krelnik
Graduate Poster
Last year at TAM, I did an Oscar-style "In Memoriam" reel for skepticism-related people who had died in the last year or so. There was one reel for skeptics and one for non-skeptics. Many of you might not have seen it as it ran on the screens in the main hall during the breaks. You can view the presentations online at my Skeptools blog.
I'm going to do this again this year for TAM9, and I've been collecting obituaries during the year to this end. But some of the personalities relevant to skepticism are admittedly obscure, and the obits often don't make the newspaper, so I could use your help.
Here's what I have so far. Let me know who I've missed, and if you think anyone in these lists isn't relevant enough, or whatever.
Skeptics & relevant scientists:
[table=head]Name|Died|Claim to fame
Steve Schneider|July 19, 2010|Climate scientist
Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith|August 12, 2010|UK politician critical of Scientology
Jack Horkheimer|August 20, 2010|Science popularizer
Claire Rayner|October 11, 2010|UK celebrity supporter of secularism
Geoffrey Crawley|October 29, 2010|Photographer, debunked Cottingley Fairies
Charles Reynolds|November 4, 2010|Magician, helped Randi debunk Geller for TIME
Frank Fenner|November 22, 2010|Virologist, oversaw eradication of smallpox
Robyn Dawes|December 14, 2010|Psychologist, studied human irrationality
David Alexander|December 21, 2010|Magician, Skeptics Society board member
Denis Dutton|December 28, 2010|Philosopher, founder of New Zealand skeptics
Bette Orsini|March 26, 2011|Journalist, won Pulitzer for coverage of Scientology
Barry Blumberg|April 5, 2011|Nobel Laureate, invented Hepatitis B vaccine
David Sencer|May 2, 2011|Head of CDC during 1976 swine flu
Derek K. Miller|May 3, 2011|Skeptic
[/table]
Non-skeptics:
[table=head]Name|Died|Claim to fame
Fred Hutchison|August 10, 2010 |Science denialist
Laurence Gardner|August 12, 2010|Pseudohistorian & conspiracy theorist
Michel Montignac|August 22, 2010|French diet promoter
Rustum Roy|August 26, 2010|Geochemist who defended of homeopathy
Berthold E. Schwarz|September 16, 2010|Researcher taken in by Project Alpha
Alvin H. Lawson|September 8, 2010|English professor & UFOologist
Stan Gooch|September 13, 2010|Psychologist turned crackpot pseudo-anthropologist
Zecharia Sitchin|October 9, 2010|Ancient astronauts & planet Nibiru
David Fontana|October 18, 2010|Parapsychologist
Paul the Psychic Octopus|October 26, 2010|World Cup predictions
Sri Daya Mata|November 30, 2010|New age religious leader
Ion Alexis Will|December 26, 2010|Fortean Times contributor & co-author of "The Great Caper"
Kenneth Grant|January 15, 2011|Occultist
Premananda|February 21, 2011|Religious leader & convicted rapist
Ion Hobana|February 22, 2011|SF writer & UFOologist
Nirmala Srivastava|February 23, 2011|Religious leader
Roch Thériault|February 26, 2011|Cult leader
José Argüelles|March 23, 2011|New age author, Harmonic Convergence
Sai Baba|April 24, 2011|Indian guru and "god man"
David Wilkerson|April 27, 2011|Christian evangelist & failed prophet
[/table]
Thank you already to Jim Lippard who supplied several of the above names.
I'm going to do this again this year for TAM9, and I've been collecting obituaries during the year to this end. But some of the personalities relevant to skepticism are admittedly obscure, and the obits often don't make the newspaper, so I could use your help.
Here's what I have so far. Let me know who I've missed, and if you think anyone in these lists isn't relevant enough, or whatever.
Skeptics & relevant scientists:
[table=head]Name|Died|Claim to fame
Steve Schneider|July 19, 2010|Climate scientist
Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith|August 12, 2010|UK politician critical of Scientology
Jack Horkheimer|August 20, 2010|Science popularizer
Claire Rayner|October 11, 2010|UK celebrity supporter of secularism
Geoffrey Crawley|October 29, 2010|Photographer, debunked Cottingley Fairies
Charles Reynolds|November 4, 2010|Magician, helped Randi debunk Geller for TIME
Frank Fenner|November 22, 2010|Virologist, oversaw eradication of smallpox
Robyn Dawes|December 14, 2010|Psychologist, studied human irrationality
David Alexander|December 21, 2010|Magician, Skeptics Society board member
Denis Dutton|December 28, 2010|Philosopher, founder of New Zealand skeptics
Bette Orsini|March 26, 2011|Journalist, won Pulitzer for coverage of Scientology
Barry Blumberg|April 5, 2011|Nobel Laureate, invented Hepatitis B vaccine
David Sencer|May 2, 2011|Head of CDC during 1976 swine flu
Derek K. Miller|May 3, 2011|Skeptic
[/table]
Non-skeptics:
[table=head]Name|Died|Claim to fame
Fred Hutchison|August 10, 2010 |Science denialist
Laurence Gardner|August 12, 2010|Pseudohistorian & conspiracy theorist
Michel Montignac|August 22, 2010|French diet promoter
Rustum Roy|August 26, 2010|Geochemist who defended of homeopathy
Berthold E. Schwarz|September 16, 2010|Researcher taken in by Project Alpha
Alvin H. Lawson|September 8, 2010|English professor & UFOologist
Stan Gooch|September 13, 2010|Psychologist turned crackpot pseudo-anthropologist
Zecharia Sitchin|October 9, 2010|Ancient astronauts & planet Nibiru
David Fontana|October 18, 2010|Parapsychologist
Paul the Psychic Octopus|October 26, 2010|World Cup predictions
Sri Daya Mata|November 30, 2010|New age religious leader
Ion Alexis Will|December 26, 2010|Fortean Times contributor & co-author of "The Great Caper"
Kenneth Grant|January 15, 2011|Occultist
Premananda|February 21, 2011|Religious leader & convicted rapist
Ion Hobana|February 22, 2011|SF writer & UFOologist
Nirmala Srivastava|February 23, 2011|Religious leader
Roch Thériault|February 26, 2011|Cult leader
José Argüelles|March 23, 2011|New age author, Harmonic Convergence
Sai Baba|April 24, 2011|Indian guru and "god man"
David Wilkerson|April 27, 2011|Christian evangelist & failed prophet
[/table]
Thank you already to Jim Lippard who supplied several of the above names.
