My Memories of John Moriarty

 

John Moriarty was a local Stockton peace activist who for many years guided the direction of the Stockton Peace and Justice Center and was copy editor for the locally distributed Connection newspaper.  On most Thursday afternoons you would find John standing near the corner of Pacific Avenue by the east entrance of Delta College.  There, John would be holding up a sign or singing in protest against some worldwide in justice.  He was a radio announcer, a television interviewer and producer, a master carpenter and lover of human beings.   John once said to me, one of my favorite words in the world is Earthling, for that, is what we all are.

The first time I met John Moriarty was on June 21, 1984…although I may have met him earlier.  My wife Laurie and me were some how invited to a summer solstice party located in east Stockton.  At that time, John lived in a farmhouse off of Carpenter Road.  When we arrived, we found John in his kitchen twirling back and forth what looked like a carved tree branch.  I asked John, , what are you doing?  John replied, balancing the universe.  All through the house and yard were strange people singing and playing with a variety of hand-percussion instruments.  Some folks were reading and others were engaged in typical party activities…that is to say, conversing, contemplating and generally zoning out.  When sunset began to arrive, everybody got up and moved out, following John into his field where stood a wooden pyramid.  With John in the lead, chanting Indian style and gesturing with his tree branch like the rod of Moses, we all faced to the west and gave thanks to the sun and all its warmth and wonder.
           
Years later, when I began working for KUOP as Production Director in the spring of 1987, my first big attempt to produce an original radio program, John would again play an inspirational part in my audio production concept.  As a fine Shakuhachi, traditional Japanese bamboo flute player and peacenik, I asked John if he would be a part of a live remote concert featuring flutes of different types.  The program title, "Flutes for Peace" was right up John’s alley.  Of course John said yes.  What I forgot to mention to John is the recording was to take place in Caswell State Park in Ripon on the morning of the summer solstice.

So there we all were, John Moriarty playing Shakuhachi, my good friend the late Bill Hannaford playing bamboo flute, Laurie Mitnick playing traditional flute and Larry Huffman, one of those people who walk in and out of your life just to fill that brief momentary need playing mettle flute, arrive before dawn to play in the middle of the park as tape rolls.  At the first sign of light, I hit the record button and the flute performers began to walk into the field playing their longest day dawning serenade.  The broadcast, Flutes for Peace aired only once later that month and the master tape from the remote recording session was lost never to be heard again.

John Moriarty, in all my encounters, was a inspiration.  He was a philosopher, carpenter, musician, poet, peace activist, novelist, copy editor, radio voice talent, singer and spiritual adviser. He represented the best of humanity and gave love to all things.  Although his spirit leaves the body, the energy of his life continues to touch all of us.  John is not gone, only transformed, a transformation we all will make in our own time as we become one with his proverbial balancing of the universe.