Please help if you can

This just in from Pat Murphy (an aside- I DO know Amelia and she's wonderful. I do not know her husband or her in-laws but that does not matter--she and her family is part of our community and they need some help).

Pat Murphy: I'm getting the word out about a very sad situation affecting one of our SF colleagues: Amelia Beamer (a managing editor at Locus) and her husband.

I don't know if you know Amelia. I don't know her well. But Farah Mendlesohn wrote to let me know about a tragic situation and asked me to get the word out.

Amelia's father-in-law, Arthur Jokela, was on a layover in London (enroute from Africa to Los Angeles) when he had a heart attack. He died in London. Farah (with help from Edward James and Gary Wolfe) organized the cremation and arranged to have the ashes transported home. The bill for the cremation etc was over $3000. There's no life insurance and the travel insurance doesn't cover this.

Arthur Jokela was working on environmental and civic outreach efforts in Malawi and Mozambique. From what I've been able to find out, it was really interesting work — using low-cost solar panels and car batteries to power lights and telecomm devices in rural African villages. The effort was designed to help mitigate poverty and stabilize rural areas, helping reverse the flow of villagers to crowded urban centers.

Interesting work, but as someone who has spent years working in nonprofits, I'd guess it wasn't well paid. To cover funeral expenses and travel costs incurred by projects in Africa and around the world, the family has set up a Memorial Fund. (See the letter from Amelia's family (below) for details on how to give to that fund.)

I know that Farah and Gary are pitching in to help with cremation expenses. I'll be making a donation, too. If 60 folks in science fiction each give $50, the cost of the cremation will covered. I don't know about you, but I'm always giving money to causes intended to help mitigate poverty, encourage green technology, and assist villagers in rural 3rd world nations. I figure this is an opportunity to help the family of someone who was doing that good work -- at the same time, help one of our own SF colleagues.

I wrote Amelia to make sure that it was OK to let people know about what had happened so that they could help if they wished. She wrote
back: "I'd be grateful if you would let people know. What I'm coming to realize is that my friends in science fiction are not merely people that I happen to know through Locus or Clarion or various conventions, but also people that I can truly call family."

Thanks for any contribution you care to make or just for sending good thoughts Amelia's way. Please forward this to others who may know Amelia and/or want to help.

Best,
Pat Murphy


LETTER FROM AMELIA'S FAMILY

Dear all,

It is with deep sadness that we inform you that Arthur Wayne Jokela has
passed away. He was traveling home from his work in Malawi and
Mozambique when he collapsed suddenly during a layover in London, and
died of a heart attack in St. Thomas's hospital on August 13, 2008. The
body is being cremated and brought home to Los Angeles by friends.

In lieu of flowers or cards, we will be accepting donations to the
Arthur Jokela Memorial Fund to cover funeral expenses and travel costs
incurred by his environmental and civic outreach projects in Africa and
around the world. There is a Paypal account set up to receive donations
of any size, with a web page at the link below. You don't need a Paypal
account; there is a link on the left side of the page to Continue with a
credit card.
http://tinyurl.com/6jp3bm

Memorial services will be announced within the next few months, most
likely to occur in early November to commemorate Arthur's birthday on
November 5th. You can keep in touch via the new email address:
<arthur.jokela.memorial.fund@gmail.com>, or my email address:
<karentayu@yahoo.com>.

Sincerely,
Karen Jokela and family
1801 West Orange Grove
Pomona CA 91768
phone: 909.620.6288

My trip to the country

Busing up to Margaretville took 4 1/2 hours instead of the scheduled 3 1/2. I got through a lot of magazines. By the time we arrived at 8pm I was starved, so we went to a local restaurant for dinner. Organized to meet everyone the next day in Saugerties, where our friends live, and have our other friend, Donni meet us there to do the artist studio tours.

Up and out by 10am to meet Barry and Tom (brothers) at 11am in Saugerties. We had to leave Boots outside for the day (he'd gotten out the cat door in the mudroom when John left the inside door open overnight, and being the exuberant outdoors cat he is, wouldn't come in. He loves being outside, while Eric, the other cat, has no interest in the big wide outdoors and is a bit timid of people-- although he finally warmed up to me a little by the time I left).

Tom, who lives a few minutes down the road from his brother, met us and then so did Donni, driving in from Port Jervis. Beth (Barry's wife) wasn't feeling well so wasn't sure she'd come and Barry had to work. They thought they might meet us along the route. We had maps and cel phones.

Donni, me, Tom, and John drove in one car to the studios on the tour. Early on, John and Donni bought photographs. I was more eager to see pottery, especially from Jemerick Art Pottery, the couple that made a pot I'd admired at John's. We finally got there and I'd realized I'd bought something from them at a craft show in NYC about 7 years ago. Very different style than John's so I hadn't recognized it. They were expensive but had some items "slightly off"--a bubble that you'd hardly notice --for half price. I bought one for myself and one as a wedding gift. They're gorgeous.

I also found something at another studio that I'll likely be giving as a birthday gift. I don't recall the artist but it's "paper work."

I also liked Polly Law's paper work-- she makes paper doll-like tableaux. Beth and Barry met us with their car and Tom took off in his car (he had plans for later). We ended up seeing about 14 of the 25 or so studios.

John took us all out to dinner at New World Home Cooking, a marvelous restaurant specializing in spicy "comfort food" from the Americas. The specialty is blackened string beans as an appetizer (good) and each dish was rated 1-7 for its spiciness. My spare ribs ($5)were a big hit and because there were so many (10) I shared a LOT.

Afterward, Donni left for home and the four of us stopped at a party in Woodstock then went off to some great fireworks--I took photos (for the photos of people I was shooting blind, as it was very dark) but don't know if any--of the fireworks--came out... I'll be putting them up in the next day or so. Drove home after a very long day and Boots greeted us, happy to come inside after being out all night and all day.

Next morning John and I ate at the Margaretville cafe and checked out an antique store and fleamarket in the area. The fleamarket was very sparse. John said that last year the whole field was packed so he asked one of the vendors why it was empty this year. The response was the economy....which to me makes no sense. You'd think there would be more sellers trying to make money and plenty more buyers hoping to get bargains...but hey, what do I know?

Caught the bus at 12:58 and got to Port Authority about 3 1/2 hours later. The bus driver mentioned that getting in so close to schedule was unusual. I'd like to think it made up for the hour late ride upstate.

I may try to get up there again when the leaves turn in the fall.