Tribute Thread for the Recently Passed Greats

No, not insane... Just incredibly sweet of you. Its interesting to think that the innocuous things we do now, the things we take for granted, end up being precious memories, either for you or for someone else.My condolences, dear.

---

“This life’s dim windows of the soul, distorts the heavens from pole to pole, and goads you to believe a lie, when you see with and not through the eye.” -William Blake

The people who love us make magic.My mother loved silly songs. Along with teaching me to read at age 4 by pointing at each word as she read it, she taught me a huge number of nursery rhyme ditties and folk songs.I especially liked:"She's got a dimple on her but she's nice..."...changed, of course, when I was a toddler in my bath to "He's..." while giving my butt a pinch. Makes me giggle still, just to remember it.I'm always too hot when others are too cool, so I developed the absent-minded habit of pulling off one sock to lose body heat while I read:"Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John,
One shoe off, one shoe on..."Adapted, of course, to suit.With the gift of reading, she gave me the world. With the gift of humor and song, she gave me one way to console myself with the world.To this day, I have a constant soundtrack running in my head, sometimes simply a tune that matches my mood, sometimes a song that comments on what's going on around me.It's all magic.

---

Real things always push back.
-William James Save lives! Click here!
Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC!
---------------------------------------

my grandmother sang and read to us all the time. she generally sang 1940s pop songs to me (especially the mexican ones, south of the border and serenade of the bells), but sang silly songs to all of us. we were going to read bill grogan's goat at the funeral. but my uncle decided to nix it. lame-o.

One of the truly great singer/songwriters from the 70s and 80s.My wife and I used his song Longer at our wedding.

---

Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin FranklinWe see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

See the 3rd cartoon down at http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/pages/favorite_strips.aspLooking at the cartoon, Opus actually says "Fogerburp".Moose

Not a personal favorite, but he is/was one of the giants of jazz piano.http://oscarpeterson.com/news/
Oscar Peterson - WikipediaThe "Oscar Peterson" search at Google.Moose

Chess legend Bobby Fischer dies in Iceland | Reuters

---

Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin FranklinWe see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

This year I was saddened to learn of the death of one of my best loved authors, George MacDonald Fraser. Amongst his many other achievements (as a soldier, journalist, newspaper editor and screenwriter), Fraser was responsible for the wonderful Flashman series of novels, a set of scandalous diaries, attributed to Harry Flashman, the caddish bully from "Tom Brown's Schooldays". To anyone who has never read these books, I urge you to give them a try, they are a fantastic read, often scurrilous, usually informative and always hilarious, they tell how a cad, coward, lecher and bully becomes a great hero of Victorian Britain, weaving fact and fiction together with a deft hand.
Fraser died on the 2nd of January 2008, at the age of 82 (obituary with more info here).
He had a new book on the shelves at the time of his death, a fitting tribute to his prolific career.
He will be missed.

---

Mutate and Survive

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1The standard bearer for conservatism for more than 20 years, and surely its most intelligent and articulate spokesman.

---

Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin FranklinWe see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

The co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, which in my humble opinion, is the father of today's mmporg. Gary Gygax, 'Father of D&D,' Dies at 69 | WIRED

---

Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin FranklinWe see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

Here's to you, Gary - you brought so much joy and hilarity, obsession and wild wild imagination to so many of us. We will never forget you Cavediver, 45th Level Female Gnome Illusionist-PalladinD&D Player since 1981Edited by cavediver, : No reason given.

I didn't realize he lived so close, or I might have tried to visit him all these years. I wonder if he made a good DM?I will spend the rest of the day playing D&D in honour of the guy who inarguably influenced my life in a massive way. Not kidding.AbE: I can't remember if I started playing in 79 or 80, but I got an award certificate from my school for helping start a club in 81.Edited by Silent H, : info

---

h
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." - Robert E. Howard

A couple of different sites that wrote up his death used as an element of the headline that he failed his final saving throw. I didn't know him at all, but he kinda sounds like the kind of guy that would appreciate the humor.Edited by subbie, : Tyop

---

Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin FranklinWe see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

That's really crappy news. As coincidence would have it, I spent this evening playing my AD&D campaign with friends, an evenings entertainment that we would almost certainly never have enjoyed without Gygax. I think that's kind of a nice tribute to him.
His role in shaping the game was massive, so by extension he influenced the whole modern gaming world, especially mmporg's. He certainly made D&D the wonderful, quirky little game that it is. He will be remembered fondly.

---

Mutate and Survive

Bye, bye Arthur - as a child, your Mysterious World thrilled and amazed me and helped set me on the road to my life in science. Thank you, missing you already. Feeling quite emotional...