Actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr., Holdren, and NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco sat through 6-hours of lectures on climate research and songs to celebrate the life of the climatologist who could communicate science like few others.
In March, climatologist Steven Schneider, drowsy from chemotherapy, was getting ready to go to bed. When he checked his e-mail, though, he found hundreds of messages from global warming skeptics and decided to respond. The next thing he knew, it was 3 a.m. and his wife was yelling at him to go to sleep. "In illness and in health, he was just plain working harder than everyone else on what needed doing," said White House scientist-in-chief John Holdren on Sunday at a memorial service for Schneider.
Schneider was a tireless and prolific scientist, publishing hundreds of influencial papers that he wrote, or edited as founder of Climatic Change. His battle with lymphoma barely slowed him down, but some speculated that his relentless pace may have ultimately taken a toll. Schneider died in July of an apparent heart attack while flying back to California from a climate meeting. "This brave and relentless man killed himself trying to do what he thought was right," said Former U.S. Senator Tim Wirth.
Memories, alcohol, and tears flowed between PowerPoint presentations on climate science and politics at this wonky and star-studded "Memorial Celebration." More than 300 climate scientists, colleagues, and friends of Schneider crowded into a big lecture hall at Stanford University
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