James Lawson, photographed by Joon Powell
Kensington314 and other MeFites celebrate the life and passing of Reverend James Lawson. He was a major figure and advocate of nonviolence during the civil rights movement in the United States and to the end of his life, he championed human rights for all people.
Detail from a cover of Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy
In the Paul Auster obit thread, Kattullus commented with a lovely personal remembrance of the author, and the enduring resonance Auster has had in his life.
Ari Braginsky photo on Flickr: Alternative Tentacles 33 1/3rd Birthday Show
I did do a purple hooter shooter last night in his honor when I heard the news ... teleri025 shares a reminiscence in the Mojo Nixon obit thread.
By ArtBrom from Seattle - Neil Peart's drum solo, CC BY-SA 2.0
I can connect my own life to music because of Peart, and because of Peart I can better understand the life stories of my family.
Lilac girl shares an eloquent memorial of the complex and multiform interior connection her family has had to Neil Peart and Rush.
Phyllis Newman, 1966, via Wikimedia
... they needed someone with archival experience and a passion for musical theatre to organize half a century of notes, photos, cards, and memorabilia, stuffed into every crack of the two floors
ilana made a fantastic first post for the passing of Tony Award-winning actress Phyllis Newman, and recalls her own remarkable experience working as an archivist for Newman in 2009 and 2010.
mrbill has died
Sad news: long-time MeFite mrbill has passed away.
Memento Mori Acte (1630-1685) - Acte I _DDC6273.JPG by Abode of Chaos (cc by)
Filthy light thief explores the history, art, tradition, and evolution of the obituary.
koko_holds_smoky2 by sidknee23 (cc by-nc-nd)
ChuraChura reflects on the apes involved in language experiments in the passing of Koko obit thread.
Vintage Helping Hand Novelty Transistor Radio, Offered As A Promotional Item By General Mills For Hamburger & Tuna Helper, A Premium Resources International (PRI) Product, Made In Hong Kong by France1978 (cc by-sa)
Uncovering the internal anatomy of the Hamburger Helper mascot, what science doesn't want you to know
We need Ruth Bader Ginsburg puns for Halloween
Canadian Mefites share their stories, saying goodbye to Gord Downie
People are psyched for Black Panther
Longtime member Steven C. Den Beste has passed away.
Prince NSJ by PeterTea (cc by-nd)
Come share your Prince stories. Mefi member Clinging to the Wreckage lives near Prince's house and delivered a Mefi tribute there.
David Bowie is crossing the border by mrpstr (cc by-sa)
If you're mourning the Starman or the Goblin King, you're not alone. Come join Mefi's David Bowie wake, a thread full of good links and stories and meditations on what he meant to us.
danconcert by danf
I'm sad to report that long-time MetaFilter member and just genuinely good dude Danf passed away yesterday after a long illness. There's a MetaTalk thread about his passing, if you'd like to say something.
Dan was among other things a musician, and posted several recordings to MetaFilter Music over the years, from Fahey-esque guitar compositions to old-time spirituals.
He was a wonderful member of this community and will be dearly missed.
Edgewood
Sad news: long-time Metafilter community member edgeways, Edgewood Smith, passed away last week.
His family and friends have been posting photos and memories on his facebook page.
He hosted a weekly radio show called "The Local", under the handled DJ-E, on Duluth public radio station KUMD; they'll be running a special tribute show for him tomorrow, Weds July 22nd, at 5pm Central time, if you'd like to listen in.
edgeways was a thoughtful and conversational fixture on Metafilter, steadily around and active on various parts of the site over the course of eleven years, with dozens of posts to the blue and the green and the grey and thousands of comments and answers shared with the community. He also produced and posted one of my favorite tracks ever on MetaFilter Music, a haunting reworking of You Spin Me Round as a wrenching acoustic duet.
I never got a chance to meet him personally, but I was glad he was here and I'll miss his presence on the site, and I know a lot of folks here will likewise.
A note from Anitanola's son
During this year's "Secret Quonsar" gift exchange, mefite a fiendish thingy received a lovely package full of stationary, notebooks and other trinkets, as well as two notes: one from her gift-giver, and one from her gift-giver's son, breaking the news that his mother, long-time Metafilter member Anitanola, had passed away on December 1st before she was able to send the package herself.
Her son wrote:
...She so appreciated her community of online friends, as she was housebound with considerable mobility issues. Even as she was worsening, however, she was concerned that this reach you, and that I “round out” the package with some locally made artcraft magnets. So I send this as she wished, and on her behalf wish you a fond hello and happy holiday season.
The metatalk thread is full of fond memories from Metafilter members who knew her, corresponded with her over the years, or merely recall with fondness her thoughtful, kind, and incisive comments on the site; her son wrote a thoughtful followup note to a fiendish thingy expressing thanks from himself and from two of Anita's closest friends who had also read the memorial comments.
MetaFilter started as a community weblog in 1999, later added question and answers, then music by members, jobs, projects by members, a podcast, and finally an area dedicated to meetups.
