Sporadic CJD Claims Two Of Ashland's Best Known Muscians
Within a span of seven weeks, two popular Ashland, OR musicians have died of apparent sporadic Creuzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD).
Dead are Dave Marston, 56, and Robin Lawson, 70. The two music industry veterans made their homes and livings in the artistic Oregon city best known for its annual Shakespeare Festival, but apparently did not work together.
Marston, a former music director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, artistic director of the Siskiyou Singers, band leader of the Beatles cover band Nowhere Men, leader of the Marston Family Singers (with Tami and their combined six children), The Ancient Men, the Rogue Valley Peace Choir, the Children's Peace Choir and choirs at the First Methodist Church, the Congregational Church and the Havurah Shir Hadash in Ashland.
He died June 22nd of sporadic CJD
Lawson was a jazz pianist, actor, broadcast journalist and press secretary to a U.S. Congressman. He was a British immigrant, who enlisted in the U.S. Army after studying jazz in California. He performed a long-running one man show as Winston Churchill and worked in both radio and television as a journalist.
He died Aug. 9th of sporadic CJD.
The Oregon Department of Human Services has kept track of CJD deaths for the past 18 years, and reports there have been a total of six cases in Jackson County, where Ashland is located. Not all were confirmed.
CJD is said to affect about one in a million people worldwide. The Ashland men were diagnosed with CJD by specialists at the University of California at San Francisco.
The first picture is Dave Marston, but the 2nd is not Dave Marston OR Robin Lawson. Thanks for the blog.
Really nice posts. I will be checking back here regularly.
my father died of proradic cjd on 06 feb 2009 hia name is George o'niel Dilbert, we are the only Dilbert family in the uk,my father was from the Cayman Island and came her at the age of 16 and never returned home.he suffered so much with this.it it the worst death anyone can imagine.I miss him so much.He was on the pathway to death and the medics told us he would not last no more than 3 days on this.My father lasted 10day more he just was not ready to go.He was so afraid i kept a video diary of his last days one day i will publish them.god be with the family's that have to go through this,my heart goes with you all.from his loving daughter Millicent Amanda Dilbert-Cockburn
Please have a look at:
http://vache-folle.blog.ca
Hello
We are producing a documentary about two musician's from Ashland, OR: Dave Marston and Robin Lawson who died within weeks of each other. They battled CJD. Two In A Million will be released in about 8 months. We hope to get a trailer of the documentary on-line soon.
You may share this with your mailing list and we will keep you posted with updates.
Our hope, by showing the documentary: people will learn more about CJD, it's informative and enlightening .......ingredients to help fund research for a cure.
Lots of Jazz and Beatles music, along with this incredible story, will move the audience. All our efforts are in-kind, but will need to have benefits and grants to provide funds for distribution. A portion of the proceeds will go to CJD research.
The film will be distributed to film festivals, libraries, medical schools and support groups like yours.
Our website: www.twoinamillion-movie.com
Thank you for sharing this with your list, any questions will be answer by me.
Cici Brown
cicibrown@charter.net