Another Personal Hero

Climb a tree, stand on a corner carrying your sign, protest for what you believe in. An old friend fasted for over 200 days across the street from the White House. Charlie Hyder is a role model for what I consider a true activist. That was over 25 years ago.
Seems like just the other day Charlie, Ron Sun Miller and myself were hanging out together in Albuquerque. He had a great sense of humor and created a special kind of easy camaraderie that becomes more and more difficult to find.
We come and then we go.
Below is a link and info about Charles Hyder, Ph.D., ex-NASA astrogeophysicist, University of New Mexico professor. I was saddened to learn that he died in 2004.
http://prop1.org/park/persons/hyder/hyd.htm
Make sure you check out the photo links. You’ll find the last image particularly interesting. —Ron

Charles Hyder, known as the “fasting Ph.D.,” once went on a 218-day anti-nuclear strike in the 1980s, drawing praise from many, including Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Hyder also had his detractors, who called him a “kook” and worse. But the Albuquerque native and astrophysicist was respected for standing up for what he believed in, including an attempt to keep radioactive waste from being stored in New Mexico, friends said.
Hyder died June 8. His several fasting protests took their toll, and he was in poor health in later years, according to the family’s paid obituary.
His family could not be reached for comment. Burial was private, and no services were held. Hyder was 74.
Ellen Thomas of Washington, D.C., said she and her husband, William, met and became friends with Hyder in the 1980s at Lafayette Park, the protest spot across from the White House. William Thomas founded the park’s peace vigil in 1981.
She said protesters like Hyder are often perceived as “homeless bums and lunatics, but a lot of people respect the idea we’re working on.”
She described Hyder as sure of himself, entertaining, charming and creative.