World Hunger Year...Harry Chapin's legacy...

When I decided to attach my walk across America to a charity, World Hunger Year, now called WhyHunger, I had no idea who they were anymore. I barely knew Harry Chapin,co-founder, and he has been deceasd some thirty years now, of a heart attack/car accident/ strange combination of factors on the LIE in 1981. Something I read somewhere, a quote from a family member, suggested that his rigorous schedule and poor eating habits—a lot of fast food etc,--- were to blame for the apparent heart attack that killed him. What is known is that he was driving on the Long Island Expressway, on July 16, 1981, in a Volkswagen Rabbit, and for some reason pulled to the side of the road, and kept moving along slowly there. Why he pulled over is not clear---it could have been car trouble, it could have been chest pains—but at some point he decided to keep on moving and re-entered the highway, right into the path of a big truck, which rearended the little car and caused the gas tank to explode. Passerby actually managed to get Harry out of the car, still alive, but he later died in the hospital from the heart attack. A sad end to a great life.
What makes it sadder is the possibility that his own goodness killed him. He gave away almost half of the money that he made in his life, was supporting a lot of people personally, and had a touring schedule that would be a challenge to anyone. Had he just been a regular dude, like we all want to be, he would have been spending his money on himself and would have had a better car, a better lifestyle and probably wouldn’t have had any heart troubles at all. And he would still be with us. Irony---a guy who was so involved in making sure that people got proper food and nutrition the world over died from…poor nutrition.
So, with that knowledge and thought process in mind, I contacted WhyHunger for their endorsement, and was quickly welcomed into the fold. Sight unseen, they gave me their blessing and support.
I decided to take a trip to New York to meet them, especially Sue Leventhal, who seems to have enough energy to power a small city. Or a big one. I wasn’t sure what to expect…I figured a big, shiny corporate looking cube farm, with people on headsets and wearing suits and ties, but that morning when I arrived I was delighted to not only find that the place was NOT corporate clean and shiny (and sterile) but was a busy little place with a maybe 7 people in the entire office, and all were busy. Harry’s co-founder, and former radio guy in NY, Father Bill Ayres, came over and introduced himself, and presented me with a sweatshirt and a lot of good wishes. Sue took me around and introduced me to several people, all nice and interested in what I was there for. I spoke to Sue for a while, and was presented with a few more shirts and other things to take with me as I returned to Georgia.
I left the building with the knowledge that I had chosen a good charity with which to affiliate my walk. Harry’s legacy is definitely in good hands.