Friday, November 07, 2008

In Memoriam: Sue Urbas


The sad notice below came to me from Harry Farkas.

Sue Urbas was a family friend, a community activist, an idealist, provocative, actively anti-war during the Vietnam era, early Free Press contributor, founding member of the community festival now known as Comfest, and many other things too numerous to mention here. Sue also had one of the friendliest smiles as seen in this photograph I took of her at Comfest 04.
We will miss her -charlie

As most of you know our dear friend and sister Sue Urbas passed away last Saturday. I have been contacted by John Urbas and want to pass along the following:

A Memorial Gathering for Sue will be held at the Goodale Park Shelter House on Sunday, November 23, from 5 to 7 PM. Candy Watkins is assisting in organizing the memorial and can be contacted at Afoot765@cs.com.

Still tentative, but likely is a gathering later that evening at Dick's Den. Sue's earthly remains are in the process of cremation, though her spirit soars. An obituary will be published in the newspaper prior to the memorial.

Jodi Kushins has indicated a willingness to record stories about Sue either at this gathering or otherwise. She has also volunteered to assist with Sue's memorabilia. There is also a discussion on the Comfest Organizers Yahoo group regarding a permanent memorial to Sue, possibly at 16th and Waldeck. [Some of this duplicates info already on the Comfest Organizers Yahoo group.]

I am available if anyone requires additional information. I can be contacted at hfarkas@wowway.com

Our loss is great, but together we will remember Sue. Please pass this information along to anyone who might not have received it, especially those without email.

Best regards on this sad occasion,
Harry

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I once got Sue a job working at an Episcopal church conference center in London, Ohio where I was working as a landscaper. I was building a greenhouse there at the time and we had some fiberglass insulation just sitting around and some gaps to plug in one of the wooden skirt-walls of the greenhouse. Sue said that unless the greenhouse was air-tight the insulation would do no good. I installed it anyway just to serve as a wind-block and Sue felt very insulted by that. She seemed to feel she was not being listened to. On the other hand Sue was one of the principle architects of Women Against Rape's crisis intervention training program, which has served to inform similar programs across the country and put contemporary feminist thought to critical practice. That same philosophy is the foundation for Comfest's security volunteer training, of which I am also a beneficiary, having been trained by Sue Urbas herself. In 1987 I intervened in a domestic assault in Minneapolis using the
techniques Sue and W.A.R. developed and I think I managed to prevent further injury to the person being assaulted - all without violence and without disempowering her. It's a shame that Sue often felt so outspoken. So many of us really DID listen to her and were influenced by her for the better (and continue to be).
Evan Davis

evan said...

I once got Sue a job working at an Episcopal church conference center in London, Ohio where I was working as a landscaper. I was building a greenhouse there at the time and we had some fiberglass insulation just sitting around and some gaps to plug in one of the wooden skirt-walls of the greenhouse. Sue said that unless the greenhouse was air-tight the insulation would do no good. I installed it anyway just to serve as a wind-block and Sue felt very insulted by that. She seemed to feel she was not being listened to. On the other hand Sue was one of the principle architects of Women Against Rape's crisis intervention training program, which has served to inform similar programs across the country and put contemporary feminist thought to critical practice. That same philosophy is the foundation for Comfest's security volunteer training, of which I am also a beneficiary, having been trained by Sue Urbas herself. In 1987 I intervened in a domestic assault in Minneapolis using the
techniques Sue and W.A.R. developed and I think I managed to prevent further injury to the person being assaulted - all without violence and without disempowering her. It's a shame that Sue often felt so outspoken. So many of us really DID listen to her and were influenced by her for the better (and continue to be).
Evan Davis