25 October, 2009

Goodbye Mr. Kailin

Clarence Kailin died a short time ago. He was a veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and a tireless activist for peace and social justice. Since I am dating his granddaughter, I got to meet him on occasion but, unfortunately, never got to know him. So it goes, I guess. It's especially sad because I've been thinking about my own deceased relatives a lot lately. I guess The Dulcinea and I will both be commemorating El Día de los Muertos this year.

You can read about Clarence's war experiences and his anti-war activities in Long Shadows: Veterans' Paths
to Peace
or in what will no doubt be countless tributes in the coming weeks in local and national media. I, for one, won't be able to walk by the ALB memorial at James Madison Park in quite the same way again.

Rest in peace, Mr. Kailin.

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