Leaving a Memento for Carl Sagan

Feb 26,'07: My pilgrimage to Lakeview Cemetery in Ithaca, NY was unplanned- that is, I had thought about it for over a year but distance and not knowing exactly where Carl was buried were obstacles. I couldn't foresee that a series of Freecycle accidents and a shivering wet kitten in a snowstorm would all lead up to making the visit finally happen on this snowy Monday morning. I never got to meet Carl though my degree of "Kevin Bacon" is one or two. I didn't have the traditional pale blue marble to leave (since this was unplanned) but did happen to have a blue piece of crafting glass. Not round like the Earth, but i don't think Carl would mind. Note the cool backpack buttons- one of which is of Carl himself.

Scott, a Lakeview volunteer who helped me find Carl's grave said people from as far away as China have come looking for Carl. After removing the snow we found 2 frozen newspapers on Carl's stone- with articles about Carl. A Dec. 20th issue of The Ithaca Times and a Nov 27th issue of the Tompkins County something Weekly.

I have used the new GoogleMaps function here to eyeball where Carl is. These are the eyeballed coordinates and as such are very rough indeed.
geo:lat=42.456449654564295
geo:lon=-76.49428367614746

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[kjg28]

Ok, here's an update. So I'm not sure when you visited, but I was just at his grave this Nov 9th to commemorate his birthday (I'm a senior at Cornell right now). From what I can tell, I believe your marble is still there, but the papers are not. I added a large stone that I colored blue to the collection...

[SardonicusRexx]

I almost drove down on the 9th for a Sagan function but postponed it by request. I still thought about heading down to pay respects but didn't. :-( Did you get any pics of his grave & momentos for the "archeology" archives? It's so interesting seeing momentos that people left over the months/years, and seeing what endures or doesn't. Was the lil blue plastic frog still there?

[cowndelorean]

Thats what I call a tribute... thanks for share

but, where is it?

[SardonicusRexx]

Many thanks. You should visit Ithaca if you can, and see his monument on The Commons, visit his grave and see his house over the gorge. This was shot in the Lakeview cemetery. My other vids show you how to find his plot.

[SaganAppreciationSoc]

I checked on Carl's grave Monday night and another small brilliant blue rock has been left by persons unknown. Wish we knew who these people were.

[fctchk]

Mr. Sagan now enjoys relief from the billions and billions of cretins who just dont get it.

By the way, interestingly, as to the etymology of the word "cretin", the most common derivation is from the Alpine French dialect pronunciation of the word Chrétien - (a) Christian.

[bailesie]

I just got back from a visit to Carl's grave and am uploading the video as we speak. The rocks and momentos around his grave were absolutely touching... Right in the middle of his grave is a little stone that reads, "Teach" - As corny as it sounds, I cried when I saw his headstone surrounded with such reverence. I can't help but get choked up over how many lives he touched and what a wonderful teacher he was and is to this very day.

I wish I could have met him, but I think we all have in a way.

[N4SONIC]

Personally, I would be delighted if there were a life after death, especially if it permitted me to continue to learn about this world and others, if it gave me a chance to discover how history turns out. - Carl Sagan. We miss you Carl, as long as there are people on the pale blue dot, they will know who you were, Rest In Peace old friend :).

[glorp896]

@SardonicusRexx yes, Saint Carl in his BOOK OF CARL (Cosmos) doth save me from the eternal plight of religious dogma... Praise be Sagan, Ave Sagan, Rege Sagan... All Hail Sagan, Heil Sagan! Saganites unite! - got any other neato mottos, chants, mantras or otherwise to edify this best of all popularizing science guys? i mean Bill Nye, Kaku, or who? we haven't had a pop science guy match carl's influence yet... not even Einstein before him? or Galileo? or Aristotle (wait, hardly science...

[glorp896]

@SardonicusRexx i'll be buried a bit north of carl in syracuse, but no pale blue dots for me... my resonating voice never earned the respect of the cosmic fugue like carl's... but i did ace a class in college called LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (astronomy dept.) and i stayed at a holiday inn express once

- but more seriously, i credit COSMOS in the early 80s and carl's idea of an INFINITE REGRESS as being a pretty well planted seed of distrust of the god idea, not to mention asimov around the same time

[WilliamRachuy]

I feel a bit blue.

[rsexplorer20]

When i am older i going to go to his grave to thank him for getting me out of ignorance and into the light of science and leave him a blue rock

RIP Carl Sagan

[thoof2001]

Thank you for placing upon Carl's gravestone a pale blue dot . . .

[BronzeHead]

Shit man, I'm tearing up over here

[macleod57]

You sir win life itself.

[bailesie]

What a very noble gesture, leaving a momento. Sagan had an enormous impact on my development and love for science growing up. I only wish that I could have met him in person - He truly was (and is, to me) a remarkable and humble man. I think everyone should take a page from his book of life; his appreciation for every aspect of life and science is absolutely contagious, and I know that even in the distant future he will still influence young inquisitive children.

RIP Carl. Venture to the stars