that he had already visited, written to, and invited those popes to Murcia a long time ago, when Murcia was a VERY different place…(I still keep correspondence with Tony Bates and Clark from when they came to Murcia back in the 80s in my office)… and I am lucky to address now many of his friends—who are happily also mine—with the familiarity of “tu.”
I gladly inherited his network of contacts and his nihilnovumist sunglasses, which I have tried to equip with a bit of myself—not to stop being amazed, but to look at this passion he left us as a legacy—education—from multiple perspectives.
I continue trying, as I did when he was still with us, to follow—literally and metaphorically—the long strides he took when he walked.
And for that, and so many other reasons… I will miss him dearly.
Thank you, Paco.