This will be published in the journal Walt and I worked on together, Capitalism Nature Socialism
In Memorium Walt Contreras Sheasby
With the passing on August 20, 2004, of Walt Sheasby, Capitalism Nature Socialism lost a stalwart editor and brilliant contributor, I lost a dear and loyal friend, and the world lost a visionary fighter for ecological socialism. There was a bitter irony to Walt's death, as he succumbed at age 62 to complications of West Nile Virus, one of the rogue pathogens kicked into orbit by the destabilizations of the ecological crisis against which he focussed his formidable talent in the later years of his life. Sheasby had a monk-like dedication to radical inquiry and politics, indeed, he once described himself to me in such terms. Scornful of ordinary success and worldly comfort, he lived for the cause, dividing his efforts between ceaseless activism and organization, on the one hand, and the scholarship he loved above all, on the other. He had an immense library, which included a well-thumbed set the MEGA, Marx and Engels' complete works. His work on Marx for this journal was of major importance, beginning with his essay on "The Inverted World," and continuing through his recent series on Marx and the Victorians, the third installment of which was to have appeared in the December issue, with its further revelations on the theme that Marx was much more deeply conversant with biological thought and much more appreciative of nature than had been previously acknowledged.
These and other contributions-and there were more, many more, on numerous aspects of radical politics-are the chief ways the world will know of Walt and miss him. What I will miss in addition, will be the wry humor, the selflessness admixed with unquenchable optimism, a certain Romanticism, and a deep fidelity and integrity that will long survive the occasional differences we experienced. Walt guided me through my own quixotic exploration into Green presidential politics in 2000, and the memory of his companionship will be with me forever.
Joel Kovel -- Yoshie
* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/> * Greens for Nader: <http://greensfornader.net/> * Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/> * Calendars of Events in Columbus: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>, <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/> * Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>