Walter Sullivan was a man of so many parts, it probably would not be difficult to compose an obituary that avoided duplicating material in interviews published in two previous issues of this newsletter (Summer and Fall 1995), a tribute by David Perlman in the following issue marking the presentation to Sullivan of the NASW Distinguished Science Journalism Award, and--sadly--his obituary by John Noble Wilford in the March 20 issue of The New York Times.
But an excursion recounted by his wife, Mary, in a program distributed at a memorial service in New York City on April 23, somehow tells the story of Walter Sullivan better than any list of achievements.
First, the reader was reminded of a romantic verse from our childhood:
The stag at eve had drunk its fill
Where danced the moon on Monan's rill,
And deep his midnight lair had made
In lone Glenartney's hazel shade....
Then Mary went on:
"A true romantic, Walter photocopied Canto First of Sir Walter Scott's 'The Lady of the Lake' on a trip to Scotland for The New York Times and took a weekend walking tour of the highlands in County Perth to follow the course of The Chase and locate the places mentioned in the poem. He found the valley of Glen Artney, the Ben Vorlich, Ben Venue and Ben Ledi mountains, Loch Monteith, Loch Ackray and Loch Vennachar, the town of Aberfoyle, the River Teith, the Brigg of Tuck, The Trossachs mountain defile where the stag took refuge, and Loch Katrine where the Lady of the Lake appeared, but not Monan's rill. 'Och,' said a man whom he asked, 'they keep changing the names.'"
Walter Sullivan was--perhaps like all fine science writers--indeed a true romantic. --H.J.L.
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