Pete Seeger, 1919-2014

It is almost impossible to conceive of just how much history Pete Seeger both observed and was a part of during his lengthy and extraordinary life, but even a brief summation gives you an idea of its scope. Also this: “Before Seeger’s confrontation with HUAC, people sometimes regarded his optimism as childish, and unrealistic, as a habit of mind inconsistent with the moral rigor of a serious person. Afterward, he became a figure of undeniable stature. He had stared down jail time. He had stood amid peril for his beliefs. He had typified the principles of all the brave people he had sung about.” Seeger was 94.