He grew up during the depression on a small, dust bowl ravaged farm in rural Oklahoma. I suspect his family was too poor to migrate to California like everyone else. In the 6th grade he quit school so he could help support his parents and sisters. Although his education was cut short, many years later Carl Sagan captivated this man with lessons on physics and astronomy. Sagan brought out in my grandfather a child-like wonder about the Universe.
Almost thirty years later, as I watch Cosmos for the first time, again, I am left with the same wonder. Sagan was a master story-teller. Not only could he explain complex theories so that almost anyone could understand them, but he also presents them in a way which leaves me hungry for more knowledge.
There are already much more eloquent and insightful tributes to Dr. Sagan here than I am capable of, so I have kept my commentary brief. That being said, I would like to share a piece of artwork I photographed recently during my 20th High School reunion. I found this mural in the Science Hall of U.S. Grant H.S. in Oklahoma City. The school is scheduled for demolition sometime in 2007, and this painting will most certainly go with it.
Travis Church, Texas
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