[FCN Announcements] Lee Baxandall (1935-2008)

[public at lists.fcn.ca]

Begin forwarded message:

>
> DATE   : November 28, 2008
> SUBJECT: Lee Baxandall (1935-2008)
> TO     : All naturists
>
> Dear Naturist,
>
> The Naturist Society has announced with profound sadness that its  
> founder, Lee Baxandall, has died in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Baxandall,  
> who had suffered from Parkinson's Disease, was 73 years old at the  
> time of his death on November 27, 2008.
>
> Baxandall began his work as a naturist activist more than 30 years  
> ago. With a background in writing and publishing, Lee's naturist  
> passion led him in 1976 to form the Free Beaches Documentation  
> Center, which he located in his hometown of Oshkosh. By 1980, Lee  
> had founded The Naturist Society (TNS), and TNS had presented its  
> first Gathering for naturists. 'Clothed with the Sun,' the flagship  
> publication of TNS in its early years, was renamed 'Nude & Natural,'  
> or more simply, 'N' magazine in 1989. Today, the magazine has a  
> staff of professional and volunteer writers, but in the early days,  
> much of the content of the magazine was pure Baxandall.
>
> Lee was also the initiating force behind other familiar naturist  
> organizations. In 1983, it was a Baxandall idea (and $70 in seed  
> money that Lee pulled from his own pocket and gave to Murray  
> Kaufman) that led to the TNS special interest group that would  
> become Gay Naturists International. In 1990, Baxandall jump-started  
> the Naturist Action Committee as an adjunct to TNS. The Naturist  
> Education Foundation followed in 1993.
>
> For the decades of the 1980s and 1990s, 'Lee Baxandall's World Guide  
> to Nude Beaches and Resorts' was the standard companion for those  
> seeking information on naturist destinations throughout the world.  
> Each edition of the World Guide reflected Lee's naturist philosophy,  
> not only for growing numbers of naturists, but also for the benefit  
> of an expanding mainstream audience. Baxandall's World Guide is the  
> inspiration for 'The World's Best Nude Beaches and Resorts,' a  
> recent TNS publication that carries on the tradition.
>
> In 2002, recognizing the inevitable effect of his declining health,  
> Baxandall transferred ownership of The Naturist Society to a  
> carefully selected handful of longtime associates. TNS is  
> necessarily a dynamic organization that responds to the changing  
> needs of its members. Nevertheless, owners Nicky Hoffman Lee and  
> Margaret Thornton have remained remarkably faithful to the vision of  
> Lee Baxandall.
>
> DETAILS AND ARRANGMENTS
>
> Arrangements are pending. Lee's family has not yet announced  
> details. More complete obituaries will, of course, appear in N  
> magazine and in The Newsletter. The Naturist Action Committee will  
> distribute further information in the form of NAC Updates, as  
> details become available.
>
> The directors of the Naturist Action Committee and the Naturist  
> Education Foundation join with the ownership and staff of The  
> Naturist Society in marking, with respect and appreciation, the  
> passing of an exceptional individual.
>
> "Body acceptance is the idea. Nude recreation is the way."
> - Lee R. Baxandall (1935-2008)
>
> Naturally,
>
> Bob Morton
> Executive Director
> Naturist Action Committee
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
> Executive Director Bob Morton       - execdir at naturistaction.org
> Naturist Society: Nicky Hoffman Lee - nickyh at naturistsociety.com
> Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick      - naturist at sunclad.com
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>