Obituary: Died 2002.
Washington, Seattle HempFest
Long time Washington activist and Hemp.Net founder Robert Lunday passed away on June 9, 2002. Organizers of the Seattle HempFest were stunned by the unexpected death of Lunday.
Lunday was also a member of the “Sensible Seattle” I-75
steering committee working on a ballot measure to
deprioritize marijuana arrests within the city.
Hemp.net has a special memorial page dedicated to people
who want to help keep Robert’s memory fresh and vibrant.
“We miss him so much! He was so much more than met the
eye. He helped out people all the time, and we never knew
most of it untill after his death. One of our crew needs
alot of medical attention, but simply couldn’t afford
insurance, so Robert paid for it, a year at a time.
“Each year, he donated money at tax-time, and he always wanted
that money to be directed toward reform work…that’s how we
bought the Human Rights and the Drug War exhibit. A few years ago, I was having issues with my email server, so Robert wrote me and
told me to check out my new hemp.net email addy, the one I
currently use…I’ve never been charged a penny for it.
Robert was a big fan of tall ships, and also donated alot of
time and funds to the Center For Wooden Boats here in
Seattle. Last year, right before the Hempfest, there was a
parade of tall ships that went past Myrtle Edwards into the
harbor…I had to smile and shed a few tears as I realized
that Robert was blessing us in his own unique way.
“For Hempfest, Roberts name will forever be memorialized. The
central pathway that leads through Myrtle Edwards Park is
now called the Lunday Way during the ‘Fest, and the Green
Ribbon he was awarded is now called The Robert Lunday Award,
for achievements above and beyond the call of duty in
fighting against The Drug War.”
— Kevin Black, HempFest steering committee
