Subject: Re: [drugwar] Fw: RIP : Ron Crickenberger
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 21:34:35 -0500
To:        <drugwar@mindvox.com>
From:     Bob Armstrong <bob@cosy.com>

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 19:27:43 -0500, Jack R. Lebowitz wrote:
>=A0Amen. =A0I being able to spend some time with Ron at SF NORML=
 2002 and the
>=A0recent DPA conference.
>
>=A0Can someone post an obit if there is one or suggest a snail=
 mail addy for
>=A0Noell and any donations info when it's published?
>
>=A0Thx,

 Yes , I partied with Ron at the 2000 Libertarian Convention at=
 DisneyLand .
 Unbelievable that he has gone so fast . 

Here's a eulogy :

--- Original Message ---
From: LibertyWire@AmericanLibertyFoundation.net
To: =A0<distribution@americanlibertyfoundation.org>
Sent: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 12:33:46 US/Eastern
Subject: Sad news to report

>
>=A0L i b e r t y W i r e
>
>=A0|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|
>
>=A0Dear friends,
>
>=A0I have sad news to report. Ron Crickenberger passed away=
 overnight.
>=A0He's survived by his partner Noelle Stettner, two children, and=
 one
>=A0newborn grandchild.
>
>=A0The libertarian movement has lost a superb activist.
>
>=A0I last saw Ron, in good health, back in August. He was working=
 hard to
>=A0assure the future of the Virginia Libertarian Party. I was=
 there to
>=A0give a speech. Ron sat near the front during my speech and I=
 can still
>=A0see his encouraging nods.
>
>=A0I first met Ron in 1997 at a Success conference put on by the
>=A0Libertarian Party. Ron, Rob Shuford, and I all had an interest=
 in
>=A0precinct organization and voter I.D. We discussed proposals and=
 tactics
>=A0for building Libertarian precincts, and how to test those=
 plans. It was
>=A0exactly the kind of conversation Ron enjoyed the most. He was=
 tireless
>=A0in his work as political director of the party.
>
>=A0I've asked Perry Willis to write the American Liberty=
 Foundation
>=A0memorial to Ron. Perry is the co-founder of the foundation. He=
 was the
>=A0national director of the Libertarian Party from 1993-1997. He=
 worked in
>=A0the office daily with Ron for a couple of years, and it was Ron=
 who
>=A0took his place as national director.
>
>=A0Jim Babka
>=A0President
>=A0American Liberty Foundation
>
>=A0-----
>
>=A0Ron Crickenberger
>
>=A0I wish I could remember the first time I met Ron Crickenberger,=
 but I
>=A0can't. It just seems like he was always there. And those words,=
 "he was
>=A0always there," seem appropriate to describe what Ron did with=
 his life,
>=A0and what he meant to others.
>
>=A0He was always there when the libertarian cause needed him. He=
 was
>=A0always there when his friends needed him. He was always there=
 when
>=A0people who were being victimized by the state needed someone to=
 defend
>=A0them.
>
>=A0There are so many examples of Ron's willingness to "be there,"=
 things
>=A0that amaze me because of my own inability to follow his=
 example. For
>=A0instance, after my first couple of years collecting petition=
 signatures
>=A0for Libertarian Party ballot drives, I just couldn't bring=
 myself to do
>=A0it anymore. But Ron never stopped. No matter how high he rose=
 in the LP
>=A0he was always there to collect signatures for candidates. It=
 didn't
>=A0matter if it was a local race, or the presidential ticket, Ron=
 was
>=A0there.
>
>=A0Ron was the kind of guy you could always count on to step=
 forward for
>=A0the hard jobs - the tasks most people aren't willing to do.=
 It's hard
>=A0to look someone in the eye and ask them for money, but whenever=
 money
>=A0was needed Ron was there to raise it, either on the phone, or=
 out
>=A0pounding the pavement.
>
>=A0And Ron was even there for people he barely knew. If he saw=
 someone in
>=A0need, like Peter McWilliams or Todd McCormick (both victims of=
 the drug
>=A0war), he went to them to find out what he could do to help.
>
>=A0But Ron was also notable for what he didn't do. In all the=
 years I knew
>=A0him, I can't recall that he ever said a negative word about=
 anyone. He
>=A0seemed to me to be completely without malice. He was always=
 positive.
>=A0And not because he didn't see flaws or problems, but because he=
 was
>=A0more interested in making things better than in assigning=
 blame.
>
>=A0I have many fond memories of Ron, but perhaps the dearest is of=
 an
>=A0incident that happened during a meeting of the Libertarian=
 National
>=A0Committee in Phoenix in the mid-90s. I had the=
 sometimes-questionable
>=A0habit of making humorous comments during the course of the=
 meetings.
>=A0Ron was giving his report and said something that could be=
 taken in two
>=A0ways, a perverse way, and the way Ron intended. I decided to=
 focus on
>=A0the perverse way and said something that got most of the=
 committee
>=A0laughing. But Ron was focused and kept right on with his=
 report, until
>=A0suddenly, after about two minutes, he started laughing. And he=
 looked
>=A0at me and said, "That thing you said two minutes ago was very=
 funny."
>=A0Then he set his face in an expression of mock seriousness, and=
 said,
>=A0"Don't do that again." And I smiled and resolved to behave=
 myself for
>=A0the rest of his report.
>
>=A0Ron Crickenberger deserved to live a lot longer than he did,=
 but
>=A0illness is no respecter of merit. If it were, the man who was=
 always
>=A0there, would be here still. His passing saddens me greatly, and=
 I will
>=A0always remember him - as should all who care about human=
 liberty.
>
>=A0-- Perry Willis
>
>=A0|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|
>
>=A0L i b e r t y W i r e
>=A0is the official email list of the
>=A0American Liberty Foundation -- a non-profit
>=A0educational organization promoting the ideas of
>=A0individual liberty and personal responsibility.


--=A0
=A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864
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