Another memorial for Betty can be found in a pdf file at her own web site.
Our access to her wide-ranging knowledge, artistic talents and most of all her spunky humor will be greatly missed.
Mickey RoweWhat a terrible shock and loss. As a dedicated dinosaur fan she had no rival and her constant sharing of information was an example to everyone.
My best wishes to all her family. As Mary said, the list has lost one of its finest members. She will be sadly missed.
Luis ReyI never met her personally, but she was a good friend nonetheless. She did superb work and will be deeply missed.
Jim CunninghamI will miss her paleo-news posts and wry replies to occasional foolish e-mails.
George Olshevsky
I finally met Betty at last year's SVP after years of chatting with
her on this list. I was always impressed with her wealth of
knowledge. We shared many interests, such as animation, role-playing
games, art and of course dinosaurs. I'm just speechless.
See you someday, Betty.
I was so sad to hear about Betty; I enjoyed reading her e-mails which showed her tremendous enthusiasm for dinosaurs in particular and life in general. She will be sadly missed.
Goodbye Betty.
Rachel A HydeI, too, add my voice to the list of those who will miss Betty. She was one of a handful of "old-timers" like myself who was a constant presence on this list since 1994. She was also one of the first of the non-academic members of the list I met in person, at SVP years ago. We shared a number of interests beyond dinosaurs: anime, gaming, and the like.
She will indeed be missed.
Tom HoltzIt's a sad day for flying goats (as well as folks on this list) everywhere.
I'll miss her witty, informative messages.
Garrison HilliardI must add that I too will miss her. I enjoyed not only her posts and talking to her at the SVP's, but she is also a good artist.
She will be missed.
Tracy FordAlthough I never had the honour of meeting her, this list seems a much poorer place without her wit and insight.
Brian ChooWe lose a lot when such a fair-minded, curious voice is silenced. I hope her family is aware of her abiding legacy in the awareness of this group.
John BoisAs an astronomer, I sometimes find myself raging at the universe and its inexorable laws, however imperfectly understood. This is a time to rage, to shake one's fist at the cosmos, and to cry "foul." Betty's untimely death is not fair, it's unjust, and it leaves a great vacuum. We all are diminished by this tragic loss.
We will miss Betty's incisive wit, creative graphics, contributions to the list, and informed posts.
Robert G. Tuck Jr.Betty struck me as the kind of "non-professional" the science sorely needs.
chris brochuHer daily flood of e-mails kept me current with "media" paleontology and beyond. Her ability to pick and choose only those postings she found relevant to our daily lives will forever astound me.
She was instrumental in furthering my own knowledge and curiosity regarding paleontology. For those reasons alone, she will be missed.
Jenny LandoI was stunned to look in on today's messages and find that Betty has gone. Last year my company interacted with a fundraiser put on by Scott Sampson and others to benefit children in Madagascar, through the opening of a public health clinic and other good works. It was announced here on list. While the response via Internet was not what we had hoped, Betty responded in less than a minute. She offered to place the post on other lists she was on in an effort to help promote this good cause. In addition to her other attributes remembered here today, I will remember Betty for her compassion and kindness.
God speed, Betty.
Kim HemanWell, along with many other people on this list, I've never myself met Betty in person. But she certainly came across as being an enthusiastic supporter of everything paleo. I greatly admire her dinosaur artwork and will truly cherish what she left behind.
Jordan MallonJust the other day I was thinking how I had not actually gotten to speak with Betty at last year's SVP, among most of the people at the Get Together or later -- we'd just never run into each other. I had spoken with her at length on the list and offlist, and she had always struck me as a highly-intelligent, witty, and yes, fair-minded person who wouldn't stop at playing the "other side" to the point where you wondered how much she believed her position. Her will was that great. It was a charm to read from her oft-curious postings, and to find the data that she had snipped from the mainstream to propel our ways. I will personally miss her exhuberance and wit, only shared through this electronic medium. My regrets, and best wishes wherever she may need them.
Jaime A. HeaddenMy deepest sympathy and regards to Betty's family and friends. I really wished I would have had a chance to know her.
Todd MarshallWhen I first came to the Museum (NMNH), I was really excited about many things, including the enormous size of the collections and staff. This size truly provides great potentials and resources. In my position here I work with large numbers of the staff - especially the other researchers - and have very friendly and nice relationships with almost all of them - see them in the halls and talk with them frequently. One of the negatives I hadn't really thought about, however, is that, along with the wonderfulness of the size comes the other edge of the sword in that every year a number of my friends who I see a lot and care for die. No matter how long I'm here it's been tough to get used to that. It's happened a lot these past few years (Nick Hotton for one) and never gets easier and I end up just sucking it up and progressing along.
Well, the internet and the list has become a large museum of resources and people for many of us with lots and lots of contacts that we come to know, sometimes only virtually, and depend on and also develop great affection for. Along with that, unfortunately, is that at some point, and not all that infrequently, someone who made a difference within this community will indeed pass on and, just as with my group here at NMNH, I still take it personally. I only met Betty a few times but had been reading her posts for years and enjoyed her opinions, especially those odd times when they were different from mine, and talked with her across the ether at various times. She will be missed.
I think the best way to remember her is to do what we're doing, which is try and promote the knowledge and understanding of dinosaurs and paleontology and try to pick up the slack. That's what I've been trying to do with my research and other dinosaur activities all these years, is pick up the slack left when we lost everyone from Marsh and Cope and Leidy to Barnum Brown to Nick Hotton, etc. Happily these days, we now have huge numbers of people compared with past years and are making progress on our understanding of the beasts at ever increasing rates. It will hopefully never end, but I guess the voyage is the real thing of value in such instances, not the destination.
Ralph ChapmanI never met Betty, but we had exchanged e-mails. I was shocked and saddened to hear of her passing, and sorry I'll never get to meet her in person.
Jeff HechtI have been a member of the list since 1996. It has been a long time since I have posted to the list- in fact, in the past year, I have been largely unable to keep up with the growth of the postings. Like many of you, I never had a chance to meet or speak with Betty, but have taken great pleasure in reading her posts, and have grown quite fond and accostomed to seeing Betty and her flying goat in my inbox. Betty touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of people every day. She will be sorely missed.
David R. LessinI will not give my comments on Betty's ideas, I only will say I will miss her contriburions dearly. She inspired me to go on with my bird idiocy; with her everlasting energy, she must have inspired us all.
Dear Betty,
You will be missed.
fredericus ruheI probably can't say much that hasn't already been said, but I would like to add my voice to the choir this listserve has briefly become and sing my own part in Requiem for a Flying Goat.
Betty Cunningham's "voice" was one of the first few that I recognized when I joined the listserve. She was a person who could, by sheer force of personality, muscle the dinosaur mailing list into a new vein of discussion. After a thread on the origin of flight had descended into technical impenetrability, the discussion would experience new life as Ms. Cunningham lightly submitted a post about how well chickens fly (or fail to). The listserve will be a little grayer with her absence. Dan BensenI'd like to add my regrets over Betty Cunningham's passing, though I had never met her in person.
Jeffrey MartzThank you Betty, for all you contributed.
Darryl JonesIt is with a very heavy heart that I must deliver this bit of news, though I believe many of you already know.
Betty passed away on Monday morning, September 11, 2000, from an apparent heart attack. She was loved deeply by many, many people -- and we miss her so much already.
Robert MorganPerhaps Dr. Brochu put it best when he said that Betty Cunningham was the kind of person that paleontology, and science in general, sorely needs. I just hope that we can continue her love of the science and her mission to further paleontology.
May she teach God a thing or two about dinosaurs!
Steve BrusatteThough I never met Betty I considered her a valued presence on the list. We stand diminished.
Ronald Orenstein
She was valued. She will be missed.
A silence here, where she was heard.
I never had the pleasure of meeting Betty personally , but very recently, when I was having problems gaining access to Paleonews, she took the time to see that I was able to gain that access. Such was the kindness of Betty Cunningham. Our world is a bit darker, a bit colder and a bit lonelier at her passing.
We may console ourselves, that we had the benefit of her kindness, wit, intellect and talent. Betty, I bid you a sad, fond farewell. May we meet in a better place.
Truett GarnerShe was one of the nicest people I've met online. I'm at a loss for words.
She will be missed
Brett Booth
Shocked. Stunned.
I couldn't think to respond to the news on the list until now.
She & I had some e-mail correspondence - the last of which was last Tuesday (9/5/2000). She always impressed me with her ability to quickly muster vast resources in pursuit of information - some online, some books or periodicals, and some of it stored away in her quick, witty brain. On occasion, when someone would discuss something that, while involving dinosaurs, related several different esoteric pieces of information and areas of study together, Betty was among the few who could readily understand and comment accurately on it. She could skewer your finely crafted theories with a well thought-out insight.
We had discussed her computer graphics work several times. (I liked her work, and even when I had some minor criticism about it, she remained friendly to me and was quite willing to discuss the details with me).
At one point, when I was working at home for several months, I would try to post the latest and greatest, or strangest, dino-related news story BEFORE Betty did. I only beat her to the punch 4 times in nearly a year.
I feel cheated in no longer being able to meet her.
I will miss her. She will be missed by many.
{Silence}
Fare thee well, Betty.
A constant stream of piquant links: amusing, informative, timely,
pleasant postings leading us to stray off pedantic paths, and leaving my
Bookmarks file stuffed. Off-list conversations were always friendly and
helpful. No need to ask what's new: Betty already told us.
With the news, a certain void is felt...
So long, Betty Cunningham, you will be missed.
I too have been reading the dinosaur list for many years, and have always looked for Betty's comments and wit; I also appreciated her efforts on the PALEONEWS list.
I'd like to offer what condolences I can as a remote voice, to her family and friends.
We will miss her on the list.
Neil TaylorAlthough it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable to add my reaction (I only had two off-list e-mail conversations with her, but they were long), I feel the need to say something too. I will remember her for her broad knowledge. I sometimes post questions on the net and almost everytime she would respond. The one I remember best was about Suchomimus. I thought I had worked out how it MUST have hunted. She proved to me that I didn't think about everything. She gave a LOT of examples of things I hadn't thought about. We continued this exchange of ideas and info for a few weeks. Although she kept correcting me on most suggestions she always ended the message in a way to encourage me to keep thinking/fantasizing about my ideas. It will be weird to post my next, almost certainly not correct, view of dinosaurs and the way they lived and not see her long response full of friendly suggestions and/or corrections. I think the amount of responses about her intimely departure is already a great testimony to her legacy. As far as I am concerned she is still on the list, because she enhanced our knowledge (certainly mine).
Betty, thanks for your numerous kind responses and our e-mail conversations.
Bert DolI cannot believe that Betty is no longer with us. I've been on DML since (I think) 1995 and she was a constant presence for all of that time - she was funny, smart, and one of a select elite who commented on my Star Wars quotes. I think it was earlier this week that she sent me a long list of jokes based loosely upon the theme of: if Star Wars was set in Scotland, what would it be like? Other examples of Betty's humour include the fact that she was amused by the technical terms used for the style of locomotion phocids use when on land (it's called humping) and the ritualised combat of male giraffes (it's called necking). Betty's contributions to some discussions, which included her views on how to hunt turkeys, how to make chickens run faster and what happens when baby geese fall off cliffs, were, for me, often the highpoints and, in hindsight, often the most intellectual. I'm sad now that I never thanked Betty for e-mailing me the stuff that she did.
Perhaps above all Betty was amazing for the insatiable interest she displayed for science and many other areas. If you go back through her DML e-mails you will see a gradual change as she became increasingly more erudite on many matters palaeontological. Some months ago it did occur to me how she stands as a pretty good example of someone from a (I presume) non-academic background who has increasingly integrated themselves into a scientific discussion community. There really aren't many people outside of academic research who can do that. Betty also had committment - she joined SVP. Betty was an artist and what I've seen of her work - a running pair of sexually dimorphic dromaeosaurs were included in one of the Dinosaur Society journals - I liked.
I met Betty at the SVP meeting in Denver last year. I didn't get to talk to her much because I hung out with dropouts like Headden, Wagner, Pharris and Buchholz but I did join her for lunch one day - she spent her time talking to Dave Unwin and Glenn Storrs, however. I guess she was too good for me :) I do have a few SVP photos featuring Betty and will fwd them to those who want to see them. After all, many of you never met her. Finally, I would ask those of you involved in palaeo- research to seriously consider the idea of naming a new taxon after Betty - I'm sure she would find that both amusing and touching.
[ Counting myself and Darren we've got at least four people sharing this sentiment -- MPR ]
"None of us nor any blade of grass is alone; death and distinction are illusions of limited vision"
(Archer, Hand, and Godthelp's Riversleigh)
And a special one for Betty:
"If this is a consulate ship, where is your ambassador?"
(Darth Vader)
Darren NaishI only had occasion to e-mail her off-list once, (during an unfortunate "timed-out" incident), where I (in sympathy) told her how much I enjoyed her posts, and would hate missing them. She responded as would a close friend. Now she is "timed-out" from this list permanently. I`m sure we will all miss her witty posts.
Larry FeboLike many of you, I was shocked and saddened to hear of Betty's death. Even though I am mainly a lurker on this list, I have been one for quite awhile. I never failed to be impressed by Betty's posts.
Debby HoffmasterI hope Betty's friends and family know that she will be missed all over the world.
chris laversWhile I initially balked at conveying my feelings on Betty's passing in public, the surge of very touching messages posted yesterday changed my mind. Although the sharing of grief is an important activity for us all, I think many of us, including most certainly Mary and Mickey in their original post, have the feeling that the best testimonial we can make is to try to continue our friend's work after her passing.
We have all been made well aware of Betty's productive contributions to the list, and to others in the community, in disseminating information. Indeed, the flow of up-to-date information on our field is perhaps the greatest concrete value this list has to offer, and Betty certainly did her part with her usual mix of professionalism and style. However, I think her greatest contribution to the dinosaur list itself was in putting a human face on our discussions. Although Betty was capable of approaching questions with a serious intensity and flexibility of thought, she still retained her sense of humor and her compassion for her fellow man. I cannot, offhand, remember an occaision where she lost her temper, yet she would shoehorn good-naturedly into almost any discussion. She often had a warm joke or other quaint silliness to break up the all-too-often harsh tenor of the list. Betty did something which few of us even at the graduate level have managed to do, she retained the eagerness and sense of wonder of youth. She was not afraid to commit herself wholly and personally to a discussion, yet she did not invest her ego in the outcome. It seemed, most of the time, that all she wanted was to have fun and learn. In doing so, she set an example which I know that I personally have been remiss in not following more closely. While me might think of this as nothing more than the cavalier attitude of a non-professional, I always got the impression that Betty was simply being comfortable among friends. While I think continuing Betty's material work is a fantastic idea, I think that each of us can honor her in our own lives by carrying with us a little piece of Betty to the dinolist. I believe we should each try to loosen our collars, take a deep breath, and remember that the person on the other end of our posting has a momma who loves them dearly. If we do, not only will we be helping ourselves and our friends on the list, but we will be carrying on the lighthearted spirit which Betty brought to the list. If we try to handle our list affairs with patience, humor, and inquisitiveness, then we will be truly giving of ourselves to carry on her legacy.Of course, I have been as much the opposite of this attitude as anyone else on the list. So, as I look out over the dinolist and see all the people with whom I, for one reason or another, have had a less-than pleasant exchange, I ask forgiveness for what I have said or done, and I offer all manner of forgiveness in turn. I can't even name all of the folks I have irked, But I think they include George Olshevsky, Ralph Champman, Dan Pigeon, Larry Whitmer, Tracy Ford (with whom I have already made up), Darren Naish (once, a long time ago, I think), probably Jaimie Headden once or twice, even probably Mickey and Mary, and a whole host of one-shots over the years.
Well, folks, in the same cheerful way Betty conducted herself, I again ask your forgiveness. I also ask you to consider what I have said, so that we can all move toward more pleasant interaction both on and off the list. Maybe then we can all take this worst of times, and make it turn out for the best.--
Although at this point I'm sure Betty would, quite blushingly, ask us to please get on with the business of the list, I have a pair of brief proposals:1) That a list should be prepared on whatever web page we might have for the dinosaur list (forgive my ignorance) of Listmembers Emeritus. Further, I propose that that Betty's name, along with a sentence or two of her biography and contributions to the list should be added. Although I am sure the dinosaur list was a small part of her life, she has taken a piece of the list with her, and I believe it should be memorialised.
[ At the moment this page will serve that function. As time goes on
and we lose more members (a reality I'm sure we'd rather not face
but with which we must come to terms) I anticipate that we will
create such a list. -- MPR ]
2) That an official Dinosaur List award, the "Betty" be established. Said award could be some small token, perhaps a dinosaur eraser or (appropriately) a token of dinosaur animation, and would be bestowed each year at the dinolist gathering upon the recipient. Said recipient would be an that amateur listmember who is felt to have best exemplified the qualities which Betty Cunningham brought to the list, including dissemination of timely information, inquisitiveness, a willingness to contribute to discussions and understand concepts beyond her present knowledge, and/or a merry disposition which brightens the list and contributes to the happiness of all members.
The awardee would be chosen by a committee of the list's professionals appointed by Mickey or some other authority (I nominate Tom Holtz as the obvious choice to be the first chair), from a pool confidentially nominated by any listmember two months in advance of the SVP meeting. The chair would then present this award at the dinolist award breakfast. Since SVP is less than two months off, and most of the list's professionals (and grad student types) are either preparing for the meeting or for other things (sorry, folks, I have to write my thesis!), I suggest that the process be circumvented and the list move to unanimously select Mary Kirkaldy as the first dinosaur list Betty recipient. I do not believe that any list member could question Mary's devotion to the this list, both in providing information content and organizational support far above and beyond the call of duty, always signed with a "best feathered dino wishes."I see no reason why we cannot take these two steps. As Honored Person Chapman has pointed out, we will certainly be encountering death more often as the years go by. We should sieze this opportunity to both find a way to honor those who have passed and try to better appreciate those who are still with us. Especially the latter, as everyone who has said "I wish I had thanked her" knows all too well.
[ Seconded -- MPR ]
Jonathan R. WagnerEven though I had not had the pleasure of meeting or corresponding with Betty Cunningham, I had enjoyed her numerous postings like so many others, and the news of her death was indeed a shock. She will be missed, but perhaps more importantly she will be remembered. The volume and feeling of the many remembrance postings is a tribute to Betty, and also a tribute to the members of this mailing list, to the many friendships formed and the sense of 'family'. Even in her passing, it seems that Betty has once again inspired us.
Graeme WorthDear Betty,
It is perhaps human nature that often in the forests of human life, we fail to fully contemplate a song bird's lovely melody and trill until we 'hear' the vacuum of deep, woodland silence at its end.
There is little more to say, beyond what Bert through Wagner and Worth have said so well, excepting that your untimely leaving reminds us to contemplate our own mortality and to live our lives in such a spirit as enables goats to fly.
Thanks, and a heartfelt goodbye, Flying Goat. You truly are missed. May your legacy, your song, long resound in the 'Mesozoic forests' of our minds.
Ray StanfordBetty, I know right now you are flying with an azure Archaeopteryx over the surface of a shimmering inland lagoon... when my time comes, I hope to be good enough to join you there.
Wish you were here,
Mitch LammFarewell Dear Betty, our time upon the stage of life is brief. You have been taken suddenly from us; many of us have not had the pleasure of meeting you in person, but we each feel as if we knew you personally, and we are better for it.
Tom RobiraFrom the most vocal members of this list to the most silent, we shall miss her voice on this list. We join her family in mourning her passing.
Rik ChandlerIt's such an odd thing... such an outpouring of emotion and deep feeling for someone many of us never met. I was tempted to try to write something eloquent about the loss of someone who was a dear friend, even though I would not have recognized her if I was sharing a phone booth with her. What I would have recognized, however, was her passion for her passions, her humor, and her ability to distill the essence from a topic. When Betty would make a comment, sometimes silly, sometimes full of insight, it had an uncanny ability to cut through the blather, while at the same time not being off-putting to the other participants in the conversation.
On the day that her death was announced to the list, I read my mail late in the night. My wife came into the office and found me at my computer, unable to talk and with tears rolling down my cheeks. Odd. This, for someone I never met.
Charles FullerShe seemed to be a very nice, knowledgable person. I never met her in person but would have liked to and always enjoyed her posts. It startled me to read (not long after I got back online and started College) that she'd died... I kinda must've been thinking all you dino-listers'd always just Be there, as stupid as that might've seemed. I haven't had much exposure to Death, so I was a bit shocked that Betty was.... dead.
Sickness, illness-- those I can understand, but this seemed so sudden, unwarned! I am sad that she is dead, and sad that I will never get to meet her IRL. She was an amazing person, as many of you are here. She, and you list members have been there to encourage me, patiently answering my (often) silly or rather... pointless/"Stupid"... questions, and I would like to thank you all for just taking the time to even e-mail me and reply to me on this list. Again, Betty's voice'll be missed, as I would miss all of you should any of your voices be silenced here. Jessica WagarWow, I don't know what to say! You can never truly estimate how much the passing of somebody you've never met will affect you until it happens. I had some of the most enjoyable disagreements of my life with Betty, despite being a relatively "newbie" list member and not knowing her as well as some of you did. I am reminded of the nights we'd bore the rest of the yahoo biology room with endless dino talk. I never got a chance to meet her, yet I always assumed I would eventually. I never told her how much I liked her picture of the nesting Archaeopteryx - I guess I thought it was too obvious a thing to mention, who didn't like her art? Wherever she is, I hope she knows she affected so many lives internationally.
With kind memories,
Sam Barnett
Wow! What a blow! This comes on the heels of new of the passing of a
coworker just the other day! Only recently had I the opportunity to meet
Betty (last SVP) and I was immediately struck by her free-spirited demeanor,
her candor, love of paleontology and her unique contribution to our stock in
trade. I've enjoyed her posts and her inquisitiveness. She left an indelible
mark on this list and everyone who ever subscribed to it.
God rest her soul!
My mind keeps drawing this Gary Larson-ish cartoon, wherein a group of large dinosaurs are all looking the same direction in great surpise. The caption reads, "Hey, look, guys! Here comes Betty!"
I'm going to miss you, Betty.
MK DragonI first learned of the Dinosaur Mailing List from a post by Betty some years ago on the rec.scalemodels group. I never corresponded with her personally, but I always enjoyed her posts to the List and had become a subscriber to Paleonews. It is strange to go through my e-mail without seeing her name in the 'from' column. She is missed, but from the volume and tone of the postings in response to the news of her death it is clear that she will be remembered.
Bruce WoollattI heard about Betty's death after being away for a week or so, but I very much want to share with other list members my heartfelt best wishes and thoughts for her family and friends.
Patrick NortonI have been member of the DML for about two years now. Living in Northern Germany I had no chance to meet her personally and I had only one short eMail exchange with her.
But when last wednesday I read about her passing away it was like loosing an old friend without knowing what she looks like. Just the feeling of an allways searching and caring personality shining through her eMails.
So good bye Lady Cunningham, you will be missed.
Heinz Peter BredowWe have lost one of our kindest and cheeriest of contributors. She will be missed greatly.
Scott HartmanLike nearly everyone on the list the terrible surprise could not have been more sudden. And reading the plethora of reactions from all over the list leaves me speechless. What more could I possibly add that has not already been said?
It's a strange feeling indeed to feel the great loss of a friend for a human being you never actually met in any way. Betty, wherever you are, I hope there are dinosaurs there...
Jarno PeschierI had never even thought that Betty would leave the list (especially so soon). I have known her presence here for as long as I have been on it and now to see her go, it is truly a shock. She would always respond to a thread with some kind of witty rejoinder or tidbit of info and supplied the list with untold amounts of paleontological info.
I have only corresponded with her a few times off list, but I have always loved her ability to dredge every available news source for paleo info and I thought the idea of paleonews as a digest and separate mailing list was a brilliant one. Indeed much of the paleo info I posted on my site was from her paleonews work. I can only hope that someone will take up the mantle and keep Betty's paleonews dream going.
Rest In Peace Betty; to say that you would be sorely missed would be an understatement at best.
James BlakeBeing quite new on this list, I didn't know Betty at all, and so there's nothing I could add to what has already been said, but I too would like to express my grief for her too early death.
Rest in peace, Betty.
Henri Rönkkö
Not always a close friend,
Nor ever a far away stranger.
A person which you talk,
Even by letters
Is always a friend...
To the loss we will never have how to replace...
As every person is unmatched...
So soon a friend leaves us.
To Betty Cunnningham.
With all respect that a friend may have for another.
In the past, I occasionally was able to post news articles prior to Betty. (very occasionally).
In my small effort in remembrance, I will continue to do so.
(To Betty...)
Don LamsonI had the oportunity to meet Betty Cunningham last October in Denver at SVP99 and I am glad that I had that chance. I have been on the Dinosaur List a long time (since 1995) and not many people are left from way back when: Tom Holtz, Jerry Harris, Darren Naish and of course Betty C come to mind as having had a constant presense on the list. She's someone I wish we could be a little more like: a person that loved paleontology because she loved it, and had no axe to grind nor attitude to cop. She'll be missed.
Like to a babe in his mother's robe,
Thou art enshrouded in my love.
With my song I weave a spell:
Evil powers may not approach
Within the powers of my voice:
Only the Gods may enter here
In holiness and love.
-- from Savitri, an opera by Gustav Holst
Pete BuchholzI often feel dissatisfied with the way the world works. When these kinds of things happen, I feel cheated. We all were robbed, don't you think? What a loss. A real downer.
Norm R. KingWhat a sad shock. I only met Betty once, at SVP last year, and liked her right away. Her news references posted on the list were much appreciated and I clicked on most of them. They helped me keep up with what was happening.
I really regret that we shall not ever meet again. Maybe special note of her can be made at the breakfast at this year's SVP. Richard Peirce
I am so very sad to hear this. I'll miss her ever present smile and
knowledge.
Now I wish I had taken the time to know her more than just her postings.
I also will miss Betty's news reports. It was like having a personal clipping service. I would have missed many important incidents in the legal areas of paleo without Betty's help. Thanks Betty, we will miss you.
James KirklandI'm very sorry to hear of this news. It was me to whom Betty gave her extra copy of a JVP issue, complete with a CD-ROM, though we didn't know one another and I live an ocean and continent away. I just want everyone to know this gesture of generosity that she performed.
Raymond Thaddeus C. AncogSome online paleontology contributors make a difference that cannot be accurately measured (the old tangible vs intangible issue). But the posted contributions made by Betty Cunningham undoubtably helped to further the science of paleontology, not only for the benefit of lay people, but also for the benefit of many professionals who took the time to read her PALEONEWS posts to get any "new leads".
The e-mailing lists that Betty was a member of will never be the same.
Phil BigelowI just found out today about Betty's death. I enjoyed talking to her on-line so much. She was very kind.
She will be very, very missed.
Chris EvansI'm afraid I was off-line when the news of Betty's death surfaced, but I wanted to say that I'll miss her, too. She was a fixture on this list, which will never be the same for having lost her. I wish I hadn't missed meeting her in person last fall; I gather she was even more of a character in person!
Bye, Betty.
Nick PharrisMy sincerest condolences to friends and family of Betty Cunningham, who's valuable posts will be sorely missed here.
Matt BonnanBetty was one of the first people to allow me to present her illustrations on Dinosaur Art and Modeling. They shall remain there as long as the site exists. She was a wonderful talent and a bright light for all paleo folks.
John RafertBetty's family would like to encourage donations in her name to any of the following organizations:
* American Lung Association
1740 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
1-800-LUNG-USA
* Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
60 Revere Dr. Suite 500
Northbrook, IL 60062
Tel: 847/480-9080
Fax: 847/480-9282
E-mail: svp@sherwood-group.com
* California Bat Conservation Fund
PMB #239
3053 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
* Peninsula Humane Society
650/340-7022, ext. 327
* San Francisco Zoological Society
San Francisco Zoo
1 Zoo Road
San Francisco, CA 94132-1098
Any museum, zoo, or wildlife organization.
"Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind"
-- Unknown. Taken from a small print Betty kept in her kitchen.
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