[Oe List ...] Fwd: Fred Buss's Memorial, Herman Green's report

Tue Aug 2 11:44:31 EDT 2011

____________________________________
 From: Jrthomas42 at aol.com
To: PSchrijnen at aol.com, lbuss at marthastable.org,  sbuss at austin.rr.com, 
kazegad at aol.com
Sent: 02/08/2011 16:36:51 GMT Daylight  Time
Subj: Re: Fred Buss's Memorial, Herman Green's report

Thank you Herman..Most of all we were very appreciative of your handling  
the video assignment in
such a superb manner.  Throughout the weekend I was so grateful for  the 
community which has
sustained us for so many years.  I hope to be a better member of the  
community given the inspiration
from the weekend.

Joe

In a message dated 8/2/2011 10:28:01 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
PSchrijnen at aol.com writes:

Paul  Schrijnen
London
+44 7973 206 766  

____________________________________
 From: rcwmbw at yahoo.com
Reply-to: oe at wedgeblade.net
To:  oe at wedgeblade.net
Sent: 02/08/2011 16:17:24 GMT Daylight Time
Subj:  Re: [Oe List ...] Fred Buss's Memorial

From: Herman Greene  <hfgreene at mindspring.com>
To: 'Order Ecumenical Community'  <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 9:57  AM
Subject: [Oe List ...]  Fred Buss's Memorial

We held a moving memorial to  Fred in the Kemper Building (which I 
understand is now simply called  “4750” by the locals) on Saturday.

Joe Thomas did most of the  planning for the service with Paul Schrijnen 
providing significant input.  Both Joe and Paul were very caring to Fred, 
Lindsey and Sarah throughout  this final period. Lindsey has a wonderful wife, 
Dr. Betina Franschini, a  pediatrician. I think the service meant more to 
Lindsey and Betina than  any other people present.

The memorial was held on the  first floor in a large room adjacent to the 
entrance called the Martin  Luther King, Jr. Room. How appropriate since Fred 
was very involved in the  civil rights movement and was even jailed once 
with Dr. King in Albany,  GA, in 1962. 

I didn’t count the number of  people present, but it was around 50. I will 
send a copy of the service in  a separate email as I know it will be held up 
for approval because of the  message size limitations on this listserve. 

Fred’s history goes very deep  in the life of ICA . (At many levels it will 
always be the Order or EI for  me, but I have come to understand the 
evolution that has occurred and our  place in history now goes forward as ICA . I 
learned so much more about  this history last weekend.) He joined the 
Christian Faith and Life  Community at the University of Texas in Austin in 1956. 
(I believe this is  the right year.) His roommate in the community was Don 
Warren. Don  Warren’s wife was part of the women’s branch of the Community 
and both Don  and his wife were among original six families that came to 
Evanston in  1962 to become the Ecumenical Institute of Chicago. 

Don was the lead liturgist at  the memorial service. He also gave an 
unexpected, extensive eulogy at the  end of the service as he was not listed on 
the order of service to do a  eulogy. Other eulogies were given by Kaze Gadway 
(I learned that the name  Kaze was how children in some country in which 
she served pronounced Kay  Hayes), Lindsey Buss and Paul Schrijnen. Bettina 
said a Buddhist prayer on  behalf of Meta Karuna (formerly Elizabeth Buss and 
presently a Buddhist  nun). Charles Hahn was the other lead liturgist.

They were surrounded by a  could of witnesses including Doris Hahn, Patrick 
Moriarity, Marsha Hahn,  Jim and Karen Troxell, Charles Lingo, Joyce 
Townley, Laura Spencer, Terry  and Pam Bergdall, Frank Knutson (formerly Bob 
Knutson), Paul Noah, Marge  and Paula Philbrook, Sally Fenton, Carol Pierce, Dick 
Alton, distinguished  friends of Lindsey, Karen Sims, Roy Stansbury and 
many others. (Terry has  the complete list.)

We brought our Order memory  into the service without repeating our Order  
liturgies.

Following the service, we went  to the Guild Suite on the sixth floor. We 
sat in a circle and told stories  of Fred. Apparently Fred was better than 
anyone at doing the sex section  of the Missional Family course. Lindsey 
inquired whether he should leave  the room while this was being discussed. Paul 
recounted that Fred’s  frequent greeting when he was in Australia around 1968 
was “Are you  keeping despair at bay?” I reported that he advised priors 
of religious  houses when giving their reports in Chicago should imagine 
themselves as  German commanders giving reports of progress on the western front 
during  the last days of World War II. 

Following the conversation we  had au d’oeuvres and fellowship.

Many of us then went to Fifth  City to spread Fred’s ashes on the 
playground behind the Fifth City  Pre-School (the hanger). When the pre-school began 
in Fifth City , EI  obtained a grant for playground equipment. Fred found 
rocket ship/slide he  wanted for the playground. He insisted that the rocket 
ship be part of the  equipment, was overruled at least twice, he agreed to 
let it go, and then  put it in the budget anyway. Allegedly Fred said, “ 
Lincoln has his  memorial, Grant has his tomb, and I have my rocket ship.” Now 
Fred rests  under it. It is still part of the Fifth City Preschool. (Fred had 
two  pictures on his wall at his death. One was of the rocket ship. Kaze 
Gadway  wrote Zoom, Zoom Astronaut in honor of the slide.)

While in Fifth City we  encountered Ray Fox, the son of Lilly and Ray Fox, 
now 50 and just back  from serving in Iraq . How wonderful it was to talk 
with him. He was  pleased also.

The Iron Man still stands. The  Program Center stands . . . empty and 
abandoned. Many of the buildings we  knew have been cleared and there are vacant 
lots now—with grass. Fifth  City is less tense, or so it seemed. It abides. 
341 Trumbull has been tuck  pointed and is ready to stand for another 100 
years. The Bethany Brethren  Hospital occupies the ground of the EI campus.

On a personal note, I went to  this memorial because Fred and Al/Charles 
Lingo sustained me more than any  other people during my years on the Westside 
in Chicago . I wasn’t very  aware of Fred’s flaws. He was one of my 
heroes. 

He embodied the risen man to  me--the best of EI for he brought life, 
abundant life to others. He was  that part of Christ who was the Lord of the Dance
—and we did sing this  during his memorial.

Lindsey was asked late in the  afternoon how he was feeling. He paused and 
said,  “Wonderful.”

Betina and Lindsey both were  able to understand in a new way the part of 
Lindsey’s life and our lives  that is sometimes so hard to tell to others. 
The Spirit  lives.

Herman

_____________________________________________
Herman  Greene
2516  Winningham Drive
Chapel  Hill, NC 27516
919-929-4116  (h)
919-624-0579  (c)
919-942-4358  (f)
Skype:  hgreene-nc
_hfgreene at mindspring.com_ (mailto:hfgreene at mindspring.com)   

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