In Memory of a Badass (Dr. Irving Itzkan: December 4, 1929 - June 30, 2022)
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Seth Itzkan
Jun 30, 2024, 9:35:41 AMJun 30
to Soil Age
In Memory of a Badass (Dr. Irving Itzkan: December 4, 1929 - June 30, 2022)
Two years ago today, I lost my father - one of the greatest badasses that could have ever lived. Not only was he a world-renowned medical laser physicist (with positions at both Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital), he was also an unwavering believer in the tenets of Soil4Climate. He understood, without hesitation, the logic of Holistic Planned Grazing, including the need for ruminants to build soil to reverse global warming. He attended many of our events, took immediate likings to Allan Savory and Hunter Lovins (pictured with below), and donated frequently to our fundraisers in Africa. He once donated $3,000 to purchase 10 cows and requested that the collection be titled "Annette's Herd," in honor of my mother, Annette Itzkan (see photo herein with Maasai colleague, Dalmas Tiampati).
As my father was such an accomplished scientist, I would often have him review my slides and critique my presentations. When preparing for my talk to the WWF (formally, World Wildlife Foundation) in March of 2022 (only three months before his passing) and in the aftermath of the UN Food Systems Summit of 2021, we went over the full thing, in detail, twice. That presentation, titled, "Carbon Sequestration in Grasslands: The Role of Ruminants," can be seen here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVIGZvzWOX4
During the week of his unexpected passing, I was at the #Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Show and Conference in the UK. I was there to give a presentation titled, "Keepers of the Thermostat: How Farmers & Ranchers can be Climate Heroes" - It builds upon and takes its name from the Gregory Retallack paper, "Soil Carbon Dioxide Planetary Thermostat." I had made my presentation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgjeBXqSz-8) and was planning other events when my brother called. He said, "Come home, now." I flew home the next day and went immediately to see dad. We didn't speak, but we were able to make eye contact. The communication was more than words could have achieved. He returned to Source Love the following day.
Blessings to this intellectual and ethical giant. 🙏❤️
(Original Facebook post with more photos, here https://www.facebook.com/groups/Soil4Climate/posts/3877733612498364)
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