Last year Mike Brune and I went to meet with a gathering of women in Santa Cruz, all part of a WomenRise for Global Peace. We were to be only the second lot of men presenting to the group in its history and we were excited to meet them, having been invited by an old friend, Alexandra Snyder.

WomenRise was started by a truly remarkable person, Eleanor Wasson, who was remarkable for many many reasons. Not only had she been a tireless and inspiring volunteer, she was the coordinator of Volunteer Services for UCLA for thirty years in a position she created, started another international organization, International Volunteer Education, and then as she moved into her 90s, formed WomenRise. Yes, 90s. She was 92 when she created this remarkable platform that attracted some of Santa Cruz’ most notable movers and shakers, including a couple of mayors, including Emily Reilly who’s now running for State Assembly. Some of her life’s accomplishments are summarized in this article which I hope you’ll read.

WomenRise itself deserves a blog posting, so I’ll leave off here. Long story short, Mike and I had a remarkable evening and the wonderful women of WomenRise became fast friends and made our presentation to them a real gift to us. It’s an honor to be in their company.

My favorite moment of the night was when she shared with us a framed photograph of a Macaw that had been sent to her from RAN years ago, when she signed up as a member in 1986 – the year RAN started. Eleanor told me that this was her most favorite photograph and that RAN was her favorite environmental organization. She was thrilled with our work, with our presentation, and encouraged me to come back and see her when I was in town. She also invited us to hold a fundraising event at her home. “Name the date and we’ll do it.” she said.

Within the span of a year we had a wonderful event at her home, calling out the area’s activists to participate in a celebration of our work – all our work. And it was indeed a wonderful evening with great food and drink, and of course, Eleanor’s signature libation: martinis. (Read all about her favorite drink – and her amazing life – in her autobiography.)

It was more than a wonderful evening. It was a gathering of family – many distant relations who had no real awareness of one another, but instant rapport and great respect for the work that each and every person there is doing to make the world a better, more loving place.

And that’s what Eleanor would tap into and draw so much strength from. And she’d take that strength, that energy, and share it with everyone she met. And she met a lot of people. Her rolodex included Al Gore and the Dalai Lama (who knew he has a cel phone?) John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America, and environmental entrepreneur, Paul Hawken, were dear friends. I’m sure that in this life she gathered only friends, and many. She was a great gatherer of good and a tremendous force for promoting it.

For one of her last acts, Eleanor wanted to use the occasion of her 100th birthday – yes, her 100th birthday – to solicit donations for RAN’s work. Fantastic! What a great opportunity to both bring in needed funds for RAN and also to increase our circle of friends, some of Eleanor’s most beloved people, through her advocacy.

She insisted that she wanted to hand address every one – and she did. She did it in a day. And she said she hoped she could help us raise as much as $10,000. As the gifts were returning she wanted to know how we were doing and who gave so she could write them all thank you cards. (Eleanor was a prolific corresponder. I’ll miss her hand-written letters tremendously.)

At one point she called to say that if we didn’t reach her $10k target she wanted to make up the difference for herself – which left me wondering what I’d do if we didn’t make that target and how I could talk her out of it should it come to that.

Fortunately it didn’t. Eleanor’s birthday gift to RAN was $10,120. How about that?

“Isn’t it wonderful?” I’m sure she would say when I told her.

So I called. I spoke to her daughter, Joan, wanting to give Eleanor the good news but her mom “wasn’t doing well.”

“How ‘not well’”, I asked.

“‘Not well’ not well.” she said. Eleanor, it appeared, was preparing for her exit.

I told Joan I’d come up to say goodbye but couldn’t swing it for the next day, Friday, for cocktail hour, which was the “only time she’s been getting up.” So I cleared the deck for Tuesday afternoon to make the trek down to see my friend one last time.

My plans were thwarted as Eleanor made her last appearance on that Friday, being helped up to see some friends and enjoy a martini. And then early Sunday morning she passed away as she slept, in the home she loved, with friends nearby and her heart full of love.

We should all be so fortunate. But then, if anyone truly had earned a peaceful exit, it was she.

Eleanor believed in reincarnation – I hope we meet again.

Eleanor attracted great people and inspired them all to be better, to do more, and to be great in their service to others and the greater good. She inspired confidence in those around her that things could change and would because we were here, now, working for it.

I know she’s inspired me.

Thank you, Eleanor.

You can read more about Eleanor here and here.