May 14, 1935 -- June 30, 2018
I give back to the earth what the earth gave,
All to the rivers, nothing to the grave.
The candle's out, the spirit's vigil spent;
Sight may not follow where the vision went.
I leave you but the sound of many a word
In mocking echoes haply overheard,
I sang to heaven. My exile made me free
From world to world, from all worlds carried me.
Spared by the Furies, for the Fates were kind,
I paced the pillared cloisters of the mind;
All times my present, everywhere my place,
Nor fear, nor hope, nor envy saw my face.
Blow what winds would. The ancient truth was mine,
And friendship mellowed in the flush of wine.
And heavenly laughter, shaking from its wings
Atoms of light and tears for mortal things.
To trembling harmonies of field and cloud,
Of flesh and spirit was my worship vowed.
Let form, let music, let all-quickening air
Fulfill in beauty my imperfect prayer.
I have enjoyed eighty-three wonderful years of love, adventure, good health, service and accomplishment. I have lived through the golden age of the United States and have been spared the anguish of witnessing its decline. And so I have no cause for complaint. I depart with gratitude to my wife Elinore for her enduring love and support and to countless others who have enriched my life. I have accepted the inevitable ending of my life without fear but with some regret, primarily regret that many of my projects in progress will remain uncompleted.
I do wish to thank the outstanding medical staff at Kaiser for extending my life painlessly, allowing me more time to prepare for my death without anxiety and with tranquility. I have been able to put this time to good use.
In St. Paul's cathedral in London you will find the tomb stone of its
architect, Sir. Christopher Wren. It reads "Lector, si monumentum
requiris circumspice." "Reader, if you seek his monument look around
This website, The Online Gadfly, is my "monument." Established in 1998, It contains 260 original essays written for the internet. In addition, you will find here most of my published scholarly papers, many of which are expanded and revised versions of the original works. Also many unpublished papers. There are many "loose ends" on this website, which now must remain so. I have made provision for The Online Gadfly to remain online for ten years following my death.
With my passing, all the contents of this website enter the public domain, except for those published works with outside copyrights. Dr. Elinore Partridge is my Literary Executor.
The Online Gadfly will show that in my two
final decades, my writing has
extended beyond my academic specialties, moral philosophy and environmental
ethics, to include numerous moral, social and political issues. I hope that others
will find some of these offerings to be useful in the ongoing struggle for
peace, justice, domestic tranquility, the
advancement of science and scholarship, and a rational political order.
"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the
dream shall never die." (Edward Kennedy).
Ernest DeAlton Partridge, Jr.,, Ph.D, environmental philosopher, died on June 30. 2018 of pancreatic cancer. Born in New York City on May 14, 1935, Partridge attended the College High School of Montclair State College (Now Montclair University) in New Jersey. Married to Elinore Hughes, December 20, 1957. His three degrees are from the University of Utah. His doctoral dissertation, "Rawls and the Duty to Posterity," (1976), was the first among the thousands listed in Dissertation Abstracts to deal with the topics "Future Generations" or "Posterity." "Duty to Posterity" was to become Dr. Partridge’s primary focus of interest throughout his career, along with environmental ethics, and moral and political philosophy. He began his teaching career at Paterson State College in New Jersey, and Hunter College in New York City. He served on the Faculties of California State University, Fullerton, and the University of California, Santa Barbara and Riverside. He retired from teaching in 1997 as the Hulings Professor of Environmental Ethics, at Northland College in Wisconsin. Partridge is the author of more than eighty invited and peer-reviewed scholarly publications, and of dozens of unpublished conference papers. His anthology, "Responsibilities to Future Generations" was published in 1981. Throughout most of his career, Dr. Partridge served on the Board of Editors of Environmental Ethics and the Journal of Environmental Education. He was the recipient of research grants from the University of Utah, the Rockefeller Foundation, and twice from the National Science Foundation. In November, 1989, Dr. Partridge was invited to present a paper at a conference on "The Ethics of Non-Violence" at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Six additional professional visits to Russia followed during the Nineties. In addition, during that eventful decade, Dr. Partridge presented papers at conferences in Canada, Japan, Italy, Germany, and at Oxford University in England. In 1998, a year after his retirement from teaching, Dr. Partridge established the website, The Online Gadfly ( gadfly.igc.org ) for which he wrote more than 260 original essays, most of which were reposted on numerous progressive websites. An accomplished classical guitarist, Partridge performed in concert and on Public Television in Utah, and at restaurants, clubs and resorts in Utah, Colorado and California. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Elinore Hughes Partridge, and a brother, Robert Truman Partridge, sister-in-law, Elaine Partridge, as well as devoted, and beloved, nieces and nephews.
PARTIAL LIST OF RECENT