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Association of World Citizens - San Francisco - March 22, 2008 The world lost a great visionary and world citizen when Sir Arthur C. Clarke died in his home on March 19, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Arthur Clarke was a friend of the Association of World Citizens, always among the first to endorse our resolutions. In 2003 he wrote, "I'll cherish the World Citizen Identity Card -- I'm glad you have used by best know photograph on it! Incidentally, I have sometimes called myself a citizen of the cosmos, resident on Earth." He had humility and a great sense of humor. When returning his endorsement of our reissue of A Human Manifesto, he wrote, "I'm honored to be in the company of fellow signatories to the Human Manifesto - I have been in touch with many of them at one time or another, and of course, Walter Cronkite is a dear friend." He also mentioned that one of the other signatories, the Dalai Lama, commended him on his short story "Nine Billion Names of God." In a separate note in 2004, he mentioned his health was declining, but he was not worried about losing his memory, as long as he could remember to spell Alzheimer. He was outspoken on the need for disarmament and mentioned that some of his thoughts on this problem could be found in his collection, "Greetings, Carbon-based Bipeds" published in 2001, which also includes his essay, "Scenario For a Civilized Planet." If you not read his novel 2010, I highly recommend it. This is not only a terrific serious science fiction work, but it has a statement on the needs for the future, which is perfect for world citizens working for a global community. Arthur C. Clarke produced a tremendous volume of work, including his novels Rendezvous with Rama, and 2001, A Space Odyssey, which was written at the same he worked with Stanley Kubrick to make the legendary move of the same name. Arthur C. Clarke will be greatly missed, but his visionary contributions to the public and to science will endure. Douglas Mattern President, Association of World Citizens |
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