This quote is from The New Farm obit:

"A surprised observer, I have been swept along by life as in a miraculous stream," Paul wrote in summing up his life. "I have found that answers do not come by concentrating on one's own desires or fancied wants or needs. Somehow, by seeking out the larger framework, as Gandhi did, one rises here and there above the choking limits of self into a freer, fresher atmosphere, to where one simply sees farther, through an expanded, more beautiful landscape."

Here is a link that might be useful: The New Farm

Thanks for posting these about old Paul. He was an inspiration to me when I first got into organic farming and gardening.

Marc Lappe also died recently; see this good obit by his son:

Dr. Marc Lappe, 1943-2005
A man of deep integrity
By Anthony Lappe
Guerilla Network News, 17 May 2005

GNN's editor remembers his father - a scientist who stood up for the planet's most vulnerable

"Three interrelated issues mark our times: We have altered the planet with our chemicals; we are transforming agriculture with bioengineering; and we are contemplating the recreation of humankind through genetic technologies. All three compel us to reexamine how we use scientific knowledge: will our new technologies be greeted with 'hurrahs' or a whisper of despair from the species that we have decimated, crops that are gene-contaminated and people who, though yet to be created, may yet curse us for our technological prowess?" - Marc Lappe

My father, Dr. Marc Lappe, an author, educator and prominent toxicologist and medical ethicist, died Saturday. He was 62. Marc was a lifelong teacher, known for instilling in his students a love of learning and an appreciation for ethics. Everyone who met him was struck by his warm spirit, unforgettable stories, and limitless generosity.

Marc was a leading figure in the movement to integrate ethics and public policy, especially as it related to toxics and genetics. He authored or edited fourteen books, many of which predicted public health and environmental problems long before their appearance. Germs That Won't Die (Anchor/Doubleday, 1982) warned of public health threat of antibiotic resistance. Against the Grain (Common Courage, 1998) accurately predicted that many claims by manufacturers of genetically modified foods would prove false. He held a PhD in experimental pathology from the University of Pennsylvania and was a frequent source for the news media, appearing on 60 Minutes, The Today Show, and Dateline NBC. He was a key expert witness in numerous high-profile lawsuits, including Anderson et al v. W. R. Grace & Co., popularized in the best-selling book and Hollywood film A Civil Action. Between 1984 and 1998, he worked extensively as a consultant on the high stakes litigation that had erupted over silicone-gel breast implants. Most recently, he was the director of the Gualala, California-based non-profit Center for Ethics and Toxics (CETOS), a national leader in environmental public policy, which works directly with California municipalities with concerns about contaminants in their water supplies.
[[[snip]]]

Here is a link that might be useful: Marc Lappe, RIP

It's sad to see both go.

But my inner cynic wonders how anyone of our era could possibly be a pioneer of organic farming. Our ancestors did the same for a few thousand years. Mr. Keene was a pioneer of marketing organic food. Still a great thing to be.

Thanks for posting the Lappe link. What a truly remarkable person, in every way.

Bruce, it is my understanding that Sir Albert Howard, under the tutelage of native Indian farmers, turned ancestoral knowledge of organic methods into a science. Keene continued the pioneering work of Howard through practical application of the priciples or organic farming.

It is quite a feat for anyone to successfully market organic products during the eras when *new & improved* processed, packaged convenience foods were being manufactured and promoted.