In Praise of Chuck Jorgensen, Professor of Sorts
October 10th, 2008Many of you who read these words and postings probably do not think much about how this site came to be. MMMFiles.com is the brainchild of Chuck Jorgensen, who foresaw the existence and impact of global climate change, long before it became fashionably green, or even the widespread use of the internet.
When I first started working for him, my job was to collect and file newspaper articles that addressed abnormal weather events around the world. It was his conjecture that enough of those, over a long span of time would provide evidence something was seriously amiss and abnormal with our global weather system — global climate change. When domains became available for public use, Chuck wasted no time establishing the Millennial Files. Initially, it dealt with political issues like no-nukes, and his own history. Shortly after I came on board, we added a Global Climate Change page where I synopsized these same types of articles from around the world. Not wanting to bombard people with doom and gloom, Chuck directed me to begin a page for Solutions, which addressed alternative fuels and technologies.Eventually, there was so much evidence and acceptance of the phenomenon, we created the blog which you are now reading.
I first met Chuck as a returning college student, after a 20-year break. Going after a BA in Poltical Science, I took a U.S. History class where he was adept at humanizing dates, numbers and figures in a way that will always make me remember how German emigres populated and influenced the East Coast in the mid-1800’s. With pipe in hand, and stroking his beard, he strolled the front of the room and said:
“Okay, so back in the mid 1800’s, there was a civil war in Germany … and these guys lost. Now, when you lose a civil war, you gotta get out of town, so all these Germans came to the East Coast and settled it. That’s why you see all this German architecture… There were a lot of union organizers (in this group), who were a major influence in the birth the the American Labor Movement…”
I’m still amazed that 10 years later, I still remember those facts.
More than that, Chuck was always interested in social justice and willing to walk the talk. As a community activist in the 60’s, he surreptitiously made his way onto the Lockheed plant in Burbank to find evidence of the company contaminating the water sewage system with toxins. He never really impersonated an officer, but his khaki shirt, pants, name badge and demeanor made the security guards think he was from the government and let him in. By the time they realized their mistake, he had already made it to a restroom, flushed some dye, walked out and thanked them for their cooperation. Evidence was verified by a cohort at another location. Many of his friends who knew him way before me can testify to demonstrations at Bank of America and establishing the Peace & Freedom Party in Santa Barbara, California somewhere between 1966-68.
Chuck, who is now losing a battle with lung cancer, lived life fully and on his terms. This may have been to some people’s dismay, but his sign that traveled with him from West LA to Boise, Idaho says it all:
“I Spent Most of My Money on Wine, Women and Song. The Rest I Wasted.”
He is a good Swede, mensch and above all, friend. I will miss him dearly. I already do.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
as a student of Chuck’s,
1964,
and a friend since we met
for the moment
i’d like to pass
along the lyrics from a Bob Dylan Song,
“What Good Am I”
from the Oh, Mercy album…..
What Good Am I?
What good am I if I’m like all the rest,
If I just turned away, when I see how you’re dressed,
If I shut myself off so I can’t hear you cry,
What good am I?
What good am I if I know and don’t do,
If I see and don’t say, if I look right through you,
If I turn a deaf ear to the thunderin’ sky,
What good am I?
What good am I while you softly weep
And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep,
And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don’t try,
What good am I?
What good am I then to others and me
If I’ve had every chance and yet still fail to see
Bridge: If my hands tied must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why and where must I have been
What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die,
What good am I?
Chuck loved Frank Sinatra,
the sound track
that went through
his head
as he figured out
how to get through
life’s heart breaks
but he took fast,
to the Bob Dylan
i played him
our fortune to have known him
our misfortune to lose him….
bill
grieving in vermont
October 11th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
For Chuck
Ten Thousand Swedes ran through the weeds chasing one Norwegian
See you in Valhalla fellow Viking.
Glen
October 12th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Mr. J.,
A straight talker, teacher and hero to all who knew him.
I’m still learnin’ from you my friend.
Your words and wisdom will be passed to your children and their children long after your laughter has faded from this earth you cared so much about.
I only wish I had your insight and courage to be the man you were.
Your freedom is our loss.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Chuck was the one who opened minds with his wit. He loved to turn everything inside out and ask why or why not? He left you wondering about all your assumptions, values and feeling the political ground beneath you dissolving…in confusion all you could remember was that grin of his and that leprechaun laugh.
I remember one older woman asking him once : “But Professor, are you saying that our government is corrupt?”
To which he responded: “Madam! Where have you been since George Washington bought his way into the house of Burgesses with a case of whisky?”
He was a friend and Mentor, he was a gift of Light in an age of Darkness. I have spent my career trying to pay back to others what Chuck gave to me.
He’ll always be with those who knew him.
Love and Pax
Mark
October 14th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Chuck will always be a hero to me. He launched my political/eco/feminist career.
I used to write tests for him, and he taught me to make the wrong answers include how things should have been if our fore fathers had walked the talk. I will always remember him saying, “by the
expression, ‘All men are created equal,’ they didn’t mean all men, they meant all
white men who owned property and belonged to the right religion.” I
knew this day would come, and the saddest part is I didn’t learn more
from him. As much knowledge as he shared, we will all miss the
benefit of that which went with him.
October 24th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
I’ve known Chuck since the middle 60’s when we both started teaching at Valley College. He was a great friend and scholar, especially of environmental matters and native American history. I was program chairman for my Thousand Oaks Rotary club for many years and had Chuck out to Thousand Oaks at least five or six times to address the members on various topics. His talks were always provocative and stimulating (and perhaps too “liberal” for many of our members — mostly conservative Republicans).
Chuck was always ready to help someone in need. Some people are givers and some are takers; Chuck was a giver. It was always a treat to be around him because he was always upbeat and had some new project or idea he wanted to promote. At one point during the 80’s he was visiting landfills. I was in public office then and did a little investigation of my own, and even attended hearings relative to landfill cleanup through the then newly established “superfund.” What amazed me about all his landfill visits (not very nice places to visit) was that he did it on his own for the betterment of society; I did it as part of my duties as a public sevant.
I’m sorry I was not able to communicate with Chuck before his untimely passing. Sad to say, my wife and I visited Boise in the summer of ‘06, but were not aware Chuck was residing there.
Godspeed to a great guy, a giver.
Ed Jones
October 26th, 2008 at 3:54 am
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