Today I received a message from a naturist activist friend that Lee Baxandall died on Thanksgiving Day. He was 73. He said that much will surely be written about his organizing thousands of naturists across the continent, and bringing previously shunned groups into the movement--as well as leading the way into political activism. He added that Lee brought a new intellectual dimension to the mindless chatter of nudist publications. He was not afraid to wrestle with deep and important ideas. He accomplished much. We will not see his like again during our lifetimes. To that I would like to add that though I never met Lee in person in the course of several articles by me being published in Nude & Natural, (the magazine of The Naturist Society, which he started) we wrote on many occasions. He gave me a glimpse of the needs of magazine publishing in my naive writing efforts and he went with a couple of my articles that garnered a little controversy among nudists. My nudism came with all the other cultural questioning and dropping out in the 1970s. Lee Baxandall was one of those leaders, out there pushing the limits and getting arrested for it. He challenged authority and got others to do likewise. For his impetus, we now have nudist activists all over North America fighting to get clothing optional beaches and recreational areas. I guess it is a fitting tribute that I spent Thanksgiving Day, naked in the sun on Haulover Beach.
Sorry to hear that. Ten years ago, when I first started calling myself a naturist, I bought Baxandall's world guide to clothing-optional beaches and resorts. It's been a while since I've read it -- it may have disappeared during my last move -- but I remember it was very thorough and well written. (Pictures weren't bad, either.)
Somewhere I bought a copy of the first World Guide. It's a classic in so many ways. I also bought the revised editions over the years. Lee was perhaps the foremost leader in the naturist movement. I'm saddened to learn of his death.
