Buckminister Fuller (and Free Pizza)

From the Bucky's Dome folks:

RBF Dome NFP, Carbondale’s own R. Buckminster Fuller Dome Home Non-Profit, is excited to launch its first of what is planned to be monthly public gatherings this Wednesday, April 22 at Italian Village (405 S. Washington in Carbondale), starting at 6:00 pm. These public events are an opportunity for Fuller Enthusiasts and Bucky-philes to:

1) meet some of the members of the Bucky Dome Home Board of Directors,

2) receive updates about the Bucky Dome Home restoration project,

3) to hear some presentations about Buckminster Fuller from his friends, colleagues and other comprehensivist experts,

4) to engage in some fantastic conversation with like-minded folks, and

5) to have some free pizza.

Earth Day is the perfect day to launch this monthly series, as Buckminster Fuller, who started writing and speaking about conserving the earth’s resources, sustainability and renewability more than 70 years ago, is considered by many to be the “grandfather of the green movement.” Some of his most enduring quotes include: “How do we make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense of the disadvantage of anyone”; “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we have been ignorant of their value” and “Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment.”

Hosting the event at Italian Village is a natural fit for the Buckminster Fuller Dome Home Non-Profit, as both Bucky’s Dome Home and Italian Village will be celebrating their 50th Anniversaries next year.. The dome home located at 407 S. Forest Ave. in Carbondale was raised in just seven hours on April 19, 1960.

For this inaugural monthly gathering on Earth Day, Wednesday April 22nd, presentations will be made by:

SIUC Professor Emeritus Mr. Bill Perk, former protegé, colleague and friend of Buckminster Fuller, and also former Chairman of SIUC’s Design Department. Bill, who originally came to SUIC upon Bucky’s urging and recommendation, will be sharing a variety of anecdotes about Carbondale’s own eccentric and brilliant “Man of Tomorrow.” Bill, who was the last owner of the Bucky Dome Home before donating it to the non-for-profit in September 2002, is a RBF Dome NFP Board Member and is also a Buckminster Fuller Institute Advisory Board Member.

Former SIUC Webmaster John Johnson, a retired 20-year veteran of SIUC in information technology, with an international reputation for industrial automation and robotics. John is a Board Member of RBF Dome NFP and will highlight important aspects of Buckminster Fuller’s philosophy.

Also new RBF Dome NFP President Brent Ritzel, a Carbondale native who has recently returned after spending his last 23 years in Chicago and Denver, will be talking about the organization’s new vision for “Carbondale’s top cultural and economic development project, and Carbondale’s future number one tourist attraction.” Back in 1983 Brent constructed what may be the only scale model replica of the dome home ever created, which spent three years on display in the SIU Museum in the mid 1980s.