Inspiring nerds. Amazing dweebs. Fabulous poindexters.
It’s time for another installment of TRUE NERD HEROES, a monthly feature in which I, Nerd Extraordinaire Bookshelf Q. Battler, recognize an individual who has not only allowed his nerdy freak flag to flap in the breeze, but has also achieved greatness, thus inspiring all nerd kind.
BQB’s True Nerd Hero for June 2015 is none other than the late great Don Featherstone.
“Who is Don Featherstone?” you might ask.
Well, he wasn’t an actor, or a singer, or an entertainer of some kind. His face was never plastered on any billboards and you’d of never found him on a red carpet.
So what did Don do that was so wonderful to earn himself a coveted spot in the Nerd Hall of Fame?
BEHOLD:
Yes, Don Featherstone, World Renowned Inventor of the Pink Plastic Lawn Flamingo, has passed away at the age of 79.
An artist by trade, Mr. Featherstone developed the lawn flamingo while working for Union Products during the 1950’s. The product took off, quickly became a staple on suburban lawns across the country and in later years became a delightfully ironic symbol of tackyness.
Don Featherstone NY Times Story
Multiple news stories read by this nerd indicate Don was an artist of great talent but embraced the gaudy side of things due to the financial stability his invention brought him.
Don’t sweat it, Don. Your little pink creations have brought smiles to many a face, even if those faces often belong to pranksters who put them on their neighbors’ lawns just to mess with them.
Most impressively, Don also won an Ig Nobel Prize, a parody of the Nobel Prize, given to trivial and insignificant achievements in scientific research.
Trivial? Albert Einstein may have discovered the theory of relativity, but he never had an invention that inspired a horrendous 1970’s John Waters movie starring Divine of Hairspray fame.
Sorry Don, I probably could have forgot to mention that one.
Anyway, nerds of the world, be inspired! Know that you don’t need to crack a confounding code or turn a scientific theory upside down to make a long lasting achievement to the world.
Why, your contribution to this great big bowl of society soup we call Earth might be as simple as a little pink lawn ornament.
Godspeed, Mr. Featherstone. May your plastic eyesores pop up all over God’s front lawn until the end of time.
Who should be BQB’s True Nerd Hero for July? Nominate a nerd who has inspired you in the comments on bookshelfbattle.com or tweet it to @bookshelfbattle #truenerdheroes
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