Roger Molander (1940-2012)

Roger Molander helped me become an activist. The mid-to-late 70's were a relatively quiet time after the Nixon's resignation in 1974 and the fall of Saigon in the following year. By 1981, though, Ronald Reagan was president and speaking glibly about nuclear war. In response many others began speaking far more responsibly about nuclear war. Roger Molander was one of them.

My participation in Ground Zero in 1982 started a chain of activism that has continued to this day. I had just moved to Phoenix, Arizona and was already very concerned about how blithely the Reagan Administration talked of nuclear war as "winnable". Ground Zero was just becoming active in Phoenix and I joined in. We helped present the very real downside of Reagan's nuclear war fighting talk. Meeting kindred spirits in conservative Phoenix was a bonus and initiated some lasting friendships.

Ground Zero is long past but the need to eliminate nuclear weapons and find cooperative ways for managing relations among nations remains.

The world still needs Roger Molanders.

Godspeed, Roger.