I Never Knew Him, But He Changed My Life

Yesterday, Stewart Udall died of natural causes, in the company of his family, at his home in Santa Fe, NM. Were it not for the news - and my preoccupation with the news - I would never have known who he was and it almost certainly would not have significantly affected my life. Yet this man in fact had a profound affect on my life from my earliest memories, and his actions will continue to play a major role in my experience for my foreseeable future.

Stewart Udall was the Secretary of the Interior during the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies. Before that, he was a congressman from Arizona, where in 1960, he fought for the protection of a little-before-known piece of land called the Great Swamp of New Jersey. At the time, the New York Port Authority had plans to turn the swamp into a new regional airport, replacing Newark Airport as a major facility capable of supporting the new jet age of transportation. Udall worked with conservation organizations to buy up save that small piece of land and protect it with an act of congress. The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge later became the first to officially receive Wilderness Area designation under the Wilderness Act of 1964.

As Interior Secretary, Udall continued to operate with the belief that the government should protect large areas of land for future generations. It was this value in mind that he championed the Wilderness Act and vastly expanded the National Park System.

Had it not been for the efforts of Stewart Udall and his allies in supporting this country's natural spaces, I would have had a vastly different - and I can only think more bland - childhood. My father started taking me into the Jefferson Wilderness wilderness area when I was so young that the only thing I could carry in on my own was my sleeping bag. Imagine a little asian kid running around with a stuff sack for a backpack. Those experiences engendered me with a deep love for nature and has shaped my life ever since. I would not have have the same friends that I do today, I would not have the same hobbies that I do today, nor would I even have the same job that I do today, were it not for the wilderness areas created by this man. In fact, I wouldn't have most of pictures that I do today either. I owe a giant debt of gratitude to Stewart Udall. Thanks, Stew.