In Memoriam Blake Early (1945-2010)
Posted February 9, 2010 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
He disappeared in the dead of winter:
The brooks were frozen, the airports almost deserted,
And snow disfigured the public statues;
The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying day.
-- In Memory of W.B. Yeats (1939), W.H. Auden
I lost a friend this weekend.
And the country lost a tireless, unrivaled advocate for public health and the environment.
A. Blakeman “Blake” Early died this weekend at the tragic age of 64, after fighting cancer for six years with the same tenacity that he had fought for strong environmental and health protections for nearly four decades.
Blake began his career as a government attorney, but soon moved into the developing field of environmental advocacy at the dawn of the environmental movement in the mid-1970’s.
He worked for the Sierra Club in Washington for about 15 years, promoting a stronger Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Superfund law. He also served as an exemplary clean air advocate with the American Lung Association, where he worked from 1994 until his retirement in early 2009.
Blake’s life long achievements promoting and preserving strong health and environmental protections are too numerous to catalogue. As a fellow clean air advocate lucky enough to know Blake for the past decade, I can attest that his daily labor created the threads that form the fabric for our modern Clean Air Act.
Blake fought to get a rigorous Clean Air Act passed in Congress in 1990; persevered to get the Environmental Protection Agency – sometimes willingly, sometimes unwillingly – to uphold that law; and helped beat back innumerable attempts to weaken that law in Congress over the past 20 years.
Blake had an uncanny ability to gauge the real world political risks of bills and appropriations riders that members of Congress would undertake to weaken the Clean Air Act. Some were real threats that would galvanize clean air advocates behind Blake’s leadership, and far more often than not he helped defeat these efforts.
Other Congressional attacks were mere will-o’-the-wisps that Blake understood to represent the dyspeptic constitution of a particular Congressman and some frustrated constituency. Even these got the Maalox treatment from Blake, who was wise and experienced enough never to underestimate the ability of Congress to wreak damage to the public good with Capitol Hill’s legislative shenanigans.
Blake would wield one of his favorite examples with rhetorical flourish in response to some newbie advocate’s protestation that Congress could not possibly be that reckless. This example was a 1995 bill introduced by Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX) that in one ruthlessly simple, tidily irresponsible sentence repealed the entire Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. A law that Blake had worked years to help deliver, with 89 Senate votes, 401 House votes and the signature of a Republican President.
A biography can register occupations and dates, but it cannot capture the character of a man like Blake and the mark that he left on this Earth.
Blake was a mentor and role model to a generation of public health and environmental advocates. His strategic thinking, his homespun persuasiveness and tireless commitment got the job done again and again; but they also imparted hard-earned lessons by osmosis to those of us fortunate enough to walk by his side.
Blake earned a well-deserved reputation as someone that all sides of the debate could trust, someone who could broker solutions that others found elusive. He was the environmental movement’s gray beard long before he himself had a gray beard, commanding respect from his presence and openness to other perspectives.
Blake was unfailingly polite, even described by some as courtly. He was a gentleman in the tradition of Hollywood’s Golden Age, updated by the 1960’s student movement’s quest for justice and Earth Day’s green ethic.
But Blake also had a wry sense of humor that reflected a keen intellect and an Everyman’s awareness of the absurdities of Washington politics and policy. He could crack up a gathering of grim-faced environmentalists into shards of laughter with a wickedly funny comment under his breath, funnier still to the unfamiliar who just saw the courtliness but cherished by those of us that knew the jester.
Blake was a force of nature. His composed exterior somehow managed to contain a restless mix of passion and determination and tenacity that he brought to all his advocacy.
Even after he retired last year, while fighting his final battle with cancer, Blake would call or email me to discuss biofuels policy, of all things. He even dragged himself to a Senate staff briefing on biofuels because he just couldn’t keep away from trying to make the world a better place. Even a world without him.
While fighting that bastard disease, Blake would seek refuge by the sea, in the house he so loved on Chincoteague. Cured by the salty air and a glass of his favorite whiskey, my friend weathered his storms like the rugged shoreline.
There is no good time for a man as honorable, passionate and selfless as Blake to be taken from us. But through teary-eyed reflection these past few days, I think that Blake would have appreciated the events that coincided with the day he left this Earth.
The Washington metro area that Blake called home was struck by a blizzard that shut down D.C. and its environs. Blake was an avid hockey player at one time, and I can almost see him from his bed imagining outside his window the slick chill of some inviting rink.
Blake was in awe of Nature and dedicated his life to sustaining its wonders for this and future generations.
He also loved a good joke, and surely would have chortled at Nature bringing to its knees a Washington power structure that didn’t give a second thought to despoiling the environment through laws and policies and subsidies favoring polluters.
Sunday also ushered in the New Orleans Saints to victory in Superbowl XLIV. Blake followed hockey more than football, but by God he cared about the down-and-out and Hurricane Katrina broke his heart. I remember working with Blake in the aftermath of Katrina to ensure that special interests and some members of Congress would not compound the hurricane’s tragedy by waiving health and environmental safeguards. I know that Blake would have celebrated the Saints’ victory and the euphoria of this great American city.
News of Blake’s passing has been met with an outpouring of sadness and admiration, from fellow advocates, EPA employees and former and current Congressional staff fortunate enough to know him. Here are just some of those tributes I have received:
- “I consider him one of my earliest inspirations in D.C. He was such an ally and had fire in the belly and warmth of the soul – a rare combination that I immediately appreciated when I was scared and wide-eyed working” on Capitol Hill;
- “What a great guy and tenacious fighter for all things good and right”; and
- “I really loved that guy.”
I loved that guy too. And I know there are so many others that were touched by his goodness and compassion, instructed and inspired by his example, cheered by his humor and spirit.
So I want to extend two invitations. First, if you support the health and environmental goals that Blake worked on so fervently, consider making a contribution to the American Lung Association's National Headquarters so this fine organization can continue Blake’s life long mission to protect clean air and public health.
And second, I invite Blake’s friends, colleagues and admirers to comment here with your thoughts, your favorite anecdote, something to capture the memory of this gentle giant. Blake’s loving wife and two daughters deserve to know how much he meant to the rest of us, how much he contributed to the noble causes to which he dedicated his life.
Earth, receive an honored guest:
Blake Early is laid to rest.
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Comments
Jon Devine — Feb 9 2010 02:32 PM
Bless you, Blake. Thank you, Blake.
John Blair — Feb 9 2010 03:11 PM
In 1983, the main issue was acid rain and Blake would debrief me after meeting with staffers and members from the states of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio for what was then called the National Clean Air Coalition.
Blake was tremendous help in developing what later became my quest against new coal in the Illinois Basin as he answered my technical and political questions.
He did, indeed, do what is really required from all of us, he persevered in unrelenting ways and could always be counted on to fight for human health and the environment.
I will miss his unique and educated perspective on everything that had to do with safe air.
Michelle Robinson — Feb 9 2010 03:31 PM
No one was like Blake, though many of us wished to be. He possessed an intangible blend of civility, insight, determination, and mischief. Passion and compassion, respect and irreverence. I can sense him urging us on as threats to the Clean Air Act emerge anew. We will miss you Blake, but the lessons you taught and the laughs we shared are very much alive in our hearts.
Ron White — Feb 9 2010 06:19 PM
John's eloquent tribute to Blake covers much of what I would have said. So I'll add just a few personal thoughts. I first met Blake in the mid-1980s when attending meetings of the National Clean Air Coalition, and was impressed then with both his understanding of the political implications of the key issues under debate during the Clean Air Act Reauthorization battles of that period, as well as the the civil way he conducted himself in the sometimes contentious "discussions" that occured during that decade-long process. But it was after Blake joined the staff of the ALA that I got to know Blake personally as well as professionally. Professionally, I quickly came to appreciate not only Blake's political acumen, but also his detailed knowledge of the clean fuel provisions of the CAA and the implications of the often arcane intricacies of related policy proposals. His tenacious fight for what he believed to be in the best interests of public health has already appropriately noted, as was his ability to bring diverse interests and positions together to form a consensus position. But it was the personal side of Blake that I came to appreciate once he joined ALA. His biting wit kept me laughing many an evening, often in conjunction with his "partner in crime" Lucky Wentworth (then the ALA's clean air political dynamic duo). Blake's love of ice hockey and sailing is well known, but he also had a deep appreciation for music, especially the blues, which we shared. The world has lost a very special human being who made significant contributions to the quality of the environment and public health, and I will dearly miss a friend and colleague.
Deborah Shprentz — Feb 12 2010 10:54 AM
Blake took literally dozens of young environmental advocates under his wings and showed them the ropes. His good works will be carried on far into the future through their efforts.
Liz Barratt-Brown — Feb 13 2010 12:21 PM
I first met Blake when I arrived in Washington D.C., just graduated from college, to work for the Natural Resources Defense Council on the emerging issue of acid rain. Blake was one of the leaders of the National Clean Air Coalition, which was working to strengthen the Clean Air Act. Blake worked at the time at the Sierra Club, and along with David Gardiner, made up a formidable strategic and lobbying team for the Club and the community. When I arrived, I thought a lobby was a reception area at a hotel. There was a lot I had to learn about how Washington worked and Blake was a fantastic mentor. Those of us who were new sat in the back of NRDC’s conference room at 1725 I Street and listened to Blake, David, Dick Ayres, Dave Hawkins, Leslie Dach, Betsy Agle, Lucky Wentworth, and Susan Bufone map out a Hill strategy for protecting the first and in many ways the most important of our environmental laws.
Blake didn’t entertain compromise. If things weren’t going too well – he wouldn’t say it was time to think about an alternative that could satisfy his adversaries – he would re-double the field team to start an aggressive campaign back in the home districts of those members that needed shoring up. I learned from Blake about using the power of our collective memberships on the Hill and about how to use (mostly young whipper snappers) in the field to rally allies to meet with members, hold press conferences, and issue reports on the local ramifications of a vote that went the wrong way environmentally.
But what I also took in from Blake was a love not only for the issue, but for the job and all whom he interacted with. Blake’s joy for life was contagious. He was never down, and never sharp or critical. He was just smart and determined and deeply caring, even for those on the other side. I think this was what made Blake so successful over so many years in Washington – a town that can churn you up and spit you out in no time. Even if you disagreed with Blake, you could feel his heart in everything he did. He was decent, had integrity and was a true gentleman.
Those years in the early 80s were good ones. The world’s troubles seemed smaller, including its environmental woes. There didn’t seem to be anything that couldn’t be fixed by good legislation. And good legislation was possible. The anti-environmental lobbies of today existed then too but the peoples’ voices – heard through Blake’s lobbying – seem to have equal power. And the earth seemed more forgiving – a policy to stem lead in gas actually immediately reduced lead deposited in the forests of New England.
There were no computers then. I can remember Dick Ayres, whom I worked closely with, writing in his admirable long-hand on yellow legal pads and returning calls directly to members like George Mitchell from pink call slips stacked neatly on his desk. NRDC had one word processing computer – mainly for churning out legal briefs - that took up an entire room!
As a result there seemed to be more time for hanging out at Hawk and Dove, more playing of softball on the mall and eating pasta at Millie and Als. More crazy community events, like the pre-Halloween “shoe” parties at Tom Cosgrove’s house off Connecticut. But then – maybe it’s because now I have kids to get home to in the evening and we are – from this early group of activists – getting older that things feel more urgent, more complex and sadly, less resolvable.
I thank Blake for being such a guiding light through these early years of environmentalism for me and countless others. I thank Blake for his jolly nature – his cheerful and passionate brown eyes and mischievous grin. And mostly I thank Blake for the tremendous difference he has made in the lives of all Americans, because, after all, no matter how rich or poor, what region of the country we live in, we breathe the air. He was a tireless advocate for making that air clean for all of us. Thank you Blake. We’ll miss you!
Rick Hind — Feb 13 2010 04:05 PM
I just read the sad news in today's Washington Post. It jolted me back to when I first worked with Blake in 1984. He was at the Sierra Club and I was just starting at US PIRG. He was in the midst of leading a blue-green campaign to overhaul the Superfund toxic waste clean up law. Two years later we were celebrating an amazing victory. In addition to Blake's calm strategic thinking, his dry sense of humor could always be counted on to lighten tense moments.
Making critically needed improvements in the political and ecological environment weren't enough for Blake. His good humor and reasoned style also ensured a more friendly work environment wherever he went.
But I can also hear Blake saying, "all work and no play..." On US PIRG's softball team, win or lose, our most enjoyable games were always against the Sierra Club or "CLAW." Blake was everyone's MVP.
The planet and its inhabitants are better off thanks to Blake. It was an honor to have known and worked with him. We’ll miss him dearly.