About Ian

Ian’s obituary is below.  It was written by some of his closest friends, and it does describe many of the things  that people who knew and loved Ian thought were at the essence of him as a person.  It lists his family, all of whom loved him very dearly, and it reflects many of the things that those of us who knew him well will miss most.  Please feel free to read that, as it should give those of you who did not know him, more of an idea about who Ian was.  Some of us believe he still is those things, perhaps just somewhere beyond the horizon of the world we can comprehend, in a place where we can’t quite reach him anymore.

To understand how the library project connects to Ian, however, the most important thing to understand about him is that Ian was at heart a real thinker.  When he was able to engage with the world (there were moments when he was not up to that), he  was thirsty for knowledge, and had what seemed like a burning desire to understand why the world is how it is, and why there is so much trouble and pain in it.  He pursued philosophy, I believe, because he wanted to know what the wisest thinkers of the world had written that might help him understand the human condition.  Ian also loved art and poetry and music, and I am fairly sure that Ian saw those as an expression of the best and most beautiful sides of human nature.  He tried his own hand at art, poetry and music, and was never fully satisfied with what he himself created, as it never quite matched the beautiful thing he saw in his mind.

He was fascinated by the people in the world who struggle and suffer, and yet who have found a way to persist in the world without allowing the pain and disappointment of their lives to drag them down. He talked to many people on the streets of New Orleans.  On the “Writings” section of this website you can read some of Ian’s writing, which may give you a glimpse into how he saw some of those interactions.  My own sense is that he was seeking from these people an answer to how one can exist and move forward, despite the pain in the world, so he could apply that in his own life.

So, the connection I see to the Library Project, is to try to enable other people, maybe some of the people Ian interacted with directly, or their children, or their brothers and sisters, who are trying to understand the world, and who need to make their way in it, to have access to the food for thought that meant so much to Ian.  That is the main aim of what the Library Project is about.  We need to connect people to knowledge, and enable  ideas to reach fruition, so those who do suffer and struggle in life, have a path toward understanding, and maybe  reaching a better way for themselves in the world.

After reading a short story that I wrote, Ian once told me he admired my “boundless optimism”.  It is true, I do believe it is possible to change things for the better.  Ian himself had a different approach to life, and I think his road was much tougher than mine, but I also am sure he would similarly admire my application of what may be a great deal of optimism, to the saddest moment of my life, in an effort to bring to the fore some of what I learned from my son, in an optimistic way, in the creation of the Library Project.  That is where this is all coming from, and I’d be glad for your help in making it a reality.

Marian (Ian’s mom)

Ian’s Obituary, Town Topics:

(Text)

Ian Gallagher Zelazny, beloved son of Marian and Olek Zelazny of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, grandson of the late Helen and Henry Gallagher of Princeton, and Stanislaw and Marianna Zelazny of Czestochowa, Poland, passed away in his home in New Orleans on Thursday September 27, 2012. He is survived by his grandmother in Poland, his parents, his sisters Kaya Zelazny and Iga Chitwood, his brother-in-law Zachary Chitwood, his nephews Gregory and Gabriel Chitwood, his aunts and uncles Jane and Ann Gallagher, Wiesia and Romuald Mecmajer and Horacio Furlong, and his cousins Lilah and Clara Steece, Patrick and Andrew Furlong, and Agnieszka and Maciej Mecmajer, and by many dear friends. He was 21 years old.

Ian received his diploma from the Chapin School in 2005 and Lawrence High School in 2009. Before his untimely death, Ian attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was expected to graduate in 2013. He was the beneficiary of a four-year Presidential scholarship at Tulane, where he was majoring in English and philosophy, with a minor in psychology. He was a talented and dedicated student, and was in Tulane’s honors program. Ian was an involved member of the Tulane community, acting as special events chair on the Literary Society executive staff, as a member of the juggling club, and for some time as a writer for Tulane’s student newspaper, ‘The Hullabaloo.’

Ian will be remembered as an artist-philosopher-seeker of truth, a man who lived life to the fullest and inspired those around him to do the same. He brought compassion, love, openness, and unparalleled kinship to each relationship he formed. He led a rich life — one that was far shorter than those who knew and loved him would have liked. His energy, intellect, and kindness will be sorely missed.

The Zelazny family has established the “Ian Zelazny Library Fund” at Tulane University in honor of Ian’s love of ideas and the written word. Ian’s family hopes the fund will enable a project that encompasses Ian’s love of reading, of learning, and of the warm and generous nature of New Orleans in a way that will give back to a community he appreciated deeply. In lieu of flowers and condolences, the Zelazny’s prefer donations to the Library Fund. …

Ian’s family is thankful for the support of family, friends, and loved ones, and hopes that the fund will channel that goodwill into a cause worthy of Ian’s memory. For further information about plans for the fund see http://www.ianzelazny.org.

A celebration of Ian’s life, in the form of a poetry reading, took place at the Grounds for Sculpture at 18 Fairgrounds Road in Hamilton on Sunday, November 18, 2012 in the East Gallery. Ian always enjoyed Grounds for Sculpture, so it seemed like a fitting place to celebrate and honor his life.  A line from one of Ian’s stories can now be found on a plaque by one of the park’s sculptures, “Yew II” by Bruce Daniels.  Part of one of Ian’s poems is also to be installed by a weeping beech tree given by Ian’s family to the Grounds for Sculpture in memory of Ian.