30 Fuller's Lost Diary Entry
2 As R. Buckminster Fuller became better known, more time was demanded of him. His office work, his studio time, his publications, and his invitations soon got out of hand. There simply was not enough time in one day. Always the New England gentleman, and always accommodating, Bucky would fall into the trap of trying to be in three places at one time. Because of his constant traveling, Bucky kept three watches. One watch was set to the time zone of his office time, which was also Anne’s time. The second watch was set to the time zone where he currently was, and the third watch was set to the zone where he was to appear next—his thought was always anticipatory.
3 After his move to Pennsylvania, the dynamic and chaotic Philadelphia office needed order. His Chronofile, the basis of Bucky Fuller’s archives, demanded it. The chore fell to Shirley Swansen Sharkey, one of his students from Southern Illinois University, who had been helping his Carbondale secretary, Naomi Smith Wallace. Shirley helped move Bucky’s office to the University of Pennsylvania’s Design Science Center. With a staff of able assistants—Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Peter Kent, Ann Mintz, Amy Edmundson, Rob Grip, and Chris Kitrick, among many—Bucky appointed Shirley his executive administrator. Shirley has also served as a member of the board of the Buckminster Fuller Institute.
4 Shirley Sharkey kept Bucky’s schedule, which he sometimes called a diary. Reproduced on the following pages is the last diary entry of R. Buckminster Fuller.
5 On June 23,1983,1 had flown to Chicago to rendezvous with Bucky, to be interviewed with him for the hanging library, as I was the Design Adjuvant for Bucky’s ‘‘Hang It All’’ invention. The unit was to be produced by the Thonet Company, and Time magazine wanted a story on Bucky’s latest patent.
6 June 24 was to be the last time that I was to be in Bucky’s company. I hugged Bucky as he boarded the airplane. He died seven days later, on July 1, 1983, in California, at Lady Anne’s bedside. Anne died thirty-six hours later.
47 n. cuuKi’ixiMO i cr\ ruui.cn uxhcxt r/tjo
48 Jun. 20 Mon. 9:00 am-Breakfast with Lim Chong Keat at Stafford
67 11:30 am-Meet with Norman and Wendy Foster, 172-182
68 COURTESY OF THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER INSTITUTE
72 COURTESY OF THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER INSTITUTE
73 Jun. 21 Tues. 9:00 am Break-fast meeting at Stafford w/ Aida Svenson
re: London Integrity Day
7475 10:00 am Interviewed by Chris Nicolson of BBC-Radio re: skyscrapers
76 12:00 n.-Meet with Norman and Wendy Foster
77 6:00pm Her majesty the Queen of England has given her consent for the award of this year’s Royal Bold Medal for Architecture to be made to Norman Foster. Formal presentation ceremony to be held at Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London BF to act as sponsor. (BF gives 10 min. talk)
80 9:00 am Meet with Louis Hellman re: BF cartoon book
82 10:00 am-Meet with Paul Matthews, Lim Chong Keat,
4:30 pm Norman and Wendy Foster, Loren Butt re:
autonomous dwelling project
8384 4:30 pm Interviewed by Richard Boston for The Buardian newspaper, Stafford Hotel re: CRITICAL PATH
85 Contact: Hutchinson Publishers 011-44-1-2811
86 5:00 pm Picked up at Stafford by Oliver Caldecott of Hutchinson Publishers
87 5:30 pm ^gtgrvigwedtb£jo§|C’s Kaleidoscope program
88 6:30 pm Meet with Michael Blickman
89 7:30 pm Dine with Norman and Wendy Foster, Shirley, Jmes and Jill Mellen, at Odins Restaurant 27 Devonshire Street
91 R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER DIARY 1983
92 Jun. 23 Thur. 9:00 am Meet with Lim Chong Keat, James Meller
9394 10:00 am Meet with James Mel I er, Raymond Foulk of Milton-Keynes
95 11:00 am View completed model of Garden of Eden dome. Foster’s office
96 1:00pm Fly from London, ENGLAND Concord
98 12:20pm Arrive Washington, DC (Dulles) See John H. Lee in customs
99 Helicopter to Nat’l Airport (pilot John Nielsen)
101 1:00pm SF S< Ann Lewin present proposal for "Scenario Universe" Exhibit for Capital Children’s Museum, to members of U.S.Counsil for World Communications Year 83
102 2:30 pm Meet EJA at Nat’l Airport
103 2:45pm Fly from Washington, DC (Natl.) Midway #5-3 (with S.S.)
104 3:50pm Arrive Chicago, IL (Midway) (met by limo)
105 5:00pm BF & SS attend TIME Magazine's Chicago Jubilee Dinner Dance to honor men S< women with connections to Chicago who have been subjects of TIME cover stories. Museum of- Science & Industry, 57th St.S< Lake Shore Dr. (black tie)
107 COURTESY OF THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER INSTITUTE
108
111 Jun.24 Fri . 10:00 am Photographed at Thonet Showroom, Merchandise 12:00 n. Mart, 11th floor, suite 100, with Hanging Library for TIME Magazine with Thomas Zung Contact: Martha Wadsworth (312) 644-5765
112113 1:10pm Fly from Chicago, IL (O’Hare) United 4107 3:13pm Arrive Los Angeles, CA (met)
118 10:00am- Integrity Day, presented by Friends
119 5:00pm of Buckminster Fuller Foundation, sponsored by Church o-f Religious Science, Huntington Bch., CA
120
124 2:00pm 1st of 3 interviews with Heather Williams, who’s doing portrait of BF (at PAC PAL)
127
131 7:40am Picked up at Pac Pal
132 8:30am Attend construction of 3 office spaces - "Inner Space Odyssey"
133 10:00am Keynote speaker for Building Owners & Managers Assoc., Grand Ballroom, Century Plaza Hotel (1 hour), Los Angeles, CA
134
143 morning Meet with Anwar Dil
144 2:45 pm Buckminster Fuller suffers massive heart attack at bedside of Anne Hewlett Fuller, room 446, Good Samaritan Hospital, Wilmer & Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.