Oh, he’s a dab hand was that Laird Allen Schaub
The “Big Orange” his father used to call him, meaning he had all the gifts of leadership.
Like all Carls, he excelled at everything in La Grange, Illinois high school. Jock, math lover and heading up the Editorial Staff.
At Carleton he extended his run, as the soccer (real football) goalie and guy to lead the “long run.” He was inspirational in getting Musser and then Goodhue underclassfolks to take up wilderness canoeing. His foray into student government paved the way to RA’ness. He was even a member of the Knights of Honor for homecoming, where his bowed legs charmed all in Mediaeval clothing.
Leaving C-town, he became a minor cog in the Dept of Transportation, before conspiring with a group of Carls to chuck the Swamp and move to a rural hideout in NE Missouri to an intentional community known as Sandhill. There he wrote a book – wait a bunch of books and magazines. Not to be one trapped in his own paper experiences he blogged a bunch.
He was semi-indestructible on canoe trips up to the Arctic Ocean and places below that. He was convinced he would live to 100. He played enough bridge that he seems to have made that bid.
He almost did, he made three-quarters of it before cancers got to him.
As he wrote of his feelings and about his mortality, he was surrounded by his daughter, his siblings and friends from coast to coast from Carleton and Intentional Communities. Laird was the subject of many scientifically based treatments: one after another. Each extended his life as he continued to ride trains to Intentional Communities as a consultant, coach and therapist. His tenacity outlived all his doctor’s expectations, but not his.
He loved life and had a number of loves in his life. Two of which were from Carleton, Ann Schrader ’72 and Sue Anderson ’71. Both remained as major players in his life.
To honor him: go outside, breathe deeply, sigh thanks for having been touched by a life well lived.
Kip Lilly ’71
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