PERMALINK Posted 10:52 PM by Jordan
Health and Safety Activist Aaron Wilson Dies At 34
Aaron Wilson, Executive Director of the Western Massachusetts
Committee on Occupational Safety and Health has died unexpectedly of a
heart attack at age 34. I didn't know Aaron well, and after reading
his obituary and the contributions to his memorial website,
Remembering Aaron.org, I'm sorry I didn't.
According to his obituary:
Aaron was a tireless organizer, writer, leader and activist for
civil rights and social justice who devoted his regrettably short
life to improving the world....His rebellious and often agitated
demeanor confounded every kindergarten in Worcester, landing Aaron
in the special education system, which unjustly wrote him off as a
reprobate. Through his mother's devoted advocacy and his own
discipline and determination, Aaron learned to channel his
prodigious energy and intelligence to productive ends, and he
accomplished more in his thirty-five years than most people do in
seventy. The anti-authoritarianism that caused so much trouble in
his early life eventually became the basis for a sophisticated
personal philosophy and a lifetime of service to others.
***
Beginning in 2001, Aaron served as Executive Director for the
Western Massachusetts Committee for Occupational Safety and Health
(COSH) in Springfield, where he trained union members in improving
health and safety conditions. This included helping families of
deceased Chapman Valve, Inc. employees get compensation for uranium
ore exposure. He helped broker the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow,
an collaboration between labor and environmental groups promoting
safer alternatives to toxic chemical use. Aaron also served as a
delegate for governor-elect Deval Patrick. For his service to the
community, Aaron received the Micah Award for Springfield Community
Activist of the Year and the Unsung Hero Award, among many others.
Aaron loved science fiction and history, excelled at stretching a
budget, and he appreciated all of life's pleasures, especially
music. He was an avid music collector and a passionate
concert-goer. He was a strong believer in the education that comes
only from experiences. Whatever he did, he did with gusto and an
often irreverent sense of humor. But no matter how busy, he always
prioritized the needs of family and friends. Aaron raised the
inelegance of being human to an art form, which always brought a
sense of ease to those close to him.
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