Today, April 22, is Earth Day! It’s the 42nd Anniversary of the very first Earth Day. Here for Angie of Childhood Relived (because I am her primary new source) is Walter Cronkite’s report on the first Earth Day, 1970:
It would also be my late sister Judy’s 60th birthday.
Whoever made the decision to turn Judy’s birthday into Earth Day chose wisely. Judy was a born environmentalist and recycler.
On the first Earth Day, Judy was a new, very young mother who believed in saving the planet. She was the first “environmentalist” I ever knew personally, and well, I thought she was nuts. There was a recycling bin in her kitchen for as long as I can remember. And this was back when recycling took effort. She believed in gardens, not garbage, and she made life bloom wherever she was.
“I’ve got kids,” she’d say. “It’s their planet too!”
But years later, Judy took recycling to a whole different level when she helped people recycle themselves. In the 1990s, Jude, who was then living in Florida, began working with the Homeless, assisting at shelters. Then she actively began trying to help homeless vets food, shelter and work — to enable them to jumpstart their lives.
When she died in early 2000, the American Legion awarded her honorary membership for her services to homeless vets. A homeless shelter was named in her honor. So she’s still doing good works, my sister is. That would make her wildly happy.
Jude also gave me the Beatles. So it is very appropriate that they wrote a song for her.
You see, the night the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, it was MY turn to choose what we were going to watch. And we were going to watch the second part of The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh starring Patrick McGoohan on the Wonderful Wide World of Disney. My four (all older and MUCH cooler) siblings were furious with me. But I was quite insistent. You might even say that I threw a Class I temper tantrum over it, but I wouldn’t admit to that. But hey, I was seven. And it was my turn to choose. Fair is fair, especially in a big family with only one TV.
Somehow, Judy talked me out of my turn. She was always very persuasive. Thanks Jude.
Hey Jude, Happy Earth Day-Birthday.
Hi,
A lovely tribute to your Sister very nice.
I haven’t heard this song for ages, and I’m listening to it as I type, it really is a wonderful song.
Thanks, Mags. It is a great song — one of my all time favorites.
Kudos to Judy for her efforts in doing her part not only for the earth, but humanity. She sounds like she was very cool indeed! The video is classic.
Thanks Tops, she was amazing much of the time. But she was my sister so the rest of the time I wanted to smack her!
She sounds remarkable – you must miss her like crazy!
I do. But mostly she was the only person I’ve ever know who could turn problems in to situation comedy. She was hilarious.
I am sorry for the loss of your sister – I cannot imagine what that is like. From your description and loving tribute – I know I would have loved your sister, too. Happy Earth Day/Birthday, Jude.
We are big recyclers here, and we have a water-saving showerhead (and a tiny water heater) which guests complain about – but water is a precious commodity and we take our consumption seriously.
Thanks Katy.
We conserve water here without any trouble at all — we have a well and a pump that only permits the water to spit at us while in the shower. But not many folks realize how important the little things are — turning off the water when you’re brushing your teeth, put a bottle in the toilet tank to reduce the per-flush flow of water. Lots of little things.
Some day not so far in the future, water will be the most valuable commodity on the planet. And that’s pretty scary.
Wish there were more people who shared your late sister’s attitude and passions. What a great tribute!
I’m sorry for your loss. Judy must have been a wonderful person. Lovely tribute!
Thanks Susan. I do miss her.
Happy Birthday/Earthday to an inspirational person! I love the way you show us these glimpses of your past and let us into your heart.
Jude surely knows that you are keeping her memory alive and well!
Thanks, Momshieb. She was something else, and I do miss her.
What a lovely and loving tribute. I was never a big Beatles fan with the exception of a couple of exceptional songs, this was always one of them. Your sister sounds as if she was one of the heroes, I am sorry you lost her so early but glad you have some wonderful memories of her.
Thanks, Val. Judy always thought they wrote the song for her, and I agree. The fact that they didn’t know her, well, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t for her, now does it?
Perfect.
Thanks Pal.
Great picks for videos! That Cronkite voice and those McCartney eyes (and voice)… Sigh.
Your sister sounds like an amazing women. She has left behind quite the legacy and you have truly done right by her with your touching tribute.
Thanks, Michelle. Judy was pretty cool, and quite modest. And very snarky!
How appropriate that Earth Day is on her birthday. I’m sure you still miss her.
I’m pretty sure they chose this date because it was her birthday
.
Elyse, this is a wonderful tribute. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you liked it, Georgette.
I always liked “Hey Jude” on Apple…and the tie to your sister is a great connection. Well done.
Your sister is an instpiration, and this is a great post! I only hope that by the time people realize that the messages of Earth Day are necessary, it isn’t too late…
Thanks Guap. I’m quite sure it’s not too late — only today I heard on Faux News that the earth is cooling …
Great tribute to your sister … who obviously was a wonderful person!
Thanks Frank. Yeah, she was pretty cool. AND she got a great song!
What a wonderful tribute!
Thanks, PW. Glad you liked it.
I love your sister! Anyone who was a pioneer in enviornmentalism is a hero in my book – and a beatles fan? Clearly she was a woman of impeccable taste as well. Loved this tribute to her, it does her proud. x
She was certainly ahead of the curve on environmental issues — I remember thinking she was completely crazy, though — nobody recycled back then. (I did catch on, though).
Thanks for your nice comment Karyn!
I am sure she would love your beautiful tribute and appreciate the connection between her birthday and earthday. Well said.
Thanks Renee. She loved the connection and celebrated her Earth Day – Birthday faithfully!
Sounds like she was a wonderful woman and sister. Hopefully when my kids are grown and out of the house I can make a difference in the lives of others like she did.
That is certainly the way she did it — and raising kids makes a huge difference in the world!
Sisters are something great, aren’t they? It’s wonderful that her spirit lives on in many ways, but I know she is missed. This is a really touching post.
Thanks MM. Yeah, I miss her a whole lot.
Beautiful story of family life, love and memories, Elyse
Thanks Janis. She was pretty cool. And gone way too soon.
xo
Thanks for paying a tribute to Mother Earth. We are all here, enjoying the air we breath, the food bounty, the beautiful nature around us because Earth is our home. And now that she’s getting older and more populated than ever, we need to take care of her. We all need to give back…wonderful post!
Thanks, IT! You’re right. We need to take care of the planet every day.
Beautifully written tribute to Judy, Elyse, and how wonderful that she gave you examples of compassion…. caring for people and the planet, as well as the greatest musical revolution the world has seen in the last century….. The Beatles.
Thanks GOF. She was wonderful, and like all sisters, terrible on occasion too. That’s how I knew she was human.
And yes, she gave me the Beatles (and my very first album, “Beatles ’64″ which would probably be a collector’s item if I could find it — they didn’t produce many of that one.
Oh no, Walter! I missed Earth Day? It’s all my fault for getting behind in my blog reading! What an amazing sister you have. Happy birthday, Jude! (Great name! I’m partial to it because it happens to be my son’s name. He’s pretty amazing too, so they have a lot more in common.)
Thanks for the shout-out. Sorry to arrive late to the party.
It’s always a party when you arrive, Angie. And say “Hey” to your Jude for me.
Happy belated Earth Day. I wish I had a sister like Jude as a mentor to environmentalism. Alas, I stumbled upon conservation in my 30′s and didn’t even take that seriously until into my 40′s. Every day’s Earth Day in my house. Lovely tribute and post…glad to have arrived here, Elyse.
Thanks Shannon. Welcome!
That video of Paul makes me feel old. Yeah, I’m late too. So far behind. But the world keeps spinnin’!
It was when Paul appeared as a coverboy on AARP Magazine that I realized that I was almost old. He is a bit older than me!
Love this and the fact I almost feel I knew her after reading such a warm tribute. Peace.
Thanks Bella. You would have liked her!
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