|
|
|
|
|
HerbalEGram: Volume 6, Number 3, March 2009
Conference in New Mexico to Celebrate
Late Herbalist Michael Moore
|
Renowned herbalist and noted author Michael Moore, 68, died on February 20 from complications related to kidney disease.1 In the short time following his death, many of Michael’s colleagues and students have written and distributed tributes and remembrances of Michael. A further opportunity for herbal enthusiasts and others to gather and celebrate the life and achievements of Michael Moore will take place April 17-19 in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, at the conference “Michael Moore and American Herbalism.”2
A practicing herbalist since 1968, Michael taught and spoke at a variety of schools and conferences during his lifetime. He instructed and inspired thousands of people regarding medicinal herbs throughout his life, many of whom subsequently embarked upon careers in the field of botanical medicine. He authored numerous important herb books, including Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West (1979), Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West (1989), and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West (1993). Michael directed and taught at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine in Bisbee, Arizona, as well as other schools in the Southwestern United States, for 28 years, before retiring in 2006.
The 3-day conference honoring Michael’s life and accomplishments will include speakers, workshops, exhibitions, a banquet, dancing and other activities. Speakers include herbalists Michael Tierra, Phyllis Hogan, Amanda McQuade Crawford, Daniel Gagnon, Deborah Brandt, and many others. ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal will act as master of ceremonies of the conference’s banquet in celebration of Michael.
“I have known Michael since the early 1970s, since I happened upon his small herb store, Herbs Etc. in Santa Fe,” said Blumenthal. “I was struck by his biker-Buddha appearance, and as I got to know him over the years, I saw him manifest traits of both. During that first visit, since both of us were big herb enthusiasts, we immediately struck up an engaging conversation, which included his telling me how he used to sell guarana-fudge brownies in truck stops in California in the 1960s!
“Michael was a larger-than-life figure in the lives of many people,” Blumenthal continued. “He became the ‘godfather’ of the American herbal movement, at least among the hundreds of herbalists he trained. Like many people in the American herbal landscape, I consider Michael to be one of my most influential teachers. I have only a few regrets in my life, and one of them is that I never took Michael’s 5-month herb course, relying instead on a few workshops and lectures here and there, and his amazing books.”
“Attending Michael Moore’s herbal program revolutionized my thinking completely,” said Holly Ferguson, ABC’s education director. “He was a brilliant, quirky, and highly entertaining teacher that kept me perpetually entertained and in awe. He instructed his students in all realms herbal and way beyond. He gave us a historical, philosophical, and political basis for creating a holistic understanding of medicinal herbs. This man will be truly missed, yet his spirit lives on in those of us who were inspired by his teachings.”
When the conference was first organized, it was intended that proceeds from the event would go towards assisting Michael’s rising healthcare costs. Proceeds from the event will now go to support Michael's widow Donna Chesner in creating projects that honor his life and work.
Further biographical information on Michael Moore is available in a recent article published in the Santa Fe New Mexican, available here.1 For more information regarding registration, sponsorship, or donations, visit the website: www.mooreandmore2009.com.2 Viewers may also post tributes and stories regarding Michael to the website’s Guestbook. Herbalist Michael Tierra has recently posted a tribute to Michael Moore on his blog, available here.
—Courtney Cavaliere
References
1. Sharpe T. Herbs Etc. founder, the ‘godfather of American herbalism,’ dies at 68. Santa Fe New Mexican. February 24, 2009. Available at: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SantaFeNorthernNM/Michael-Roland-Shaw-Moore-. Accessed February 25, 2009.
2. Michael Moore and American Herbalism Web site. Available at: www.mooreandmore2009.com. Accessed February 25, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|