A Belated Farewell

I have been remiss in not noticing the passing of actor Eddie Albert nearly a year ago. Albert starred in one of the funniest television shows of all times, Green Acres. Portraying lawyer-turned-farmer Oliver Wendell Douglas in the town of Hooterville, Albert’s looks of exasperation at the various townspeople are classic comedy, and absolutely hysterical.

But Albert had many other fine qualities, as noted in his obituary. “He was a tireless conservationist, crusading for endangered species, healthful food, cleanup of Santa Monica Bay pollution and other causes. … He helped Dr. Albert Schweitzer combat famine in Africa. He traveled the world for UNICEF. Concerned about seeing fewer pelicans on beaches where he was jogging, he went with ecologists and his son on a trip to Anacapa Island. ‘We discovered that in every nest all the eggs were crushed, and nobody knew why,’ the younger Albert [son of Eddie Albert] said. ‘They took samples and tested them, and found DDT in all the eggs. … An entire generation of species was being wiped out.’ Albert began speaking about the harmful effects of the pesticide at universities around the country, and in 1972 the federal government banned DDT.”