This story about the late Dr. Ray Beiersdorfer, a community rights organizer and geology professor at Youngstown State University in Ohio, was written and recently published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF).
“Who is this guy?” CELDF organizer Tish O’Dell asked herself, when she first met Dr. Ray Beiersdorfer. “I never saw anyone like him before, running around everywhere, with his wild hair and his flowered, Hawaiian print shirt.”
And the shoes. Don’t forget the shoes – sneakers, or “kicks,” as they’re called now. He wore them mismatched; one red and one black, one orange and one green.
Dr. Ray, as he was affectionately known, was a geology professor at Youngstown State University. Together with his wife, Susie, they became an irresistible force and an absolute champion for Rights of Nature and Community Rights in Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio.
“When we first began working together, he was the facts and figures guy. He was our scientific authority,” Tish explains. “Susie was the one who was ‘all-in’ on using local democracy to legalize Community Rights. Ray just seemed to follow her down that path. But at the end, he was the one leading the effort, gathering the most signatures for the ballot initiative this fall.”
he end of Dr. Ray’s physical life came October 11, 2018. His heart gave out.
At his memorial service, Rev. Yvonne Hobson said Ray’s great heart is still with us, as she illustrated Tish’s observation. Pointing to the Biblical description of heaven as a city of gemstones, with gates made of pearls, streets paved with translucent gold, and the river of life flowing through it all, the reverend said:
“I can see Ray there — assaying the stones, comparing the sources of the pearls, and testing the river of life for impurities. I’m sure he’s also conducting periodic lectures on why the good Lord will never, ever, ever allow fracking in heaven!” MORE…