It is with deep sadness and heartache that Common Dreams announces the tragic death earlier this week of longtime contributor and devoted environmental and political activist John Atcheson.
Atcheson’s family shared with sorrow that John was killed in a car accident in San Diego, California on Monday evening, not far from his home. He was 71 years old.
“We know that John touched many lives and was beloved by those who knew him. While our grief is indescribable, celebrating his life is a way to share our favorite memories, his favorite songs, and build our sense of gratitude for each moment we shared with him,” his wife, Linda Pratt, said in a statement on behalf of the family. “He is a shining star and will remain in our hearts forever.”
“John Atcheson has been one of Common Dreams’ smartest, most inspiring voices over the past 15 years. A great writer. Politically astute. Unapologetically progressive. His death is a huge loss to Common Dreams and the whole progressive community.”
—Craig Brown, Common DreamsA passionate voice on these pages for over a decade and a half, John’s untimely death was a shock to staff and we collectively send our deepest condolences to his family and friends as well as the countless readers who were informed, challenged, and inspired by his writing and political critique.
“John Atcheson has been one of Common Dreams‘ smartest, most inspiring voices over the past 15 years,” said Craig Brown, co-founder and executive director. “A great writer. Politically astute. Unapologetically progressive. His death is a huge loss to Common Dreams and the whole progressive community.”
Born on Dec. 13, 1948 in New Jersey, Atcheson—who leaves behind two children, two stepchildren, and three grandchildren—was revered by his family as a dedicated father and grandfather.
After growing up mostly in Pompton Plains, New Jersey and later Bethesda, Maryland where attended high school. John served in the U.S. Army and later received his degree in geology. Professionally, John served a long and successful career in environmental protection, first at the Environmental Protection Agency and later at the Department of Energy, where he focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy. He was a lifelong lover of nature who hiked and explored the great wild spaces of North America and elsewhere throughout his life. John authored two published books. The first, a novel, titled, A Being Darkly Wise, and the second a work of non-fiction titled, WTF, America? How the US Went Off the Rails and How to Get It Back On Track.
In a eulogy shared with Common Dreams by high school friend Taki Alexis, Atcheson is described as “a man of warmth, humor and a spirit of generosity that lifted us all.” Known as Atchee by his childhood pals, John’s personality was known to be infectious. “One cold winter day John and I rode a pair of quiet, competent motorcycles over a rise and onto a snow driven field where a herd of deer were grazing,” he wrote. “As we were calm they didn’t scatter and we romped along together for a long while… even the deer wanted to pal around with Atchee.”
After retiring in 2009 and moving to California to be with Linda, whom he married in 2010, he dedicated more time to both his writing and activism.
“He lived fully, touched the hearts and minds of so many, and embodied thoughtfulness and compassion,” the family said in their remembrance of him. “We can only cover tiny fractions of his journey, which ended much too soon.”
Atcheson’s life will be celebrated with a private memorial service with family and close friends next week. His family members request anyone wishing to honor John’s life and spirit make a contribution to any nonprofit aligned with his strong commitment to environmental protection and climate justice. One example, an organization in which he was actively engaged, is the San Diego-based Stay Cool for Grandkids.
Reading through the digital archive that includes hundreds of John’s columns dating from 2004 to late 2019, readers can witness the breadth of his knowledge and his unwavering commitment to social justice, a more equal society, and the essential need to fight like hell for a better future for the world’s people and natural systems.
It was in a 2004 column when John declared with urgency that “we have to act now” on the climate crisis. This was well into the Bush era but prior to Hurricane Katrina. That devastating event opened many people’s eyes in the U.S. to the intensifying dangers of a warming planet, but it was no surprise to those who had already been paying attention to, and taking seriously, the scientific warnings. Before there was 350.org or Green New Deals or global climate strikes, there were people like John sounding the alarm as best and as loud as they could.
And John was not afraid to put his body on the line. In 2011, as the growing climate justice movement targeted President Barack Obama for his refusal to deny a construction permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, Atcheson was among 46 others who—on a hot August day in Washington, D.C. and as part of a larger wave that summer—risked arrest outside the White House.
What made him do it? It wasn’t optimism, he confessed.
“The truth is, I am not optimistic that our actions will change the direction of this particular fossil fueled juggernaut,” he wrote at the time. So then what was his reason? “The plain fact is, in an age filled with cynicism,” he explained, “I needed to feel hopeful.”
But it was not a branded, unearned hope. It was the feeling of hopefulness that only the witnessing of bravery and solidarity in extraordinary times can inspire. With humanity facing down the threat of pending climate catastrophe, “now is a time that cries out for the power of hope,” John wrote. “Never before in the short history of humans, has there been such a time.”
He continued:
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