John Garlinghouse (pictured here) died on Monday. John was born in South Dakota, lived in Kansas, Alaska and Montana. Many of the original readers of the Oread Daily will remember John, and they will know there is really no easy way to "eulogize" the guy. He just wasn't the sort of guy you could categorize. John's 69 years were full of life. Pages could be written, but I'll just write a few words here:
"I haven't seen John in more than 35 years. I used to know him back in Lawrence, Kansas and then in the past five or ten years we began communicating again via e-mail. John was a "one of a kind" kind of guy. Throughout his life though John maintained his independent, his freedom, and his love of live... cantankerous all the while. John was hard to define. He was a political leftist (although again not of the usual kind). He defended his right to own guns, and loved to hunt and fish. Back in Lawrence, I remember him driving his old car up to the Rock Chalk (a "hippie", left wing hangout) or the nearby Gas Light with his canoe on top and a big leather "cowboy" hat on his head. He didn't fit the mold then and he didn't fit the mold last week. But I enjoyed his wisdom, his wit, his stories, him. He was a good guy and I'll and many others will miss him."
"I haven't seen John in more than 35 years. I used to know him back in Lawrence, Kansas and then in the past five or ten years we began communicating again via e-mail. John was a "one of a kind" kind of guy. Throughout his life though John maintained his independent, his freedom, and his love of live... cantankerous all the while. John was hard to define. He was a political leftist (although again not of the usual kind). He defended his right to own guns, and loved to hunt and fish. Back in Lawrence, I remember him driving his old car up to the Rock Chalk (a "hippie", left wing hangout) or the nearby Gas Light with his canoe on top and a big leather "cowboy" hat on his head. He didn't fit the mold then and he didn't fit the mold last week. But I enjoyed his wisdom, his wit, his stories, him. He was a good guy and I'll and many others will miss him."
Memorial services will be conducted at noon Friday in Butte, Montana.
Memorials may be made to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Association or to Trout Unlimited.
Below is a letter that John wrote to the Montana Standard and was printed on August 26. He was John to the end.
Letter: On gun rights and our presidential candidates
By John Garlinghouse - 08/26/2008
John Krizan (Aug. 19 letter) and others have been, as they are prone to be, pretty outspoken about their Second Amendment rights recently. I am too, sometimes.
But regarding gun rights and this election:
Should the laws ultimately prohibit gun ownership by law-abiding citizens, I would violate the law. As did Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hancock, etc.
I will support politicos who, rather than giving our public lands to big business, protect my access to those lands. Even if they don't think I have a God-given right to fullnautomatic assault weapons.
I would feel a lot safer arguing my gun rights with Barack Obama than I would arguing my right to dissent with the neoncon hordes that comprise too much of John McCain's following. Though truly, "McCain is an honorable man."
John Garlinghouse a left-wing (not "liberal") gun lover
Butte, Montana
1 comment:
Okay, second try.
1960s in Lawrence, KS where the poets, artists, writers would be is where you would find John Garlinghouse along with other unique characters. The poetry readings I've attended in the last few years fall short of those during the 60s. Andre Sedriks (my husband) and John had a love-hate relationship yet respected each other. During one of the periods of disagreement Andre wrote a
poem called John Garlickbreath. Instead of being angry John had a good laugh. John wherever you are,Give them Hell. Joanne Sedriks
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