On a bright and sunny August morning in 2022, Amos Abraham Tevelow, at 52 years of age, left us to join the great rock band in the sky.

Amos was born on November 4, 1969, and there began a most inspired and enthusiastic journey. Early in life, Amos was an active and intelligent child whose thirst for experiences and knowledge was seemingly unquenchable. As he grew, he charmed all around him with his cleverness, humor and mischievous nature. There is an infamous grade school story where he and his young classmates built a catapult and launched a perfectly weighted projectile (a bright green, smiling Gumby figurine) at a target while irreverently yelling, “I’m Gumby, dammit!” all the way to science competition victory. Everything about that story is so quintessentially Amos and those qualities were everlasting! He also joined the debate team in high school and competed ferociously, racking up wins at local and state competitions and often speaking so fast those in the audience struggled to follow along. He took up cycling in those early years, as well, competing in races and dreaming with his friends of the Tour de France.

When it was time to take the next steps in his education, he attended The University of Vermont for his undergraduate degree and joined one of the premiere debate teams in the country run by his friend and mentor, Dr. Alfred “Tuna” Snider. He continued his education at the University of Illinois for his Masters degree. It was here that his fledgling musical endeavors got their wings. Amos, wild haired and bright eyed, pursued music with passion and love and from that emerged his band, Free Range Chicken. The group built a local following, soon signing a record deal. As was often the case, his varied interests pulled him in many directions and he eventually decided to leave Illinois and continue his education at the University of Pittsburgh. There he earned his doctorate, writing his dissertation on the history of US think tanks.

Amos’ career spanned from academia to the federal government to the private sector. At Illinois, Pitt, and later Ithaca College, he taught communication, logic, and developed courses relating to the threats of terrorism, transnational civil society, and public advocacy. At the Government Accountability Office he researched and wrote about topics such as bloated military spending, privacy issues, and immigration, to name a few, and worked to ensure that information about these issues were both compelling and accessible to the public. At Media Matters, a progressive media watchdog group, Amos continued to hold the government and media accountable by writing and reporting on issues such as global trade, the labor movement, campaign falsehoods and financial crises. Later, as a senior associate at the PEW Charitable Trust, Amos continued to research, strategize and report on state governments’ critical performance aspects.

Just as shining and admirable as his aforementioned achievements were Amos’ personal endeavors and relationships further into adulthood. Social justice was a passion for Amos and he made community involvement a central part of his life. He frequently participated in protests, and in one memorable photo he appeared wearing his signature neon yellow biking singlet and a sandwich board that read ‘Filipino Irish Jews for Black Power’ as one example of his not-to-be-overlooked pizazz out there. He was an avid cyclist and spent a lot of time cruising on his own, with friends and as a volunteer organizer for the DC Bike Party. His bike was definitely a most prized possession and was meticulously tended and lovingly ridden many thousands of miles over the years. Amos was a big part of the MBA (Meadowbrook Basketball Association) where he gave tribute to the basketball gods on Wednesday evenings. He cared deeply about his local community of Mount Pleasant. A favorite pandemic-time activity was participating in the front porch concert series all around the neighborhood. He would frequently join the family zoom meetings either from his bike or while headed to one of those performances. He was unstoppable in the music department and in addition to Free Range Chicken, he was the front man for Petworth and most recently OPPO. For Amos, the music was about trying to communicate creatively in a full-throttle-art-and-soul-explosion kind of way while bringing people together to share in the experience. His passion for cooking is also fondly remembered by all who sat at his table, especially grilling and even more especially ribs. He was the ultimate grillmaster. On and off the grill, he was always coming up with new and creative ways to eat and prepare food. He was always the first to share emerging health trends well before they hit the mainstream. Case in point were introductions by Amos to turmeric as a food-based anti-inflammatory, ghee in the coffee (he is famous for that one), and the green kale smoothie. Amos was also board game enthusiast, whether hunched over a chessboard in deep thought or shamelessly heckling a for a trade of wheat for sheep in Settlers. He roped us all in and got us completely addicted to the game, including creating a little tune called, “Move the robber” in which those are only lyrics. Believe us when we say that does not detract from the vigor or meaning in the song! Spoofing songs was a vital part of living in Amos’ world. He was also a dedicated disc golfer with an impressive drive. He was quick to donate a disc (probably with many scuff marks) to a new player to introduce them to the game. Ever the outside-the-box thinker, Amos would pass by an oozing pine tree on one of his courses and drag his hand through the sticky sap with eyebrows raised in appraisal. He claimed, in a very professorial tone, that it was both a powerful aromatherapy and a grip-improving strategy. The thread that ties all this together is that Amos was involved and inspired by the things and people around him. He did not sit on the sideline, but was always available and engaged. He was a completely revolutionary thinker and lived life on his own terms from start to finish. His talent, intelligence, passion and humor showed through in everything he did and we all were lucky enough to benefit from that.

We know from experience and from shared memories, that Amos was a treasured part of so many lives. His family was always able to count on him to be there for every day togetherness and milestones alike. He was known in the family as Uncle BeeBoo due to his relentlessly endearing robot impressions. The list of people who can claim Amos as a best friend is truly remarkable. We are all devastated by the loss of Amos, but we know that the ripples of impact from his time on Earth will reverberate for eons to come both in the ways he changed us and the way he changed the world around him.

A celebration of life will take place at Capitol View Homewood park in Silver Spring, Maryland on Friday, July 14, 2023 from 5 to 10 PM. We will honor him by sharing stories, pictures and songs while doing all of the things he enjoyed doing…grilling, frisbee, basketball, and just enjoying each other as he would have loved us to do. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the ‘Tuna Snider Endowment’ in support of the UVM Lawrence Debate Union.

Amos, you are an absolute rock star and you’ll keep rocking on in our hearts until we meet again. 🤘

Dr. Alfred “Tuna” Snider - "Part of my job is helping students realize that when you stand up and speak up, you can make a difference. You can become a powerful agent for social change."

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/amos-tevelow/obituary/

Copy