After a long struggle with Alzheimer’s, the Omega Man has passed. Actually, he was much more the Alpha Man, always willing to take a leadership role in things he felt were important. He crusaded for civil rights long before it became the thing to do, championing the concept of justice and equality in many areas. While many saw him becoming more “conservative” with age, it might be better said that he remained a champion of individual liberty, equality, self-reliance, and fairness while others shifted. He lived what he preached, was married to the love of his life Lydia for more than 60 years, and was surrounded by several generations of his family at his passing.
I had the honor to meet him briefly, I think at an AFI film premier/event for The Right Stuff. He was gracious and charming, but if it was indeed at that event his signature is not alongside those of Yeager, Cooper, and Carpenter. It is rare to meet someone you admire and inspired you in your youth, and that night allowed me to meet many. Oft such meetings are not great, as one discovers feet of clay and boors behind the facade; yet, that night I remember how many of those I met were in the mold of what they represented. He was that, though he did not want his presence to overshadow those who truly had done. That says much about him, and as for me I simply know that the light has welcomed him home and may it shine down on his family now and in the days ahead.
LW
