My friend Maurice de Hond is probably one of the most famous people in the Netherlands. You can’t walk around most places in Amsterdam without him being recognized. If you are Dutch, you know Maurice.

Most of his fame comes from being a TV personality. He is a pollster, a computer expert, and the founder of School Suites, a start-up that promotes personalized learning in the school system. Maurice believes that each child should be educated on his or her own individual talents and interests. The days of mass learning in a traditional classroom is over. The transformation will take place over the next decade. Click here to read all about it. http://scoolsuite.nl/en/. He travels all over the world giving lectures about it.

He is also working with a cancer research company that will have a big announcement in the not-to-distant future. Keep your fingers crossed. We may beat this disease in our lifetime.

Maurice and I met though business but have remained friends for 31 years. We usually see each other once a year and speak to each other via email, social media and phone calls. Eliot and I also know Maurice’s adult children and their families.

Maurice is pictured with his wife Mari and daughter Daphne in the above photo. Maurice met Mari on his trip to Cuba almost 13 years ago. He went there to learn how to Salsa dance, and came back to Amsterdam with a bride.

We have all gotten together a number of times on both sides of the ocean. I’m thankful for the Internet because without it, we never would have maintained such close ties. I have done other profiles on Maurice before in DigiDame. This won’t be the last.

Pictures taken at Wynwood Walls.