UPDATE: 930AM PDT 8/14/12 now at 71% 80% (at 530PM) 90% (8AM 8/15) 96% – just $700 to go, (11AM) of the goal.
2:26 PM 8/15 GOAL MET, and EXCEEDED! $17,281
Let me just say that the circumstances of Bob’s employment did not allow for the usual financial safety nets. Through your generosity, you have relieved a huge burden from the family and I’m very proud of you all. You have my sincerest thanks on behalf of the Phelan Family. For those of you that donated via PayPal, Diane Phelan reports there’s about $1800 there, and given that there’s a 7% commission taken from the GiveForward donation site, and the funeral costs worked out at about $17,500, the final GiveForward amount works out to be $16,071.33 Plus the PayPal balance of $1800, less their 2.5% commission: $1755.00 = 17,826.33
THANK YOU!
– Anthony
[modified] Bob wouldn’t want us to stop WUWT on his behalf, but it’s been hard to
focus on anything else since I heard the news. It was especially hard to learn that Bob died at his study desk, where he moderated WUWT from. The family has asked for my help. The request is rooted in a real need.
Therefore, I’m asking for your help for funeral expenses on behalf of the Phelan family. Thank you for your consideration – anything you can spare even $10 will help.
http://www.giveforward.com/therobertphelanmemorialfund
See the updates and new details at WUWT here, http://wp.me/p7y4l-hWr
So, after 48 hours, WUWT will resume normal programming. Life goes on. I’ll do my best to show draw from the best lessons of moderation that Bob demonstrated. – Anthony
UPDATE: The first post since being notified of Bob’s passing is now online. Below. I’ll keep the WUWT header in black bar mode to honor and mourn his passing until after the funeral is over next Thursday – Anthony
A fitting obituary to our REP (Bob) posted by Nate_OH by Rudyard Kipling linked in the previous post.
‘…..’Tis theirs to sweep through the ringing deep where Azrael’s outposts are,
Or buffet a path through the Pit’s red wrath when God goes out to war,
Or hang with the reckless Seraphim on the rein of a red-maned star.
They take their mirth in the joy of the Earth —
they dare not grieve for her pain —
They know of toil and the end of toil, they know God’s law is plain,
So they whistle the Devil to make them sport who know that Sin is vain.
And ofttimes cometh our wise Lord God, master of every trade,
And tells them tales of His daily toil, of Edens newly made;
And they rise to their feet as He passes by, gentlemen unafraid….’
Anthony, Diane and family, contributed as an Australian to the fund, in admiration of the work done by your father and his colleagues; true gentlemen and scholars.
My sincerest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Phelan.
john m.
I’m traveling at the moment and will make a donation when I get home tomorrow, Tuesday.
Donation sent.
Roger, I’m choosing to believe you are high on the autistic spectrum and are not intentionally unkind. As such, I wish you well.
I will just add this one tidbit for you to ponder, intellectually: the reason people care about climate, politics, health, or anything along those lines really, is so they can have more of the resources and time to enjoy the company of the ones they love and appreciate, and also so that others may do likewise.
I probably didn’t word that as well as I might have. I’m just saying people matter … more than anything.
REP, I didn’t know you well, but during the sometimes heated debate over Watts 2012, I was struck by your fairness and insightful comments. You were THE moderator I thought about when I read this headline and, unfortunately for your family, it was indeed yourself. Best of luck in your new adventure or eternal peace as the case may be.
Robert’s family and friends — my condolences. If I can be touched by his personality with such a brief and glancing acquaintance, he must have made deep, good impressions on you. I’m sure he will want you to carry on and enjoy life profoundly (and silly-ly) when you are able.
Christoph Dollis:
Thankyou for your post. It perfectly expresses my feelings about the demise of REP, the grief of his family, and the comment of Roger Carr.
I considered responding to Roger but knew my response would be snipped. And I suspect many others reacted to Roger’s comment as I did. But your restrained reply is in the tradition of REP and it does honour to the memory of him.
Again, thankyou. You spoke for me and I suspect many others, too.
Richard
Donation sent.
Donations at 43% of target.
If everyone gave a little, this target ($17,000 for funeral expenses) would easily be reached.
Please take the time and donate what you can afford.
Best, Allan
Christoph Dollis says: (August 13, 2012 at 3:52 am ) “Roger, I’m choosing to believe you are high on the autistic spectrum and are not intentionally unkind. As such, I wish you well.”
My comment is not about Robert Phelan, Christopher, it is about something much bigger than him; the mission we all support in WUWT? and the need to preserve that mission and build on it until what is effectively the deadly locomotive of CAGW is not only derailed, but melted down.
I, also, appreciated REP, but as Anthony says at the top of this entry: “Bob wouldn’t want us to stop WUWT on his behalf, but it’s been hard to focus on anything else since I heard the news.”
I do not ask anyone to forget REP, and a place to remember him here is entirely appropriate — but most of the world did not even know of him, and the world does not know, or perhaps even care, about our personal sorrow and will likely turn away, impatient at our rememberances; and therefore WUWT? risks losing people who come here for hard science.
I did not want to have to expand on this, and believe Anthony would have recognised what I said in that single sentence for what it was; an outside alert from a reader of many years who sensed the potential for loss of headway — and headway is critical.
Anthony replied to my comment: “Your opinion is noted.”
That is enough for me to believe I made a useful comment, and makes worthwhile any sarcasm or abuse subsequnetly directed to me
Donation sent
Just donated Aus $50. It’s miserable I know but as Anthony says, it all adds up and besides the Aussie dollar is higher than the US dollar at the moment (sadly for our exporters).
It will surely bring much comfort to Robert’s widow, children and wider family that people from all over the world have made contributions to his funeral fund and praised him as a good man. The latter is the only legacy that counts in the end.
I attended two funerals last week of women who died too young – 54 and 45 – and what was judged the highlight of their lives was not their wealth or status but their goodness. In our little town of 2500 people the church and adjoining hall were crowded both times though both these women were doing humble jobs like making hamburgers and taking up hems and re-placing zippers. But they were both recognized and honoured as good women.
So Anthony, don’t feel bad that Robert died at his desk. How many people are lucky enough to die doing what they love! He may have well been taken too soon and it was a shock to his family, but he was well taken. Surely suddenly dying on the job is better than lingering and wasting from some horrible cancer or other painful or debilitating disease.
Vale, Robert. Enjoy eternity.
I’m sure the last thing Robert Phelan would want is to see disagreements here over how we handle his passing! But at the same time, he would want to see discussion that raises awareness – even if it at times verges on the rude and impatient!
What challenges me creatively, here, is Anthony’s mention of their last conversation concerning idiot Perlwitz who came here with sly denial of his provenance, was allowed to publish, then when rebuffed and outed, went into thoroughly unpleasant mode with the establishment of a website whose sole purpose is to attack this one. Lke Anthony, I have not actually checked it out, but I did cross
swordspaths with Perlwitz and disliked the man.It is important to keep an eye on the science whose lost integrity needs to be restored. But it is absolutely essential, in order to restore integrity, to recognize and reintegrate the lost human and even spiritual dimensions of reality. It is right that Anthony grieve, and that all of us can have space to grieve, here, if we need to. What makes WUWT so special, draws people here, and gives us hope of victory, is the recognition and honouring of both the scientific and the human dimensions of reality.
Donation completed. He and his family will be in our prayers.
Roger Carr says:
August 13, 2012 at 5:48 am
Roger Carr, lets leave aside the disagreement and just be practical. Bob died at his desk where he moderated WUWT from. His family has asked Anthony for help. Anthony has posted an article in order to ask the readership for help. People who are newcomers don’t need to read the thread unless they want to.
As a WUWT moderator Bob was a colleague of mine and I’ve donated $100. The family is a bit under halfway to what they need. Please just do what you can and leave off discussing concerns about things which are tangential to the main reason for Anthony making the post.
Thanks and regards.
REPLY: Thanks Roger, sincerely. – Anthony
This is so tragic. To have a wife and child left destitute like that. I’m sure the generosity of my fellow WUWT donors will go a long way in helping in their time of crisis.
I thank God my dad had insurance when he died suddenly. I never realized how lucky we were.
I’m not the richest man in my street let alone the world and yet I could afford my own funeral costs . Surely Bob had a funeral plan or life assurance. I have to say I find this all a bit odd I mean are the family destitute? No this is all a bit strange and untoward. I haven’t read all the stuff on this chap so is there some great personal hardship I haven’t seen that has driven a familiy to ask for money? I mean according to Anthony Bob was a lecturer at Eastern Connecticut State University in Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work, surely he was on a good income.
Sorry if I sound callous but help with the funeral expenses?
Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner , but I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Sorry Bob Phelan rest in peace.
REPLY: I don’t know the details of their personal finances, perhaps he a was a great sociologist but a poor money manager, or maybe they had some other huge expenses that depleted savings. I just don’t know about that, but I do know about this: I’ve seen no hint of any opportunism from them. Many people don’t have cash on hand for such things and in the USA in the Northeast, that number isn’t an uncommon one for a funeral. From what I know of the circumstances of his death, it appears that Bob may have died on the job, moderating for WUWT at his study desk. The least I can do is offer some help. Don’t feel obligated to help, but at the same time please don’t ascribe any motives. – Anthony
Lawrence:
re your post at August 13, 2012 at 10:38 am
We choose the charities we contribute to because there are limits to what any of us can give. Many people think we owe REP so some of us wish to minimise the distress from his passing which those he leaves behind are suffering. All charitable giving is a personal choice: e.g. I don’t give to animal charities but I don’t question the reasons of people who do merely because I am not familiar with their experiences.
Please remember that US and British societies are very different. Yes, it is hard for us to understand how a family could be left destitute because – living in a Welfare State – we “have never heard of such a thing”: it is beyond our experience. But Anthony says “many people” have such difficulties in the US, and if he says it then I see no reason to dispute it.
Richard
We might live in a ‘welfare state ‘ in the UK but I will have to pay for my own funeral as like Bob I work, so remarks like that are misleading. In fact no one working in the UK will get their funeral paid for if anyone dies without a will being made then the bank will release that money that is needed for a will. Anyhow I won’t labour the point as this is Bob’s thread
Sent this weekend through the link (don’t have enough in my PayPal account at present). Thanks for affording us this opportunity to do a little something for the family.
Lawrence:
For the record, I did not mislead and I did not intend to mislead. My purpose was an intention to avoid people being dissuaded for mistaken reasons when considering whether to give. But, for the reason you state, I am dropping it, too.
Richard
Done, via Paypal.
I join in mourning the death of a ‘good bloke’ – the world has few enough of them.
donation sent
condolences to bob’s family
thanks ant, you’re a good man
Now at 65% of target – good work – keep it up!
Best, Allan
I know we’re all drawn to WUWT because we are skeptical argumentative types, but in this case I think all should defer to the judgment of Anthony Watts on why it is worth having the donation thread for Robert Phelan. All can freely either donate or not as they choose, but it is unseemly and pointless to debate whether AW and WUWT should help the family of a dear friend who mean so much to WUWT. This is one time when disagreement is best passed over in silence, imho.
Lucy Skywalker says:
August 12, 2012 at 3:46 am
Donation sent, with appreciation and suggestion that the fund might be used to train up more moderators like REP – as perhaps he himself would have wished. If this happens, I feel pretty sure that REP would take an active interest – from the other side.
Yes, I’m a believer in spiritual realities – but, more accurately, I’m not a believer! I’m a scientist in that I speak of what I know through direct experience and a thorough critical examination of many accounts of others, from all relevant points of view.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I followed suit and concur Lucy, for those interested in the second paragraph, I suggest they put “Cross Correspondences” in a search engine, as a start.