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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: marianas_gamer on September 04, 2013, 06:06:28 AM

Title: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: marianas_gamer on September 04, 2013, 06:06:28 AM
It is being reported on TMP that Don Featherstone passed away yesterday.  
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=318455
A sad day for many of us who were introduced to this hobby through his books, a surprising number at the public library. Rest in Peace.
LB
Title: Re: Featherstones Passes
Post by: H.M.Stanley on September 04, 2013, 06:31:43 AM
I was buying his books before i was properly involved in the hobby. RIP
Title: Re: Featherstones Passes
Post by: Hummster on September 04, 2013, 06:37:50 AM
Sad, if not entirely unexpected news given a long and successful life. Definitely the first wargames author that I read.
Title: Re: Featherstones Passes
Post by: leadfool on September 04, 2013, 08:35:16 AM
He will be missed.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Patrick R on September 04, 2013, 09:10:18 AM
One of the founders has passed.  RIP.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: dampfpanzerwagon on September 04, 2013, 09:20:14 AM
Very sad news.

Tony
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Geudens on September 04, 2013, 09:30:22 AM
A sad day indeed. I've met him a couple of times; a true gentleman.  I still have nearly all of his books.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: von Lucky on September 04, 2013, 10:23:21 AM
Gone, but he won't be forgotten.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Sterling Moose on September 04, 2013, 10:56:04 AM
One of the giants alongside HG Wells.  Sadly missed but his legacy will be kept alive by us all.
RIP Mr Featherstone.  :'(
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Mick A on September 04, 2013, 11:02:20 AM
A sad loss to the Wargaming community :(
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Conquistador on September 04, 2013, 11:43:43 AM
He was a great "eye candy book from the library" part of my early war game experience but he pretty much was a non-factor in my gaming/miniatures life after the 1980's.

He was foundational.  He will be missed by many.  He just wasn't a large part directly of my experience.  RIP.

Gracias,

Glenn
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Hu Rhu on September 04, 2013, 12:01:54 PM
It was his books and articles which introduced and inspired me to start Wargaming back in the early 70's.  A great role model to my wargaming generation, who will be sadly missed.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Mosstrooper on September 04, 2013, 02:47:43 PM
A great man , RIP
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: krieghund on September 04, 2013, 04:45:58 PM
RIP Sir.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: moonshado on September 04, 2013, 05:25:22 PM
I grew up reading his books borrowed from the local library. Another of the greats pass on-RIP.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: DoctorPete on September 04, 2013, 08:41:16 PM
A giant in the hobby.  God bless him. 
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: rob_alderman on September 04, 2013, 09:01:14 PM
Rest in peace, we owe you one Don!

What a great fellow, truly remarkable what he did for this community.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: juergen c. olk on September 05, 2013, 02:02:23 AM
 atrue Gentleman,he visited our group in Omaha/Nebraska in the mid ninties telling us of his time int he royal tank corps in WW2.i am glad i got to meet him,lest we forget.....
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: FifteensAway on September 05, 2013, 02:03:24 AM
Bezzo,

I like your thought.  

Mr. Featherstone and Jack Scruby, the two men who gave us the modern hobby.  Much more deserving of credit than Wells, though he deserves a nod, of course.   And let us not forget that Don's son, also a gamer, predeceased him and he had the sad duty of eulogizing his own son within the hobby press.  I'm not sure but I believe he was 95 years old, the father, not the son.

I think what we can best do in his honor is to hold ourselves to a higher standard and introduce others to the hobby.  While I never met the man and came late to his books - long after I started in the hobby, I believe he'd find that a fitting memorial.

And thus passes the Captain General of The Old Guard.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: LawnRanger on September 06, 2013, 12:16:11 AM
Hi lads
 very sad news about Donald Featherstone  :(

Looks like are club Wessex Wargames  Society club will be honouring the great man by having a trophy done in his name for best  game man ship/ round member chap  award ...

we have a EGM next week so more will come out then but are club will DO something to honour this great man ..

happy gaming LR

Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: LawnRanger on September 06, 2013, 10:00:37 PM
Bezzo

  He was one of are founder members of are club and started  it all off 40+ years ago( we have now over 50 members that would not be gaming if it was not for him and people like him ) some of the old guard at the club will miss his  :(

Happy gaming all LR
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Wirelizard on September 08, 2013, 07:28:19 AM
Like a lot of people, my first introduction to this oddball hobby of ours was with Mr. Featherstone's books in the public library - I believe the first I found was his prehistoric thru medieval (3000BC to 1500AD, I think?) book. Having just checked our online library catalog, I see the only Featherstone book in circulation is "Bowmen of England", which is straight history, not actually a wargaming book.

A life very well lived.
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: Conquistador on September 08, 2013, 03:06:04 PM
Sadly, it is a sign of the times that our library consortium has cleaned out all but one Donald Featherstone book - Featherstone's complete wargaming / Donald Featherstone - and if you search Featherstone you get Lisa book,) Charlotte (book,) and Jane (book, 2 DVDs,) and only 1 book for Donald Featherstone.  Not all that long a go there were about 7 or more books scattered throughout the consortium's libraries.

 :'(   :(  ::)

Gracias,

Glenn

Edit:

Here is what you get with "war game" which includes Mr. Featherstone.

   
The complete wargames handbook : how to play, design, and find them / James F. Dunnigan.
by Dunnigan, James F.
1992.
     
 2.   

Featherstone's complete wargaming / Donald Featherstone.
by Featherstone, Donald F.
c1988.
 
 3.   

Beginners' guide to wargaming / Bruce Quarrie.
by Quarrie, Bruce.
1987.

 
     
 4.   

War games : the secret world of the creators, players, and policy makers rehearsing World War III today / Thomas B. Allen.
by Allen, Thomas B.
c1987.

     
 5.   

The complete wargames handbook : how to play, design, and find them / James F. Dunnigan.
by Dunnigan, James F.
1980.

 
     
 6.   
 
Lead soldiers and figurines. With foreword by Peter J. Blum. Translated by E. Stanton Russell.
by Baldet, Marcel.
[c1961]

 
Title: Re: Donald Featherstone Passes
Post by: The_Beast on September 10, 2013, 01:22:06 PM
It's embarrassing to come to the this discussion so late, but that's what I get for not following EVERY forum.  :(

While I'd seen a number of his books before, so he didn't introduce the hobby to me, his Naval Wargaming taught me that I really wanted to see campaigns, reasons for what happened.

Alas, as I said on a Yahoo! group:

That IS a shock!

His Naval Wargaming was an inspiration for numerous campaigns written but never
played out when I really didn't have others to push ships across a table with.
If he'd ever done a Space Wargaming book, I'd have made them happen, for
certains.

Every once in awhile, in someone else's writing, you see a mention or
attribution, and begin to understand his impact on the hobby.

Doug