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A Friend of the Earth
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Bob's Book Genesis of a Rebel
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“A Message to the Future. . .”
"This book is a good read and a powerfully written memoir. Most
importantly, Genesis of a Rebel
reminds us that it’s never too late to
claim our personal freedom and be constructively involved in the issues
of life."
The Right Rev. Robert H. Johnson, D.D.
³ ³
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"Reading Genesis
of a Rebel was like having Bob in the room with me. . .
his voice comes through clearly and with characteristic passion. His
struggles with his own character and with society emerge in a crystal
clear manner and should help others struggling with the same
issues—lack of fellow feeling, disregard for the natural environment,
violence, and close-mindedness. His life, only part of which I knew
before, has certainly been one of struggle against these impediments to
grace. Bob’s eccentricities and character emerge early and repeatedly
throughout this substantial volume, to which his poetry and creative
writing add a great deal. This book is quintessentially Bob Ragland,
and I much appreciate his efforts in capturing some of his interesting
life and often novel and inspiring perspectives on issues that are
important to all of us."
Francis E. “Jack” Putz , Ph.D.,
Botany Professor at the University of Florida
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I first saw Bob Ragland in 1972, riding down Riverside Avenue on his
bicycle. He had a long, flowing white beard with a bright red ribbon
tied neatly in his whiskers like a New-Age bowtie. “I’ve got to meet
that man,” I said to myself.
It was easy to meet Bob Ragland. Everyone in the neighborhood seemed to
know him. A child of one the Avondale neighborhood’s prominent
families, Bob was born in 1920 and grew up with children who later
became the upper crust of Jacksonville’s social circles. Bob was highly
regarded by his well-connected peers since, after all, he was a doctor.
A little eccentric maybe, but they knew his pedigree. On the other
hand, he was much respected by the radical youth of the neighborhood.
In those turbulent times of the Vietnam War era, he was looked up to as
a wise and sympathetic member of the “older” generation. This bearded,
long-haired peaceful man was seen as a guru of sorts, a spitting image
of “Mr. Natural.”
As I got to know Bob, I realized he was truly a man of many contrasts.
He was not only a pediatrician and a psychiatrist, but an
anti-establishment trouble maker of the finest type. He got his early
education at Virginia Military Institute (perhaps the nation’s most
rigid military educational college), and yet he became a peace
activist, staunchly against the war. He had attended Episcopal seminary
with hopes of becoming a member of the clergy, but in later years he
became a forceful critic of the church for its restrictive attitudes
toward gay people and minorities. He was an environmentalist before
most people even knew what the word meant.
Bob has spent most of his adult life as a
crusader for important causes. He was the founder of the local chapter
of the Sierra Club. He single-handedly held up the construction of a
poorly conceived Interstate Highway for over five years. Once, while
testifying in Tallahassee against the construction of offshore nuclear
power plants, he hushed everyone in the room by telling the Governor to
be quiet. With great eloquence he has spoken before nearly every local
government body from the School Board to the Department of Natural
Resources, calling attention to their errors and lack of concern for
the natural environment. Hardly any public official has escaped his
persistent and articulate letter-writing skills. And he initiated the
local gay rights movement before most people even considered the
concept of “gay rights” or the need for such a movement.
This book tells the story of the life of a truly wonderful rebel who,
for all of his pursuit of leading-edge causes, is at heart a very
gentle man and a lover of nature. Although a member of the passing
generation, his challenge to change the destructive relationship
between mankind and the natural world is a message to the future. The
triumphs of love over hate, of understanding over indifference, and of
caring for our planet rather than destroying it, are the great themes
that resonate through his life and his story. This book is a compelling
testimony from a man who is ahead of his time.
Wayne W. Wood
Genesis of a Rebel is 272 pages
hard-bound with dust jacket, 9" x 11".
To order your copy:
Send your check for $24.95 (plus $7.15 shipping) = Total $32.10
to The Robert B. Ragland Foundation, Inc.
P. O. Box 315, 4209 Buckland Trail
Greenwood, Florida 32443
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