July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862
Today is the 150th anniversary of Henry David Thoreau’s death. He died at age 44 – probably just scratching the surface at all he had to offer the world. To say Thoreau impacted lives is an understatement.
For a touching op-ed on Thoreau’s influence, you can read Michael T. Dolan’s piece Henry David Thoreau’s voice 150 years later by clicking here. As he notes, “Some folks change how people do things… Others change how people think. Thoreau falls into this latter category…”1
Thoreau was revered by many. You can read a collection of his obituaries here. As another famed writer of the time, and Thoreau’s mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson said at Thoreau’s funeral, “The country knows not yet, or in the least part, how great a son it has lost. … His soul was made for the noblest society; he had in a short life exhausted the capabilities of this world; wherever there is knowledge, wherever there is virtue, wherever there is beauty, he will find a home.”2
1Henry David Thoreau’s voice 150 years later
