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Posted by Ballpark Frank (69.178.8.75) on 00:13:56 08/22/16
Deb and Lew made monumental contributions to the Yellowstone Loon community over the years. Their creation of the Secure Loon Page was instrumental in the facilitation of numerous Loonions over the years, with the security function allaying the fears of those reluctant to post personal information in a public forum. They went well beyond that, eventually creating the Home of the Yellowstone Wolf site, and hosting all sorts of Loon-related information, including chat, trip reports, and even a calendar for posting activities.
Mounting that calendar took a fair amount of effort back in the day. Lew stayed on it, and was committed to working any bugs out of it as they were identified. The calendar allowed us to post all sorts of activities, ranging from day hikes to Loonions. I have met so many wonderful people thanks to Deb and Lew s creations. A number of them became close personal friends, and remain so to this day.
What an irony it is that the Secure Loon Page was an integral part of the planning process for the Allison Memorial in 2004, and years later, the calendar was employed to publicize Lost Loon Memorial events in 2009 commemorating the passing of a number of Loons, including Allison, James Musgrove, and Mike G. Now, these pages get precious little traffic, thanks to sweeping changes in social media and time moving on. For those interested, there remains a wealth of information on those pages.
I spent a fair amount of time on roadsides in Yellowstone with Deb and Lew. It is a tribute to the strength of their relationship that it is hard to think of one without the other. I know this has to be an incredibly difficult time for Deb. I want her to know just how much her and Lew s efforts on the behalf of the Loon community are appreciated. The cumulative impact is impossible to measure, because they are ongoing.
Beyond their contribution to the Loon community, Lew and Deb also demonstrated their support for Yellowstone National Park and its resources through their generous giving. We will not likely know the full extent of that magnanimity, but I know it is substantial!
I hope to see Deb again, in Yellowstone, where we can celebrate Lew and his accomplishments. I don t know you can pay someone a greater compliment than to say they had a widespread positive impact on a great number of lives. Thanks Lew, and thank you Deb, for sharing him with us.
Ballpark
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