Bob Chorush - We miss you already.

Bob at WTO 1999

This morning I woke up to an email telling me that one of the most clever and dedicated activists I have ever worked with died on Sunday. I first met Bob Chorush in 1999 in Seattle, at a poster, puppet, and costume making party for the infamous WTO rally. He was a turtle, and tried to get me to be one too. He also helped me plan protests against the March of Dimes' animal experiments throughout in the Puget Sound area 2 years in a row, and there were many times I thought he was the only activist I knew who I could count on coming to my demos.

Later when we worked at PETA on their Ringling Brothers campaign, he was always the most fun to brainstorm and email with. He made being productive fun, and made the small sacrifices we all make in this work unnoticeable. He did this through humor and an infectious creativity that saw opportunities everywhere to make the world more compassionate.

A good example of this is when he added The Vegan Fried Egg to the Wikipedia entry for Eggs, and went through Wikipedia listing Meet The Shannons recipes on the pages for various meaty recipes. I think they've all been taken down now, but man - I still remember finding the first one in my Google Alerts. It was a pretty awesome morning that I owe to Bob.

But those are just a few of my memories of Bob. He helped so many animals and activists. He was a force for good in this world that just needs more good for so long that I can't even think where to begin to describe his work and him. I wish I had been a better friend to him. I encourage you though to check out BobChorush.com - especially The Field of Dreams section about The Trojan Duck.

The world was a better place because Bob Chorush was in it. I'm so sorry if you liked him as much as I did and this is how you are hearing this sad news. I hope that we can remember the good times and be encouraged to be a bit more like Bob.