Remembering the Legacy of Sagan

Belated tribute to Carl Sagan

Carl sagan passed away on December of 1996. A great and gentle mentor for so many of us, he still sparks the embers of honest inquiry and fires the excitement of our imaginations. May those of us standing on his shoulders continue the quest for truth and honor a legacy bigger than all of us.

Ann Druyan, in "Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millenium" offers this touching account of Carl's last days that reflects who he was to the end:

"Contrary to the fantasies of the fundamentalists, there was no deathbed conversion, no last minute refuge taken in a comforting vision of a heaven or an afterlife. For Carl, what mattered most was what was true, not merely what would make us feel better. Even at this moment when anyone would be forgiven for turning away from the reality of our situation, Carl was unflinching. As we looked deeply into each other's eyes, it was with a shared conviction that our wondrous life together was ending forever." D. 1996.