IHEU deeply regrets to report the loss of three Humanist stalwarts in recent months.

Prof. Vern Bullough (1928 - 2006) was IHEU’s co-Chair when IHEU was based in the Netherlands. He later became one of IHEU’s vice presidents and was amongst the leaders who steered IHEU into safe waters after the move to London. Former dean of the Faculty of Natural and Social Sciences at Buffalo State, Vern Bullough was, as the New York times obituary noted, “a pioneer in many fields from the study of the cultural and biological aspects of human sexuality to the effectiveness of military deterrence”. He was past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and a founder of the American Association for the History of Nursing. Vern attended IHEU’s General Assembly in New York in April 2006 when he announced that he was suffering from cancer.

Alexandre Marius-dees-de-Sterio’s tragic death in a train accident is a serious loss to Humanism and to the Council of Europe where he represented IHEU. Marius was a recipient of the Council of Europe’s rare Pro Merito award for his contribution to propagating the ideals of the Council of Europe. He received IHEU’s Distinguished Service to Humanism award in 2005. A staunch defender of human rights, Marius was active in IHEYO in the 70s, helped IHEU get Consultative Status with the Council of Europe, as well as the amicus curiae status with the European Court of Human Rights. He was a well known freethinker, respected for his views and loved for his personality. The Council of Europe’s website noted that ‘his commitment to Europe was intense and long-lasting’. A popular teacher and a warm human being, Marius leaves behind a grieving family of humanists in addition to his wife Marianne and two young daughters to whom IHEU passed on its deepest condolences.

Over 15,000 people attended the funeral of Saraswati Gora, 94, co-founder of the Atheist Center, Vijayawada. Saraswati Gora (1912 - 2006), who retained her clarity of mind till the very end, was known for her robust common sense and for her path- breaking joint contributions – along with her late husband Gora – to establishing atheism as a respected way of life. With an impressive personality and a crystal clear voice, Saraswati Gora presided over the atheist center’s functioning for the last three decades. She leaves behind a large family of atheist activists with impressive personal accomplishments. Saraswati Gora’s is a legacy rich in activism which ranged from combating untouchability to fighting the caste system to providing an atheist approach to social change. With her death one of the last remaining atheists of the older generation has left us.