Al Kaplan has passed away :(

Sad news indeed. My condolences to Al's family. We need Al here. I have learned so much from his posts and i love his stories...
sigh
 
To those who've been contributing to the Al Fund, after sending a message of condolence, I also sent a message to Al's son Jonathan asking if he and his sister Elena would like us to contribute the funds in Al's name to his favorite charity. He gave an awful lot of himself to many of us. It would be good karma to pass along some of that love. As Al's blog showed, he was very active in all kinds of community affairs, so I'm sure there would be at least one organization he would have liked us to help in his name.
 
Al would be glad to know from wherever he is now, that he has a big extended family and how his passion has inspired some of us here.

Al Kaplan, may you rest in peace.
 
Oh, Al. You were one of my first on-line friends - i think the internet forum was something of a boon in his later years and he appreciated the many friends he made.

Thanks for all your advice and insights, and rest in peace.
 
Condolences to the family!

Even less than a month ago he posted a self-portrait titled "Hell, I should be dead by now" on his blog, in a mildly ironic comment on smoking. The man took life with a lot of humour. We'll all have reason to consider ourselves lucky when fifty years down the road someone says the same about us.
 
In correspondence with him last December, I told him him that although I only knew him on the internet, I had greatly enjoyed posts here and on other forums. I think his reply goes to show how much sharing meant to him:
(heavily edited for space)
"She said that we should strive to be aunts and uncles to our friends' and neighbors' children, passing on our skills and knowledge to them. That's why I write so much on the forum." --- Al Kaplan

That's precisely what he did for me. Thank you for sharing that, Al, and I'm sorry I'll never get to show you the results. May your god* go with you.

Adrian

* Fox Talbot?
 
Rest In Peace Al. The internet is indeed a miracle which has now preserved a tiny fraction of Al's wisdom and experiences.
 
"Sometime about 1966 I attended a lecture by the cultural anthropologist Margaret Meade. She talked about changes in the American family. Smaller families with less kids from one generation to the next, people moving away from their families to faraway places, like my mom moving from Massachusettes to Florida. She talked about the fact that kids traditionally learn skills not just from their parents but also from aunts and uncles as well. Uncle Bob might be a skilled woodworker or Aunt Emma makes the world's best chocolate chip cookies, but that world was fast disapearing. She said that we should strive to be aunts and uncles to our friends' and neighbors' children, passing on our skills and knowledge to them. That's why I write so much on the forum." --- Al Kaplan

That's wonderful. Thank you for sharing it. I'll miss you Al.
 
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