R.I.P. H.E.Taylor

I have a sad announcement to make, further to my previous posting about a missing edition of A Week of GW News.

Harvey E. Taylor, aka het, died Monday, July 14, 2014 at his home in Portage la Prairie, a small town in Manitoba, Canada.  All I know of it is from one brief online obituary and one more detailed one at the website of a funeral home. It says he died peacefully and in his home.

I have appreciated the hard work and dedication it must have taken to provide his amazingly comprehensive weekly survey of climate change related news and science over the years, and I am sure many others have as well.  He did not miss a week in the 7 years I have been reblogging it, nor in the 2 or so years I spent following sci.environment before that.

Rest in Peace, het.

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Sad news..thanks for the work, H.E.!

This is very sad news. HET was a credit to us all, gentle, funny, dedicated. He will be sorely missed, more than many people might think. Condolences to the family, but I feel the loss is to us all, the wider online community.

By Fergus Brown (not verified) on 22 Jul 2014 #permalink

Sad news indeed! He was dedicated beyond any reasonable expectation and was a great resource for those following the climate debate. He will be missed.

I remember him from usenet days. He was a good man.

By G.R.L. Cowan (not verified) on 22 Jul 2014 #permalink

Should a history of these times come to be written, historians will find his work most helpful in understanding who we were.

By Hank Roberts (not verified) on 22 Jul 2014 #permalink

Yes, the book is finished but I don't have the last three chapters. I am going to see if I can get a hold of them via his family. I think he would've wanted it to be finished, we were so close

I really enjoyed The Bottleneck years, and now wish that I'd tried harder to pay for it. H.E. Taylor made a difference in my life, and obviously on many others. A noble legacy.

By Bryan Killett (not verified) on 23 Jul 2014 #permalink

This is sad to hear. I've been using his weekly summary to keep up to date on climate matters for several years. He made a small but very useful contribution to the climate issue, and I shall certainly miss him for that.

By hinschelwood (not verified) on 23 Jul 2014 #permalink

HE Taylor did his part and more. He'll be greatly missed. I agree w/an earlier comment, his AGW roundup changed my life, too. I used to recommend it to my students and friends all the time

By Will Watson (not verified) on 23 Jul 2014 #permalink

Sad to hear this. Condolences to his family. I'm sure many will be missing the weekly roundup.

By William T (not verified) on 26 Jul 2014 #permalink

Very sad news. The job he did was amazing and I will really miss the service.

By Phil Scadden (not verified) on 29 Jul 2014 #permalink

How sad. He lived a good life and did good things and his absence will be our loss.

It would be nice to see the book completed. I hope his family is fully aware of how much his service to the rest of us was appreciated. They should be proud.

Condolences the HET's family, friends and those who have appreciated his contributions.

By Eli Rabett (not verified) on 10 Aug 2014 #permalink

Very sad to hear of his passing -- his work was much appreciated.

By Tenney Naumer (not verified) on 11 Aug 2014 #permalink

There's a hole in the knowledgesphere. So long, het.

By Ed Darrell (not verified) on 11 Aug 2014 #permalink

That is very sad news indeed. His work was remarkable not just for it's breadth and depth, also for his tireless efforts and the fact that he didn't miss a beat.

(I owe a great deal to HE Taylor and his weekly updates, which I won't ever be able to repay now.)

Harvey (HET) was my sister's husband and my friend for over 40 years. Thank you for your tributes and for recognizing the contributions he made to our understanding of the world.

They say that nothing ever disappears from the net. In this case, that's good. I always want to find Harvey's writings somewhere. Humankind could use them.

By Roxanne Hooker (not verified) on 31 Aug 2014 #permalink

Hello, I am Harvey' sister. Thank for your kind comments. Harvey had a heart condition, but was on medication and we thought things were stable. Apparently not. He was found sitting in his computer chair, so it seems to have been sudden.
We really don't know how to work the on-line sales. I'm a high school English teacher and our brother, David, is a registered nurse. We hope to get things figured out in time. For now don't worry about payments.

By Marion Taylor (not verified) on 30 Nov 2014 #permalink

Condolences to the family and friends of this remarkable man. Having accessed and appreciated his global warming news efforts over many years, I was intrigued when it stopped on June 29 last year, and increasingly became concerned when it did not reappear. I had read one of his books, and felt like I knew him. I was a fan. Recently I sent an email to him, and my concern grew when I received no reply. Today I discovered the obituaries/funeral notices on the web, and felt terribly sad. Even from this distance, on the other side of the world, I could tell he was a very good man, who used his fine intelligence for the best purposes. A real loss.

By Bruce Hogben (not verified) on 20 Feb 2015 #permalink