BELATED SAD NEWS -
Bob Anderson (1923-2012)
Sunday, April 14, 2013

Bob Anderson is probably someone you've never heard of - but you almost certainly are familiar with his work, if you've seen Star Wars Episodes V and VI, The Princess Bride, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, or any of a number of other movies with incredible sword-fighting. Bob Anderson was the choreagrapher and stunt double who made that happen.

photo courtesy the UK Guardian

Anderson started out as a competitive fencer in the 1940's and 1950's but broke into the movie business when he coached Erol Flynn for 1952's The Master of Ballantrae. From there he went on to work with a variety of actors and on a variety of movies, though his most well-known work is from the 1980's onward - the lightsaber duels in the Star Wars sequels, the many sword fights in The Lord of the Rings, and what is possibly the best cinematic fencng ever - the duel between Inigo and Wesley in The Princess Bride.




Anderson was scheduled to work on all three parts of The Hobbit when he passed away last year, on January 1, 2012 - but there is no question that his influence will be felt on the films, and he leaves behind a legacy of work that is unlikely to ever be matched.

JMH

Farewell, Romana 1
Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Word came down last week that Mary Tamm, the actress who played the 1st incarnation of Romana on what is now referrred to as "classic" Doctor Who, died on Thursday at age 62 after a long battle with cancer. While she was only on the show for a single season (the 16th) her presence was notable both in that it was the first time the show had run a season-long story arc (the search for the Key to Time) and because she was the first companion who could truly claim to be an intellectual equal to the Doctor, seeing as she was also a Time Lord - which meant she was quite willing to call him on his foolishness and nonsense. In many ways, she was the natural progression that saw the female leads of the show serving less and less as the Doctor's assistant, and more as a companion in his travels and adventures. While she left the role after that season, the character continued on (and does so to this day in a variety of spin-off media) after regenerating into actress Lalla Ward. While the 2nd incarnation of Romana is more popular (probably due to the on-screen chemistry between Ward and lead Tom Baker) Mary Tamm will always have the distinction of having been there first and it was her work that developed Romana into a character that was worth regenerating when she chose to leave. Her single season will always stand out in my mind because it was the first season picked up by the local PBS station and broadcast Monday through Friday - so I was able to enjoy Doctor Who five days a week. Previously the show had only been available on Saturday mornings on a NYC station that we got over cable.

A good deal more info about Mary Tamm and her career can be found in this article on the Doctor Who news page. No surprise. there's an abundance of articles noting her passing on-line, including some kind words and remembrances from Tom Baker, who is surely really feeling his age and mortality with the passings of so many people he shared the Doctor Who spotlight with.

My thoughts go out to Mary Tamm's family and friends at this very difficult time.

JMH

Farewell Ray Bradbury
Wednesday, June 6, 2012

SAD NEWS (A YEAR LATE)
Erle Montaigue 1949-2011
Saturday, March 24, 2012

I've stayed mostly out of the martial arts loop since I resigned from my former school back in late 2009, or I might have found this out sooner. This afternoon I decided to check up on the latest news for Erle Montaigue and the World Taiji Boxing Association and discovered that he died from a heart attack back in late January 2011.


(photo courtesy of Tai Chi World)

I never had the opportunity to meet or study with Erle, everything I knew about him was from his books and the reams of information on his website. He was a controversial figure in the neijia (Chinese internal) arts, but no one can dispute that he had an incredible impact through his teaching, whether in person or through books and videos/DVDs. While it was obvious he needed to make a living from his efforts, he also shared a wealth of information free of charge. It always seemed clear that he was a teacher and martial artist first and a businessman second.


photo courtesy of Steel City Sound)

My thoughts go out to the Montaigue family as they continue to deal with their loss. Erle enriched the martial arts world with his presence and his willingness to learn and share, and we are all diminished with his passing.

JMH

Farewell Anne McCaffrey
Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Anne McCaffrey was a prolific award-winning science fiction author, best known for her "Dragonriders of Pern" novels. She wrote close to 100 books either as sole author or in collaboration with others, and was very active in the wider science fiction writing community for over 40 years. She died yesterday at her home in Ireland, reportedly due to a stroke, at the age of 85.



I haven't read one of her books in years, in part because it seemed like they were becoming a bit repetitive and in part because my tastes drifted first toward more epic fantasy and then toward mostly urban fantasy. But I have very fond memories of her earlier books. When I first got a job and started earning my own money to spend in high school, one of the things I started to do was buy books. My options were fairly limited - there was a small bookstore in the commercial area outside of Hudson (the largest "city" near where I grew up, about a 20-30 minute drive away) that had a decent science fiction/fantasy section and new releases every week (keeping in mind that the new release market in the early 1980's didn't have nearly the volume it has now.) Of course it helped that they also stocked a good selection of comic books... that was probably what first got me in the door, since those were substantially cheaper than paperback (25 cents, versus $1.50 or so) and much more affordable on the small allowance my parents could provide.



Much of my early book reading in junior high and high school was supported by the school librarian, who was a science fiction fan and loaned me many of her own books, and a fellow who went to the church my family attended who gave me quite a few books and stacks of old pulp magazines that he no longer wanted to take up storage space at his family's home. I owe them both a huge thank you for encouraging my love of books and reading fantastic fiction that continues to this day. Anyway, once I had a little money coming in on a regular basis, it wasn't long before I latched on to the idea of buying books for myself... and Ann McCaffrey's Dragonrider books, with their wonderful Michael Whelan covers, were some of the first ones that I bought and read. I probably even re-read them once or twice - I remember doing that decades ago, before my collection of books grew so huge that even my "to be read" pile has its own bookcases (which are overflowing!)



So thank you, Ann McCaffrey, for many hours of reading pleasure, and for helping to grow my love of reading and my massive collection of books. She was truly one of the great science fiction authors of our time and there is no doubt she will be missed.



JMH

SAD NEWS
Thursday, September 1, 2011

I first met Linda H. Austin over 20 years ago as a student in the martial arts school where I was training and assistant instructing. She was an older student (mid-40's at that point, I think) who took her training very seriously. While there were things she couldn't do nearly as well as many of the younger students, she worked harder than just about anybody else I knew, and as she moved up through the ranks served as a fantastic example to all the other students. Many students reach black belt and decide to become instructors soon after; Linda stayed as a student in class through her 2nd degree black belt, feeling that she didn't have enough to offer as an instructor. She was underestimating herself, of course, but I also suspect that since she'd spent many years as a high school biology teacher, just going to class and working out (rather than having being responsible for what was taught) was a nice change of pace.


feeding deer at in Japan, 2002

Seven years ago Linda was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She went through surgery and chemo like a trooper. It frustrated her that sometimes she couldn't work as hard as she wanted to, but she kept at it to the best of her ability. She also kept very active outside of karate, travelling all over the place and putting a lot of energy and effort into both the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in the late spring and Caring Together, an ovarian cancer support organization which each fall organizes the Teal Ribbon Run/Walk in Albany's Washington Park. Eventually she felt that her physical abilities were sufficiently compromised that she could make a more significant contribution teaching karate and joined the ranks of the instructors. I don't think she ever totally accepted what an inspiration she was in ranks in class, but we were very lucky to have her teaching with us. It was no surprise to anyone that she proved to be every bit as good a teacher as she was a student.


cane self-defense seminar, 2007

One of the most difficult consequences of leaving the karate school back in 2009 was having to leave behind some very good people who I probably would have very little contact with from then on (to a large degree because the head of the school made it pretty clear that he didn't want students and instructors to have ties to those of us who had left, even in their personal lives.) I was fortunate to see Linda again in September 2009 when my schedule changed at the last minute and I was able to run the Teal Ribbon Run 5k as a member of her fundraising team. Since then I had heard through the grapevine and through limited contact with Linda that she'd gone through additional courses of chemo. Despite all that in the past year she tested for her 4th degree black belt - while I wasn't there to see her train and test, I have no doubt that she worked her backside off and truly earned that rank in a way that many others with greater physical abilities and fewer challenges have no conception of.


Linda's team at the 2009 Teal Ribbon Run/Walk

A few days ago we got word that Linda's latest round of chemo hadn't been effective and that she was home receiving hospice care. Unfortunately that news came too late to see her one last time - I received word this morning that she passed away last night. I'm glad that her struggle and pain is over. I wish there had been an opportunity to see her one more time and tell her what an inspiration she has been. If I ever face the kinds of challenges she did over the last few years I hope I can do so with even a fraction of the strength and positive attitude she had. She was a true teacher right up to the end, teaching by example when she wasn't in front of a class. Her passing leaves an empty place in the world that can never be filled; the best those of us left behind can hope to do is live by her example.


at the 2009 Teal Ribbon Run/Walk

I would encourage everyone who life has been affected by Linda to honor her memory by supporting the causes she worked so hard for. The American Cancer Society always accepts donations and needs volunteers and participants for their fundraising events. Locally, Caring Together's Teal Ribbon Run/Walk is in just a couple of weeks. Instructions for signing up for the run or walk can be found on the event page; donations can also be made online.

update: Linda's obituary can be found here.

JMH

Farewell Sarah Jane
Tuesday, April 19, 2011

SAD NEWS
Thursday, March 29, 2007

Just checked the Saratoga Martial Arts Festival site, in preparation for attending this weekend, and found the news that Sensei Jim Tirey passed away last week, at age 54.

When I attended SMAF in 2004, I took Sensei Tirey's seminar on aikijujitsu self-defense techniques partly because I was interested in the subject and partly because I don't believe I was particularly interested in the other options during that time slot. I was a bit worried at first, because Sensei Tirey did not look all that impressive - he was older, dressed in black sweats, didn't look to be in great shape, and seemed fairly unassuming. And in that seminar I re-learned a valuable lesson about judging by appearances, because it was one of the best sessions I did all weekend. Sensei Tirey not only knew his stuff backwards and forwards but he was also a fantastic teacher who made his techniques accessible to someone without much experience in aikido or jujutsu and made his seminar fun and exciting. I had a blast, and I hoped to some day do another seminar with him, possibly at this year's SMAF.

Now that won't be possible. And it is definitely my loss, and a loss to all those who might have learned from him.

Checking around a bit, it appears he was something of a legend in Special Ops and had a long and impressive career in the military, in addition to his extensive training in a variety of martial arts. Here's his bio, written up for SMAF 2004:

A student of martial arts for more than 20 years, Sensei Tirey has studied boxing, Shotokan Karate, Kuk Sool Won, Hapkido, Military Hand to Hand Combat, Icho Yama Ryu Aikijujutsu, Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu Kodokai, and Full Contact Martial Arts. Retired from the US Army, he is a graduate of the Infantry Officer’s Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College, US Army War College, Airborne School, Ranger School, Special Forces Qualification Course, Special Operations Training Course, French Army Commando School, and the Naval Special Warfare Military Freefall School. He had active service in the Persian Gulf, Desert Storm, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe in Special Operations Units. Sensei Tirey is privileged to be studying Icho Yama Ryu Aikijujutsu under Dave Lamond Sensei; Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu Kodokai under Kiyama Shihan, Roy Goldberg Sensei and Dave Lamond Sensei; and Full Contact Martial Arts under Doctor Dave Wink. (courtesy of SMAF 2004)

Rest in peace, Sensei Tirey. There is no question in my mind that you will be missed.


Sensei Jim Tirey in 2004 (photo courtesy of SMAF 2004)

JMH