[Oe List ...] Fred Buss's Memorial

Tue Aug 2 14:22:03 EDT 2011

Yes, Don, and you were all there.

Paul

Paul  Schrijnen
London
+44 7973 206 766  

In a message dated 02/08/2011 18:37:56 GMT Daylight Time,  
doncramer86 at gmail.com writes:

Thanks  Herman... and thanks to all who came to bear witness to Fred's 
completed life  on behalf of the rest of us.  

Don

2011/8/2 Herman Greene <_hfgreene at mindspring.com_ 
(mailto:hfgreene at mindspring.com) >

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_ (tel:919-929-4116)   (h) 
_919-624-0579_ (tel:919-624-0579)   (c) 
_919-942-4358_ (tel:919-942-4358)   (f) 
Skype:  hgreene-nc 
_hfgreene at mindspring.com_ (mailto:hfgreene at mindspring.com)   

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