Goodbye Dr. Tomorrow. In Memory of Frank Ogden

I woke up this morning and checked Vancouver Sun headlines only to discover that a man for whom I had the greatest admiration had passed away.  Frank Ogden....Dr. Tomorrow. I first met him when I started working in Coal Harbour and like many others, was absolutely fascinated when he invited me onto his houseboat and gave me a tour of his floating laboratory.

I often thought of him, especially when reading a book, since as the author of The Last Book You Will Ever Read, he was truly ahead of his time.

So often in life we think of people but don't get in touch with them. However, a couple of years ago I decided to try and track down the man I knew as Dr. Tomorrow to see if he was still alive and if so, what he thought of how the world had changed. I found him, and below is our initial exchange of emails:

Michael Geller <michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com>	18/11/2009		to Dr.Tomorrow

I remember you; do you remember me?

Frank Ogden, as the world keeps changing, I often think of you.  We met many years ago in Coal Harbour and I have often thought about the things you said to me at the time.  I am a Vancouver based architect and property developer involved with the redevelopment of the Bayshore property and a number of other developments around the city at SFU, Steveston, and Kerrisdale.

I thought of you this morning and decided to see if you are still in Vancouver and whether you take visitors!  If so, I would love to hook up again.  cheers

--
Michael Geller B.Arch, MAIBC, FCIP
 778 997 9980   www.michaelgeller.ca
www.gellersworldtravel.blogspot.com

FORGET THE MICHAEL GELLER?? IMPOSSIBLE.

HI MICHAEL,

THANKS FOR YOUR E-MAIL.

THIS ATTACHMENT IS THE FIRST "E-BOOK #1".  I  HAVE 15 MORE IN A PACKAGE THAT IN ITS GUTENBERG FORMAT SOLD FOR $150.00  I NOW SEND IT OUT FOR JUST $10.00 ALL IN THE DR TOMORROW LIQUID PIXELS & LIGHT FORMAT.  READ IT AND IF YOU WISH YOU GET THE OTHER 14 BOOKS JUST AFTER YOU TALK TO PAY/PAL.

I RECENTLY SOLD MY HOUSE BOAT AS A "FLOATING HOME" BY CHANGING THE NAME.  SAVED THE PURCHASER (A YOUNG 33-YEAR OLD LAWYER) $14,000.  HE MADE AN OFFER I COULDN'T REFUSE.

IT WAS TEN TIMES WHAT IT COST ME TO BUILD.  AND, THAT'S AFTER LIVING IN IT FOR 35 YEARS !

I MOVED INTO A RESIDENCE I BOUGHT 10 YEARS AGO, WHAT I CALL MY "RIVER COTTAGE" (ON THE BANKS OF THE CAPILANO) IN WEST VANCOUVER.  COME OVER IF YOU WISH.  THE ADDRESS IS 479 RAINDANCE CRESCENT, WEST VANCOUVER, V7P 1C3.  PHONE FIRST. 604 688 7103.

FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES I HAVE BEEN MAKING 700 GLOBAL PRESENTATIONS REGARDING HIGH TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATIONS, SOCIAL & ACCELERATING CHANGE. WEBSITE: drtomorrow@shaw.ca

HOWEVER I AM STILL JUST A KID AT 89.

D R.  T O M O R R O W

DISPATCHES FROM CYBERSPACE

C O M M U N I C A T I O N  P L U S

 F R A N K  O G D E N

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE/AUTOGRAPH        & ® & ©

For the next couple of months I received regular dispatches from cyberspace!  While I was happpy to be on his short listserve, my inbox started to fill up on an almost daily basis! I just didn't have the time or energy to keep up with him. However, I checked this morning and I still have many of his missives that I will review. 

Of course I now regret that I did not go and visit him in his 'river cottage'. But I am glad that I did reconnect if only to discover that he never lost any of the energy and creativity that made him one of the most remarkable people I have ever met in Vancouver.  Goodbye Dr. Tomorrow.