Robert writes:
I haven’t mentioned it on the blog until now, but apparently word got out through other channels that my father died on January 26. Much to my surprise — well, no; very little that MuseBloggers do surprises me anymore. But I was touched and moved to receive by email a sympathy card that several of you jointly designed and created.
I’ll tell you more about my father soon and will try to post Time Capsules of some of his proto-proto-Muserly boyhood papers. Although Dad probably never saw MuseBlog (he developed dementia and stopped using computers about the time I started experimenting with WordPress), he contributed to it in important ways, both by helping to make me the person I am and by inventing some of the cornerstones of MB culture. For example, the useful gender-neutral pronoun “en” was his idea, and he would have been delighted to see how it has taken root and flourished on our threads.
I’ll paste in the card itself after the jump. Spoiler alert: it involves space squids. For a naval captain who loved science-fiction, I can think of no more fitting totem animal to guide him on his final voyage.
My deepest condolences.
I’m sorry for your loss, Robert. I will keep your father in my prayers.
I think of your father each time I slip “en” into other channels, and I am saddened by your loss. Sending my hopes that you and yours will find reasons to be comforted.
You have my sympathies. He won’t soon be forgotten, here or anywhere else.
All my thoughts with you and your family Robert. He sounds like a wonderful man (I didn’t know ‘en’ was his idea!
) and I’m looking forward to those time capsules!
I am so sorry.
My condolences, Robert. It’s apparent that he was a great man. You and your family will be in my thoughts.
Again, my sympathies to you and your family–and I’m glad the theme of the card was fitting. And I didn’t know that about “en” either. Seconding Axa, I look forward to the Time Capsules.
Jadestone:
I mentioned my father the second time I introduced “en” to the blog, on December 31, 2007. (I had slipped it in, without much fanfare, on May 10, but nobody noticed.)
POSOC and Alice started promoting “en” in the spring of 2008, and then Piggy added it to Wikipedia, and the rest is history.
Here’s another epicene retrospective, from April 2010.
My deepest condolences, Robert. I kind of wish I had known about this, because I totally would have done something of my own.
I’m sorry for your loss, Robert. I agree that he sounds like a great man and would love to see those Time Capsules.
I’m so sorry to hear this. Please take care.