Jonathan Rowe, 1946-2011, his passing was five years ago this week

Jonathan Rowe at his "office" in Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station, California.

CARMELO'S NOTE: Rowe was a good friend. We met a few years back when I was at the Mesa Refuge writers' retreat in Point Reyes Station, just a few blocks away from his house. I fondly recall him taking me and fellow writer Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend, RFK's eldest child, down a beautiful country walk down the edge of Tomales Valley, right underneath the gentle slope where Point Reyes Station looks over the valley, only a fraction of a mile away from St Andreas Fault, we talked about the commons, economic options for the future and so on.

Jonathan Rowe 1946-2011

OTC's co-founder was a probing, poetic champion of the commons

By David Bollier

On the Commons mourns the passing of Jonathan Rowe, one of our co-founders and a profound writer about economics, community life and the commons. He chronicled the full breadth the commons on this website in hundreds of dispatches noted for both their probing depth and poetic grace. In addition to his distinguished career as a journalist and Congressional staffer, he lived the commons, rolling up his sleeves to co-found the West Marin Commons in Point Reyes Station, California, to show the power of commons-based action in one town.
Jonathan died suddenly of an illness on Sunday March 20. He is survived by his wife Mary Jean and young son Josh. A college fund is being created for Josh.
Jonathan recently launched a new website, featuring his enduring writing for On the Commons, Yes! magazine, The Atlantic, Harper’s and many other publications.
Here we publish a profile of Jonathan’ work in boosting the commons throughout his adopted hometown of Point Reyes by his former OTC colleague David Bollier, which is adapted from the new book All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons. Several of Jonathan’s own articles also appear in the book.

For more about him:  http://www.onthecommons.org/magazine/jonathan-rowe-1946-2011