In Memoriam: Geoff Hartman

MERIP grieves the loss of Geoff Hartman, 42, a former editor of this magazine and our great friend. Geoff died on June 7, 2007 of complications resulting from cancer. 

Geoff was born in California but spent much of his youth in Shag Harbor, Nova Scotia. He obtained B.A. and M.A. degrees from, respectively, Berkshire College in Lenox, Massachusetts and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in ancient languages and textual criticism. He completed doctoral coursework in 1993 at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, specializing in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient texts. His languages included Hebrew, Arabic and ancient Aramaic and Syriac. While living in Jerusalem, Geoff also became a student of contemporary Israel-Palestine and worked for the Alternative Information Center, publishers of News from Within.

He was editor of Middle East Report from mid-1995 to 1998. After leaving MERIP’s employ, Geoff continued as a contributing editor and volunteer consultant and graphic designer. He designed the covers of the magazine from late 2001 until just before his death.

From 1998 to 2003, Geoff worked with various independent government contractors as a publications, information management, graphic design and web specialist, principally at NASA. He formally joined NASA in 2003 as a proposal development specialist. He and his printing and design team received numerous awards for technical excellence and customer service. 

During his years at NASA, Geoff also managed his own consulting business and produced a variety of publications, monographs, brochures, advertisements, newsletters and posters for such clients as New York University, Georgetown University, Greenpeace USA, Washington’s Whitman-Walker Clinic and the Coalition for Smarter Growth. His advertising artwork has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines. As he (almost always) did for MERIP, Geoff frequently donated his tremendous talents to non-profit organizations. 

Geoff was a committed activist for progressive political causes and a volunteer in service to the Washington, DC gay community. He served as web coordinator for the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, which honored his contributions at its June 10 rally in Washington, and the DC Mobilization Coordinator for United for Peace and Justice. He also gave generously of his time for many years as a volunteer HIV-AIDS counselor at the Whitman-Walker Clinic and was honored in 2005 as the recipient of its Gene Frey Volunteer Service Award for outstanding volunteer service.  

Survivors include his partner of eight years, Joseph Kakesh, his mother, Gertrude Amos, and other family members in Nova Scotia. Geoff’s many close friends and colleagues will greatly miss him and remember the example he set of a principled life exuberantly lived, his generous and inclusive spirit, his warmth as a host and his extraordinary skills as a gardener, chef and mixologist.  

—Bruce Dunne

A memorial service for Geoff was held on June 17 in Washington, DC. Here are some of the remembrances that were shared there and subsequently:

One of my first memories of Geoff is of a gathering of activists in the basement of the Jerusalem Hotel. I was new in Jerusalem and didn’t know most of the folks in the room. I found myself sitting next to Geoff, who took it upon himself to fill me in on the people present and provide his assessment of them. This was whispered to me at a high decibel level and gave me insight into the various characters on the scene, not least of all Geoff himself, who seemed to move comfortably in this unusual niche.

I also remember Geoff and others pulling all-nighters as he laid out News from Within by hand, meticulously pasting the magazine together, and working into a into giggling stupor as the night wore on. He and [editor] Tikva [Honig-Parnass] would share cigarettes and Geoff would gossip in his impressive Hebrew.  

—Shira Katz

Geoff was one of the first friends I made when I arrived in Jerusalem in 1994. His apartment in the Old City was a meeting place of all sorts of people, and it was there that I met and made many friends and colleagues. Geoff opened his house to me many times when I was lonely, offering nice cooking, nighttime walks around the Old City and, of course, fun and lively conversation about politics, people and life in Jerusalem.  

—Allegra Pacheco

I remember how concerned Geoff always was about his neighbors in the Old City and how he was always trying to help people with their problems. Whether it was trouble paying the rent, a son who had been arrested by the army or a shattered love affair, Geoff was always there for people. 

—Max Boehnel

Geoff helped me to feel comfortable in unfamiliar territory, because he himself was so out there—even before he was “out”—with his needs and his personality, with his hospitality, with his strangeness to the Middle East and his familiarity with it, with his complaints, his politics, his high-pitched banter in Hebrew, Arabic and English. He made himself a focal point—a loud, friendly focal point—and this put me at ease. 

—Jessi Roemer

Once I had to interview a very right-wing Israeli military judge and Geoff, with his excellent Hebrew, offered to serve as my translator. The judge’s anti-Arab rhetoric was extreme, and as Geoff was translating, his face was contorting and he looked like he was going to be sick, repulsed by the words coming out of his mouth. The look in his eyes was, “Oh, my God.” We had barely left the guy’s office before Geoff began howling. It was one of those rare political moments when you and a good friend are in enemy territory, doing reconnaissance.

Of course, I’ll always remember his language skills. There’s nothing like hearing someone soliloquize in Aramaic at a drunken party.

—Lisa Hajjar

Like Lisa, many of my memories of Geoff from the Jerusalem years are rooted in his sardonic humor. It will come as no surprise that he took particular pleasure in thumbing his nose at various authorities and institutions, and that he did so with considerable drama and flair. Those who knew him, and who visited his cramped and airless apartment in the Old City, will recall the small dog that he adopted—or that had adopted Geoff—and that he irreverently named Suha after the wife of Yasser Arafat. He had particular joy calling out her name in the narrow streets of the Old City, watching the surprise and, sometimes, the horror on the faces of his neighbors. His humor could be quite biting and impertinent, but it was always rooted in a cogent critique of the Israeli and Middle Eastern political landscape. Geoff encouraged all of us to do politics with both bravery and humor, to see both the tragic and the absurd in the political scene. We’ll miss him.

—Rebecca Stein

I worked—as assistant editor—with Geoff in 1997 and 1998, during his last year at MERIP. For me, it was nothing less than an incredible experience. Geoff truly excelled in all phases of the production process and was absolutely dedicated to Middle East Report. I remember him telling stories from previous years when he did the entire magazine on his own. On one occasion, the MERIP office was flooded in the final stages of laying out the magazine before sending it to the printer. He, along with office manager Beth Golatzki, recounted how they had to scurry around, pulling up wires and power strips and hanging them on the walls so they would remain dry and he could keep working. But, even when acts of god didn’t intrude, MERIP’s computers did not have the speed or memory to really do the job correctly. As a result, Geoff routinely stayed up all night when deadlines were approaching to get the magazine out on time.

I’ll always remember Geoff as a truly unique and special individual. He was sensitive, brilliant in every sense of the word, and had huge reserves of energy and humor. Geoff treated co-workers as intimate friends. To work with him was to share his life and to share yours with him. Working with Geoff was also like stepping into a different world, where things moved at twice their ordinary speed, colors were sharper than usual and nothing was mundane. Rest in peace, my friend.

—Dan Sisken

On behalf of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, I want to express our gratitude to Geoff by recalling the incredible gifts he gave to the GLBT community during his seven years of volunteer service. Beginning in 1999, Geoff was a volunteer counselor for HIV T&C in the Gay Men’s Health Clinic; in that role, Geoff brought his natural gift for human connection and compassion to clients who were particularly vulnerable—worried and afraid. Geoff could provide reassurance, comfort, optimism and, when appropriate, a touch of levity to this most challenging life situation. Geoff also spent time doing HIV outreach and education for the clinic—through a program that required volunteers to go out to venues frequented by gay men (how hard that must have been!) to hand out condoms and talk about playing it safe. I don’t know about you, but if I imagine Geoff approaching me in a bar, looking me right in the eye and giving me a gentle talking-to about safe sex, I think I’d be sold.

Geoff also brought his tremendous artistic talent to Whitman-Walker. When I met Geoff in 1999 he had been doing the graphic design work for Schwartz Housing, and my colleague, Christine, recommended that I call Geoff regarding a need I had for some graphic design for Lesbian Services. I had always found it a bit difficult to ask volunteers to do work—knowing that they were already giving a lot of time—so I hesitated to call. Christine encouraged me—“he’s great,” she said—so I reached out to Geoff, and I’m so glad I did.

Geoff responded with such enthusiasm, and in no time he literally transformed the look of Lesbian Services newsletters, brochures, ads, invitations, program books—everything. He was so easygoing about the work, he never (or, should I say, rarely) complained and he maintained a professional commitment to producing the best possible final product. For over five years, Geoff hung in there with Lesbian Services, graciously tolerating our limited knowledge of design and production, our demanding timelines and the unpredictable PMS-related mood “issues” one can only expect from working with a women’s program. He would often remind me that he was not one of those “self-absorbed, pissy queen types,” which made it easier for me to ask him to move a comma, change the typeface or make my hair look better.

In 2005, Geoff was given the highest honor available to Whitman-Walker volunteers—the Gene Frey Award. It was very important to me and the Lesbian Services team that Geoff be honored, and we were ecstatic when his nomination was approved. In retrospect, however, it is clear that for Geoff, the reward for his altruistic volunteerism came in the actual doing. He was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of being publicly acknowledged and did not particularly want to endure an awards ceremony, but for us, he stepped up, put on a tie and accepted the award with pride. This was yet another example of Geoff’s unselfish spirit.

Geoff’s commitment to Lesbian Services was driven by his belief that gay men needed to show their appreciation to and solidarity with lesbians for all of their work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He was giving back—and he made that clear. In that way, Geoff was unique among the gay men I knew, and stood out to me as a true bridge builder, someone who understood that all of us had struggles and would do better by joining forces. Geoff was truly a feminist, and in fact I would often tell him that he was a “better,” more righteous lesbian-feminist than me. He certainly had a better lesbian wardrobe than me. Whether or not we agree on who the “real” lesbian is, what I can tell you for sure is that Geoff was a true humanitarian—a rare gem—who did everything within his means to give to others. Geoff’s spirit will always be with me, and I know I speak for the entire Whitman-Walker community when I say, “Geoff, thank you for everything. We will miss you.”

—Ellen Kahn

Geoff had a family in Canada, a family in Washington and, of course, a family at NASA. Like all families we laughed, and we argued, but most of all, we loved Geoff. 

We at NASA first met Geoff back in 2001, when he supported our office temporarily in developing three science mission proposals. Immediately, we knew we had found a real gem with talent and creativity, so whenever we needed help, we called Geoff. He returned over the next several years to work on the Advanced Compton Telescope Vision Mission proposal and the EPIC mission proposal to look for Earth-like planets. Geoff was proud to work for NASA and loved the work that he was so gifted at.

Then, in 2005, Geoff officially joined NASA as a full-time civil servant and was officially adopted into our family. He was so excited about being a NASA civil servant and very conscientious about every detail. Geoff brought a new enthusiasm and energy into the job and quickly gained the respect of all the scientists and engineers whose paths he crossed. 

The list of Geoff’s most significant contributions to NASA includes the proposals he produced for a Lunar Explorer Mission, the MOSAIC mission to Mars, the MISITI instrument that will determine the response of Earth’s ionosphere and thermosphere to geomagnetic storms and a mission to study dark energy, to name a few. The last project Geoff started was the OSIRIS—an asteroid sample return mission. 

Geoff was so passionate about his work that he was contributing to the proposal as late as the week before he died. Geoff was even planning to get Internet access in the intensive care unit. He worked as many hours as it took to publish the perfect proposal. His work was accurate, stylish and professional. He never hesitated to share his vast knowledge of software, and always took the time to sit with others and teach them little tips or tricks that made their jobs easier. 

Geoff was the guy who you wanted to visit in the morning because he would offer you a freshly brewed cup of gourmet coffee. He was the guy who loved to chat about everything under the sun over the coffee. And tempted our taste buds with delectable homemade brownies and cookies. He even used these brownies to bribe his proposal teams to finish their work. 

He was the guy who taped TV shows for those of us who are forgetful or technically challenged. He gave you the evil eye when you said something he didn’t want to hear, and gave you that smirk when you said something that was probably stupid. And who could forget the eye roll….

Geoff was the guy who got lost on the way to work, and some days he got really lost on the way to work. He was the guy whose intellect was beyond his pay grade, and worried about the small stuff even when he was sick. He was the NASA meatball police—a stickler for following the style guide. 

He researched everything. He was the ultimate consumer.

He never failed to support a customer to the fullest. He was forced to deal with those who couldn’t spell customer service. And we knew all about it. 

Geoff was the guy who expected perfection from himself and pushed everyone to the limits he knew they were capable of. He challenged us to do things better and think differently. He helped us to grow as an office.

Because of Geoff, in many ways we are more aware of problems in the world. We are better colleagues for encouraging him, valuing his contributions and loving who he was. We are better people for having Geoff in our lives. We will always miss him.

—Bonnie Norris