Freedom From Religion founder Anne Nicol Gaylor dies

[Warren Stupidity]

Anne Nicol Gaylor, one of the founders of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, died Sunday.

Gaylor, 88, formed the group with her daughter Annie Laurie Gaylor in 1976 in Madison and is credited with expanding the small group to a large national association of atheists and agnostics while serving as its president from 1978 to 2004.

The foundation often courted controversy and filed lawsuits challenging religion in schools, government and social programs.

She died at a Fitchburg hospice after she was hospitalized May 30 following a fall at her Madison apartment, according to a news release posted Monday on the Freedom From Religion Foundation website.

Gaylor grew up in rural Tomah and began first grade at the age of 4 in a one-room school. She graduated from high school at the age of 16 and earned an English degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1949, the same year she married Paul J. Gaylor.

She started the first private employment agency in Madison that she sold in 1966 and became editor of the Middleton Times-Tribune. Gaylor wrote a book called "Abortion Is a Blessing" and edited "The World Famous Atheist Cookbook."

No memorial service will be held, at her request. And her tombstone in her family's plot in Sparta will be inscribed "Feminist — activist — free thinker."

She is survived by her children, Andrew, Ian, Annie Laurie and Jamie, brother Tom Nicol and grandchildren.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/freedom-from-religion-founder-anne-nicol-gaylor-dies-b99520019z1-307404821.html

[SusanCalvin]

1. Oh no.

She was such a good person.

She will be missed.

[Scuba]

2. RIP Anne.

[kdmorris]

3. RIP Anne

My heart goes out to her family and friends.

[trotsky]

4. The FFRF has accomplished so much.

Thank you, Anne. You will not be forgotten.

[onager]

5. Her run-in with Phil Donahue...

Found this item while reading about her:

'She tangled with Catholic talkshow host Phil Donahue in Chicago when he refused to show her book on abortion because of its positive title 'Abortion Is A Blessing.'

As they were about to go on the air, Donahue told Anne that her book was "tasteless" and "would create shock waves across America."

However, toward the end of the show in response to a call about the power of religion in the media, Anne said, "Let me tell you about the power of religion. I am probably the first person ever to appear on the Donahue show whose book could not be shown because of religious prejudice. Because I dared to write a book with a positive title about abortion, my book may not be shown. Yet I have referred thousands of women for abortion. They have been as young as twelve and as old as fifty-two. Many of them have had nine and ten children. Many have been ill. I know that abortion is a blessing. It is a blessing for women and a blessing for society."

A sheepish Donahue displayed the book; America survived the "shock wave."'

(Dealing with more real-life issues so I'm not around much right now. Things will settle down soon, I hope.)

[progressoid]

6. Thanks for that tidbit Onager.

See you soon when things settle down.

[Lordquinton]

7. Another proud atheist woman

Sad to see her go.

[RussBLib]

8. my wife and I became Lifetime Members this week

of FFRF. We'd been doing a Family membership for awhile.

I guess it took a brush with death to get me to pull the trigger.

We may take the step of organizing a new FFRF chapter for SE Texas. I would need to find 10 current FFRF members from this area. Shouldn't be too hard, but FFRF won't help you to locate them.