Ed Hillary, famous for the first successful climb of Mount Everst with Tenzing Norgay, is dead.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7182376.stm

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing him at a benefit for his foundation. He was a true gentleman.

I think a model commemorating the first climb of Everestt would be cool. Mabey a pose of Ed taking a photo of Tenzing on the summit. Or, mabey, the two of them working their way up the famous Hillary step just below the summit.

It probably wouldn't sell like some of the Aurora history sports kits didn't either....

i was truly saddenned by this news . i know it sounds cliche to say, but when you think of guys like him,the phrase , "when men were men " comes to mind .
hb

Here's another Obit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/world/asia/11cnd-hillary.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

That's a better obituary than the one that I posted.

But, really, there are still alot of accomplished great mountaineers still climbing today. And, some of them are women. I used to climb for about 10 years and met alot of really fine people in the sport. It's the funnest sport, the most addicting sport, and the most dangerous sport. There are plenty of accomplished climbers still "hanging around" today like Fred Beckey, Yvon Chouinard, Lynn Hill, Tom Hornbein, Reinhold Messner, Jim Wickwire, and the Whittaker twins, Jim and Lou. Far too many to mention here.

I am surprised that Aurora never issued a model of mountain climbing although boxing, baseball, football, and gladiating (?) have been made in styrene.