By all accounts I've heard from people who knew him, he was indeed an all round great guy. It's just a pity that some people, who didn't know him, seem to like to think otherwise.
My father met the great man and was in awe of him. He does seem to be arrogant in the book, but it's just his scientists way of objective observation. He was correct - most of the time and had little time for those he saw as deliberately obstructive. When he was wrong only a couple of occasions, then he was man enough to admit it.