Ward Morehouse was the co-founder of the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD). He died on June 30, 2012, while swimming laps, one of his favorite activities. He was 83. His death comes less than nine months after POCLAD’s other co-founder, Richard Grossman, passed away. Below are reflections from Ward’s present and past POCLAD colleagues — who Ward called “POCLADistas.” They were originally published in the July 2012 edition of ‘By What Authority?’, a POCLAD publication.
“Ward’s activist life as I knew him is symbolized by meeting him at the gate of a flight to Oakland Airport, from which we drove to a POCLAD retreat at the extraordinary Occidental Arts & Ecology Center. Ward was one of the last to deplane, and just as I was getting nervous he emerged from the ramp, the ever-present bulging canvas bag over his shoulder. Oh, that bag! Its contents spoke a great deal about Ward’s many concerns, values and projects. Once in our circle in the OAEC meeting room, he would partially unpack it, and during the meeting rummage for the relevant papers: the latest effort to redress “the greatest industrial disaster in history,” Bhopal; union-related documents; and perhaps a citation for trespassing in “the Battle for Seattle” or blocking the gate at Westover military base in western Massachusetts. Ward Morehouse has built houses, coalitions, friendships, his work and his life inseparable. He took great pride in the POCLADISTAS as he called us. But for all his principled activism and accomplishments, my most enduring memory is watching Ward with his beloved dog Buster.” — Mary Zepernick
To read many other tributes, click HERE.