By Joe Gaydos & Bob Friel
The SeaDoc Society lost a great friend, and the world lost a true hero when Bill Anders died on June 7.
Bill’s famous “Earthrise” photo, taken aboard Apollo 8 as he became one of the first three astronauts to orbit the moon, was a stunning and poignant reminder that our planet is a small, watery blue marble floating in a vast universe. The image is credited with sparking the environmental movement and Life Magazine listed it as one of the “100 Photographs That Changed the World.”
Just last week, the NY Times named Earthrise one of the 25 photos that defined the modern age.
Back on earth, Bill’s life also defied gravity. Fighter pilot, Air Force Major General, nuclear engineer, ambassador, hugely successful businessman, father of six, grandfather of 13.
As fitting for the man that gifted all of us such a unique view of our fragile, ocean-covered earth, Bill and his wonderful wife Valerie became generous longtime supporters of the SeaDoc Society. They also became great friends.
Bill’s adventures soared from space to below the sea. We were incredibly fortunate to spend time with him flying above killer whales and scuba diving with him in his beloved San Juan Islands. Bill’s boat was named Apogee for the point he reached in space, and one of our most memorable times was when he taught us to help him dock the boat the same way he’d been trained by NASA to land a lunar module.
Bill gave us lessons to the end. He lived every minute of his 90 years on earth and didn’t let us forget how life and the planet are both precious. During one of those conversations when we were thinking to ourselves, “This guy has been to the moon and back: pay close attention to what he says!” Bill told us that there are always life support backup systems in a spacecraft, but down here on earth there’s no backup for our life-giving ocean. So, we better take care of it.
We always thought of Bill and his amazing life whenever we saw the moon. From now on we’ll also think of him as we continue to look after the sea.
SeaDoc Science Director Joe Gaydos and Bill Anders on a dive in the Salish Sea.