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January 22, 2007
E-grieving.
I turned on my computer this morning to learn that Peter J. Wangersky, a Canadian oceanographer, died on January 7 after a short illness. I knew Pete because he was an alumnus of Brown University, like I am, and for many years was a frequent participant on an alumni listserv called Brunonia.
He was a kindly and witty participant. He shared lots of stories about himself, his childhood, his college years, and his views on politics and life in general. Always interesting. Always humble. Always respectful.
Now I learn that he's gone, and I grieve a little for a man I never laid eyes on, but somehow came to know quite well.
Posted by Eric at January 22, 2007 10:40 AM
Comments
When the death of Jessica from "Cancer, Baby" was announced (http://cancerbaby.typepad.com/ ) I had a good long cry, and i still choke up when I think about her.
Posted by: Ann Bartow at January 22, 2007 12:08 PM
Eric:
I was best friends with his son, Russell. Russell and I were in high school together. Russell introduced me to Devo, D&D and his father's eldeberry wine. Later, on a dare from Russell, we both tried out for the high school play, Arsenic and Old Lace.
I well remember many a time getting drunk in the basement of his Halifax home on his father's (Peter) special brew.
Posted by: john a at January 22, 2007 2:06 PM
Steven Vincent ( http://spencepublishing.typepad.com/in_the_red_zone/ ) was a helluva guy and a thoughtful, interesting and generous correspondent. I was looking forward to drinks with him on his return home when he was killed.
Tom, the wild man at Adeimantus, died this year of Leukemia. His last post was on the State of the Union address, and is no less accurate for being a year old: http://adeimantus.blogspot.com/2006/02/okay-who-rewrote-article-ii-section-3.html .
Funny thing about the internet is that for all the impersonal medium that it is, something about the way it strips away the distractions of face-to-face interaction sometimes ends up actually enhancing the contact between people.
I'll hoist a glass to Steven and Tom tonight, and all the other good friends I've made online (including some right here) that I'll probably never meet.
Posted by: lostingotham at January 23, 2007 11:18 AM
So _that's_ where all the elderberry wine went!
Posted by: George Wangersky at January 24, 2007 9:36 AM
While I hesitate to mention it at this remove, Mother did point out that one of the reasons Russ got away with it is that the wine he kept snagging was actually the stuff they found too bad to drink...
Posted by: Charles Wangersky at January 25, 2007 2:06 AM
If you go to Making Light, and look back for Mike Ford, you will see an entire host of people (myself among them) grieving the death of someone they met only in cyberspace.
Some of them, perforce (it being a larger readership, and a small community) knew him in the flesh, and others managed to meet him, but most knew him only in the glow of the monitor.
I was one of those, and I still miss him, looking for his take on something, and noting a void when it doesn't show up.
Posted by: Terry Karney at January 27, 2007 3:55 AM