Neil Howe wrote the following and asked me to post it here. If you would like to reply with your thoughts about Bill Strauss, we will see that his family sees your comments. -- Craig

I am reporting with great sadness that Bill Strauss passed away early this morning. He will be missed by so many: By his Capitol Steps fans, by his Cappies students, by his speaking audiences, by his readers and discussants, and—of course—by his friends and family. Maybe I should also mention all the political and community leaders who leaned on him for advice, all the media reporters who plied him for insightful quotes, all of the musical writers and performers who loved to work and jam with him, all the fans who got into the habit of phoning and emailing him, and all of the teens and college students who regarded him as a strong friend and advocate for their entire generation.

In truth, Bill was larger than life. Countless people drew strength and inspiration just by being around him. I include myself among these people. Bill and I have worked together on writing and speaking and analyzing and opining about generations—and occasionally about other subjects—for over twenty years. Sometimes, for months on end, we would be on phone into the wee hours every night as we hammered away on this or that project. Bill was of course blessed with inexhaustible creativity and a dazzling sense of humor. Through our association, I also knew him to be a man of unfailing decency, compassion, wisdom, and courage.

I will deeply miss our professional collaboration, which by now has become something close to a habit. Indeed I already find myself wishing for his presence just to complete a sentence—or a thought. I will also deeply miss a very close friend with whom I could talk about anything and trust with anything.

Bill has a wonderful family (his wife Jane and his children Melanie, Vicky, Becky, and Eric) for whom this loss will be very tough. It was great for all of them that they live nearby and could be around him in his final weeks. Greater still that they have lives which will continue to overlap and circle around his own interests (just as his interests often overlapped with theirs).

The service will be private. There will however be a public memorial in March of 2008 in McLean, Virginia, to which all of the Bill’s friends and associates and well-wishers and fans are invited to attend. Exact dates and details to come.

Thank you, Neil, for all the work you and Bill have done on this subject.

Reading Millennials Rising was a life-changing experience for me. I can no longer look at history and current events without thinking of the saeculum. I am in awe of what the two of you have accomplished together.

I was familiar with Bill's work with the Capitol Steps long before I had ever heard of Generations or The Fourth Turning. My family and I have had many laughs listening to NPR broadcasts of the Steps. After the 2000 election, the Steps did a parody song "There's a Hole in the Center of the Ballot." My kids thought that was the funniest thing ever. Seven years later, they still giggle when they sing the chorus.

My condolences to the family, and my thanks to Bill for the wonderful scholarship.

We all have our favorite Capitol Steps lyrics. The lines I still recall, shortly after moving down the Washington and starting to work with Bill in 1987, was that immortal take off on Bob Dylan, Like a Suburban Drone. The couple of stanzas I recall:

People used to shout and say watch out
You’re bound to sell out
But you thought they were all ... kidding you.

But now you go out to dance
in a yellow tie and polyester pants
now you talk like your dad
now you wear matress plaid
and say do you want to ... barbeque.

I had never heard stuff like that before. I laughed a long time. And I thought it caught the mood of the times pretty well.

--Neil

Originally Posted by Arkham '80

I'm more inclined to celebrate a life well-lived than to mourn, so tonight I shall salute Mr. Strauss with a glass of Glenlivet.

As promised, I have toasted Mr. Strauss. What a life he lived. His theory, formulated with Mr. Howe, has changed the way in which Americans interpret their history. Because of him, time is no longer a random march from one signpost to another, but a coherent cycle -- a saeculum! -- into which whole generations fit, their distinct personalities creating a synergy of moods that shape how the nation meets its challenges. His memory survives in each of us, and the universe can never erase the fact of his existence, because of the changes -- however small -- his life made in the world. I applaud the man, for he has contributed much to the human story.

I knew this was coming for a while, Farewell Bill you have lived a life and achieved many great things which will be remembered for generations to come.

Originally Posted by Neil Howe

We all have our favorite Capitol Steps lyrics. The lines I still recall, shortly after moving down the Washington and starting to work with Bill in 1987, was that immortal take off on Bob Dylan, Like a Suburban Drone. The couple of stanzas I recall:

People used to shout and say watch out
You’re bound to sell out
But you thought they were all ... kidding you.

But now you go out to dance
in a yellow tie and polyester pants
now you talk like your dad
now you wear matress plaid
and say do you want to ... barbeque.

I had never heard stuff like that before. I laughed a long time. And I thought it caught the mood of the times pretty well.

--Neil

Did Bill actually do the Spoonerism routines himself onstage?

It's always sudden, and it's always sooner than you expect.

My condolences to Bill's family, friends and fans. I didn't want this to be what brought me back to these boards. I haven't seen Bill in years but I'll miss him anyway.

I'm very sorry to hear about this. Thanks for providing illumination in my life, and condolences to his family, and to Mr. Howe.

Thank you for your memories and expressions of support. The virtual community you all created was so important to him.

And, yes, not only did he write the Spoonerisms himself--he performed them better on stage than anyone else could. He could take any passage from memory (even the Gettysburg Address) and reverse initial consonanats flawlessly on recital. As David Kaiser has aptly written, Bill possessed an absolutely unique combination of personal talents... arranged in a way you just never see in one person.

--Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Howe

And, yes, not only did he write the Spoonerisms himself--he performed them better on stage than anyone else could. He could take any passage from memory (even the Gettysburg Address) and reverse initial consonanats flawlessly on recital. As David Kaiser has aptly written, Bill possessed an absolutely unique combination of personal talents... arranged in a way you just never see in one person.

--Neil

Wow.

I've started digging into the state library holdings for Capitol Steps recordings. I'm looking forward to listening to them.

That's Bill has died yesterday. His family has my condolences.

- Neil -
This is very sad to me. I learned so much from reading both of your works. You have helped me to understand things that I just couldn't get answers from in any other venue. I will never look at life and history the same because of both your works.

Over the summer, and shortly after you both conducted your discussion forum on this site, I had written you both a note of thanks for taking the time to research and write your generational books and expounded, briefly, on how much your efforts have helped me and my brother understand "things". I felt strongly that it was important that you both know how your work has impacted my life - regardless of whether or not I knew you both personally. Bill responded to me with a short note of gratitude stating how happy he was to know that his work affected people positively.

Albeit only a short exchange between us, now as I look back on the incident, I'm glad that it was something that I did initiate instead of something I only thought of doing.

I'm very sad to know that Bill's life ended before the holidays, but I think his contributions to society will always be remembered and impacting.

My sincerest condolences for the loss of your friend.

Bria

My condolences to Bill Strauss, his loved ones, and his virtual community. In view of the importance of the study of history as a predictor of the future, we have all lost much.

I can only imagine that it ate at him that he would never get to see whether his predictions, among the most sensible that anyone has ever made of the future, would turn out as he thought. To be sure, the most exciting times of history are also horrible -- but they at times offer their ample compensation.

To Bill's family all I can say is how very sorry we all are, and how much Bill will be missed.

Why can't I just post the sad faces?

I just heard the bad news. I'm very sad, and very sorry that Bill's life was cut short so soon.

I met Bill and his wife, though she probably doesn't remember me specifically, in April 1998, at the (first) gathering of T4T website contributors. I spent a few days in Bill's company - riding in his convertible VW Golf, listening to him speak in front of Washington D.C. monuments, watching him being interviewed on CSPAN, watching his Capitol Steps troupe perform, and trying to help act out one of his unfinished works at a local park. My fondest memory was sitting downstairs in his house after everyone else had left, alone with Bill and Neil, just chatting.

My contact with Bill was a brief intersection of two lives, but he left his mark on me. My world view will remain one small piece of his legacy. I wish he had lived long enough to see the 4T predictions confirmed. But more importantly, I wish he had more time to spend with his family, whom he so obviously loved very much. To them I extend my condolences, as well as to Neil and his family, who were so close to Bill.

Rich Tauchar
Folsom, CA

:-( :-( :-(

He will be missed, and not just in the generational theory arena.

After Yeats:
"I am accustomed to their lack of breath,
But not that Crown of Creation,
Our Sidney and our perfect man,
Could share in that discourtesy of death."

My condolences upon the loss to his family, Mr. Howe, and all.

RIP Mr. Strauss.

Right before Christmas. Damn, just damn.

William Strauss made a difference in his too short life. My condolences to his family and friends.

May he rest in peace. I'm sure he'll be remembered for achieving many things, especially the generational theory.

Stanley, Richard... great to hear from you both again. Yes, it brings back those old gatherings we had.

The New York Times did a nice piece on Bill this morning:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/us...=5070&emc=eta1

btw, I was on Coast-to-Coast AM last night for three hours, talking about generations and the 4T. Sorry I didn't mention it beforehand. I'll try to remember next time.

--Neil

I was remembering an evening back in 1993, when my ex-husband and I met another couple and went to Capitol Steps, which at that time was in a hotel -- you could do dinner and then hear Capitol Steps.

I remember a grey-haired man doing a routine about Boomers growing older and doing the spoonerisms but never connected either to Bill Strauss. The kicker was -- I had already read Generations and was familiar with the Theory.

Here is a link to one of Strauss's spoonerisms. This one is relentlessly non-partisan.

Good-bye. Thank you.