Memories of Urso Stephen Chappell | Ever Loved

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In memory of

Urso Stephen Chappell

San Francisco, CA, USA

March 4, 1967 - December 21, 2020

Mar 4, 1967 - Dec 21, 2020

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John Gladden

It is with equal parts, sadness, and joy that as his birthday approaches this year that I see that even as recently as last year there are people coming here to remember Urso. He and I shared an almost birthday… Mine is on the third. We had a sort of long distance friendship for many years. In spite of that I still miss him terribly.

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Laura Ackley

Thinking about Urso on his birthday and hoping that somehow he knows how much so many people cared about him.

His contributions to World’s Fair history will never be forgotten. I am so glad your great friend managed to get his collection included to the special collections at CSU Fresno. It is the right place for it and they are wonderful people.

Happy birthday, Urso, I miss you And wish I had gotten to spend more time with you on this plane.

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John Gladden

JOSEPH MANDELL

I met URSO in June of 1992 on pride day, in Boston. Even though he told me he was engaged, and it was predestined he would be moving to Toronto, I did the unthinkable, I fell head over black leather biker boots in like, then luv, then LOVE with this Brilliant, Kind, Artistic and Funny Soul. For the time I had with him, we were inseparable. And then I watched the U-Haul drive away, down the very same road Paul Revere proclaimed, that the British are coming. I believe we texted just the day before he passed, possibly hours even. He joked with me that I would someday soon have a Robocop Leg to replace my recently amputated left leg. We wished each other well, and as always ended it with Stephen I love you and he would say Joseph I love you goodbye.

Well, how could you not love him.

I still do.

pictures to follow

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Allan Taylor

Extremely saddened to find out that Urso is gone. I met him at EXPO 86 and again at its 20 year reunion. I was in Milan at it’s Cathedral where signs were showing the coming EXPO, would have enjoyed meeting again there. Urso added my EXPO 86 website to the Expomuseum site.

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Allan Taylor

Anne schnoebelen

Shared a heart

Krijn Mossel

Shared a heart

Nayland Blake

I got to meet Urso online in 1997 and our online and in person interactions were always joyous. His excitement and talent were a beacon.

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Julie Cochrane

I'm sorry for the loss of his family and close friends. I was a friend of his in college and considered him an "always" friend.

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Scott McGillivray

I'll always treasure the memories of the fun we had, working together at Brush Creek Media. I was the editor of BEAR Magazine, and Urso was a new designer at Brush Creek Media. We worked together for years; every day was fun, and he was SO GOOD I used to tease him, "Urso, there's really no place here for an overachiever like you." And we'd laugh. From "Ten at Ten" to "Cher Fridays" to Happy Hours at Lone Star, movies at The Coronet and beyond, he was always full of life, laughter, and intelligent insight. After he left Brush Creek Media, he made me an "Urso's Mix" CD of some of the songs we'd played every day. I'll treasure that even more, now. In the years since, we've kept in touch even until recently when he was in Palm Springs, interviewing for a new design position. He was a great guy, a smart guy, and the best designer I've ever worked with.

I love you Urso... heck, everybody loves you, Urso. You will be missed!!

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Yossie Silverman

So sad to hear of Urso's passing, he was so young, not fair.
I met him first time in person in Atlanta 1992 or so. I was in town for a class and he dropped by to visit. We hung out, and went to see a movie (Star Trek, not sure which!) We did other things (!!)
We were not "close" over the years, but it was rare for a month or two to go by without bumping into each other! He was often where I was (bars, street fairs, las vegas ..)
He was the first person I met who spoke Esperanto and his interest and incredible knowledge of World Fairs was truly impressive to me.
We crossed paths for more than half my life and I will miss him.
- Yossie

P.s. I searched my archives and it turns out I knew of him and likely we chatted, as early as 1989!!

Here is his introduction to Mail.bears:

Date: Fri, 10 Nov 89 03:08:45 -0500
From: ccoprsc@prism.gatech.edu (Stephen Allen Chappell)
Subject: Introduction to Urso

Well, I think perhaps with the disk crash you guys had, my intro may have
bit the dust (I didn't see it anyhow), so I thought I'd introduce myself
with the usual type information.

I seemed to have lost my handy-dandy-guide-to-introducing-yourself, so I'll
just wing it...

My name is Stephen Chappell and I usually go by "Urso" as an alias and my
friends have taken to using "Sven" as my nickname (long story... has to do
with "Stephen" being too long to type over and over on an interactive talk
programme and it frequently being misspelled... I eventually became known
as "Sven"). Well, anyhow, I certainly don't look like a Sven. I'm your
basic bear cub, I suppose... scraggly beard and mustache... and a slightly
hairy chest that I'm thrilled to say gets hairier and hairier every year!
:-{)> I suppose you if there isn't a bear term for a "book bear" or some-
thing like that, we could make up one, because I guess I sorta fall into
that category... and I like those that are the same... somewhat offbeat,
somewhat philosohical, somewhat intellectual... "I like weird people" is
what a friend of mine suggested I simply say when describing who I'm
attracted to.

I'm right now a computer operator for the Office of Computing Services, but
in "real life" I'm an Architecture major here at Georgia Tech. I have a
wide range of interests: cartography, architecture, politics, world's fairs,
and on and on. I'm happy with myself and I'm looking for someone like
myself. I'm thrilled to have found other bears like myself. I think we can
all relate to feeling that we didn't quite fit in with the existing gay
culture.

I have a list (somewhere here in my cluttered room) of guys I've thought of
over the past couple of months that I've found particularly attractive, but
I can't find it, but I remember three... only one is a real person :-)
(figures, eh?)... 1> Luke (the claymation figure in the Frito commercial...
the one that gets to pet the frito... hey, don't ask me... I didn't write
the commercial)... 2> Red (the puppet from Nashville Now... a programme I don't
care for, but my father and step-mother watch)... and 3> the keyboardist
from The Grateful Dead... I've only noticed him recently... in their new
video. There were several others in the list, but these three stand out in
my mind right now.

I've really appreciated the last few installments of mail.bears, especially
all the hair-raising stories from Denver and elsewhere, but for now
I've gotta find some Atlanta bears around here...

...or just settle for the latest issue of Bear to "hold me over"

[] Stephen Chappell ("Urso")
Technical Assistant (soon to be Computer Operator II... if
I get my promotion!)
Office of Computing Services, Georgia Institute of Technology
ccoprsc@prism.GaTech.edu

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Jim Ott

I met Urso about the time I came out in 1997 or 1998. Our mutual friend David Perkins introduced us. Haven't seen him very much unfortunately since I moved to Portland in 1999. But we had the nicest Thai dinner about two years ago. It was like we had seen each other just the other day. He had so many interests it was fun chatting with him about 'most anything. Too young. Will definitely miss him.

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In response to "What was the most fun you ever had with Urso?"

Adam Steg

World’s fair stories, of course! When I was teaching in Miami, we covered the 1900 Paris world’s exposition, which introduced steam powered moving sidewalks and balloons from the Eiffel Tower.
I showed illustrations from urso’s collection to my students, who asked me if he was my brother. I’d have to say « yes ».
Adam STEG, retired teacher.

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John McGregor

Brisbane QLD, Australia

by John McGregor
Brisbane Queensland Australia
Founder and webmaster foundationexpo88.org, now celebrate88.com
Website for the 1988 World Exposition, Brisbane’s World Expo ‘88

In late 2001 I was doing a search on World’s Fairs on the internet and came across a website called expomuseum.com, run by a fellow called Urso Chappell. These were the early days of the internet and the net was a buzzing place with new websites popping up all over the place, and here I found this website that attempted to categorise every World’s Expo – past, present and future…. amazed and intrigued I contacted the webmaster for ExpoMuseum.com and also its founder Urso Chappell and introduced myself, and soon found we had an incredible wealth and shared passion for world’s fairs – mine stemming from Brisbane’s Expo 88, and later Seville 92 and Taejon 93, and Urso’s just about every other Expo that ever was or to be!

By 2002 I attended the 10th Anniversary of the Seville Expo and by this time I had already realised that ExpoMuseum.com had no website for Brisbane’s Expo 88 listed, so, inspired by Urso and ExpoMuseum.com, I decided I would teach myself HTML and create a website for World Expo 88, which was launched officially in April 2004 at foundationexpo88.org, on the 16th anniversary of the Expo.

In the meantime, Urso and I kept in contact, and soon foundationexpo88.org proudly featured at ExpoMuseum.com’s 1988 page. I had made it!

By December 2004 I heard from Urso about his winning design for the Aichi 2005 Expo linimo maglev train car exterior graphic design, and boldly I asked Urso if I could attend with him in Nagoya to the official award ceremony, to which he said yes!

These were exciting days and I got to meet Urso at last in person. I was the at the unveiling of his winning design and also met several officials with Urso including the USA Consul for Aichi, who was also there as a guest of the Aichi 2005 World’s Fair.

During these brief days in Nagoya we also had the pleasure of having dinner with Alfred Heller of World’s Fair Magazine, who was in Aichi to cover the story, and we also had a private under construction tour of the Aichi 2005 Expo site.

My world expo 88 website at foundationexpo88.org continued to grow, very happily also with many clicks from Expomuseum.com, and in August 2008, I made the decision to visit Urso in San Francisco on a brief holiday.

We met in Japan Town where the Japan Street Fair was in full swing, and we chatted excitedly about upcoming World Expo news, whilst he guided me personally to the Japanese Tea Garden from the 1894 World’s Fair, and the Palace of Fine Arts from San Francisco’s 1915 World’s Fair.

We talked more about our common passion for World’s Fairs and after returning to Australia, and prior to Shanghai Expo 2010, Urso asked me if would be interested to co-host a podcast with him, which he was going to call the World’s Fair Podcast, a monthly insight into World’s Fairs past, present, and future, and I agreed.

The hour long podcasts began soon after that and we interviewed Expo VIPs, staff and other Expo watchers from all around the globe in a monthly junket of Expo news.

If I recall correctly, we ended up doing over 30 episodes over 30 months from 2010 to 2012, the legacy of which can be found today on YouTube.

2013 was the 25th Anniversary of Brisbane’s Expo 88 and a special retrospective exhibition was held at the Museum of Brisbane. And although Urso and I discussed a possible visit to Australia for the 25th Anniversary year, alas it wasn’t to happen.

We continued correspondence via Skype and email, and soon I learnt about the excitement of his appointment as official archivist for Milan Expo 2015.

His later posts included his trip to Astana 2017, and we briefly discussed later in 2018 the possibility of catching up again at 2020 Dubai – and that was my last correspondence with him.

For many that knew him and that were touched by his creativity, passion, and dream, he brought together the World Expo Community and inspired many to create their own world exposition websites.

May he long be remembered as a trailblazer of World’s Fairs online and of his life long passion to make the world a better place.

Rest in Peace, Urso, Rest in Peace.

24 January 2021
celebrate@celebrate88.com
John McGregor
http://celebrate88.com/

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Seph Paul

Comments:

Terina K Puriri-Lim

To my great friend Urso with a big mighty heart, Happy Birthday up there in the Heavens my friend your work... Read more To my great friend Urso with a big mighty heart, Happy Birthday up there in the Heavens my friend your work will never be forgotten.... Read more To my great friend Urso with a big mighty heart, Happy... Read more

Lucia Masina

Shared a heart

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Morten Nyrup

2015, Expo 2015 Village, Cascina Merlata, Milano, Italien

Urso introducing me to my first world's fair

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Seph Paul

Yasho Lahiri

1984, Stone Mountain, GA, USA

Urso in his youth

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Krijn Mossel

Comments:

Yasho Lahiri

I met Urso when he was in the 9th Grade. We went to a science program, in lieu of our regular high schools,... Read more I met Urso when he was in the 9th Grade. We went to a science program, in lieu of our regular high schools, for one academic quarter.... Read more I met Urso when he was in the 9th Grade. We went to... Read more

Giovanni Leoni

To appreciate worldwide fairs; to care more about history and how certain things evolved in countries; to avoid to travel through Death Valley in the month of august: "if they named that place Death there is a reason why". I will miss his kindness and gentleness during my staying on SF.

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In response to "What did you learn from Urso?"

Joseph Mandell

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1

Stewart Kramer

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Paolo Mendogni

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Steve Scott

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Jay Justice

1993, San Francisco, CA, USA

Urso and Jay enjoying the Lone Star patio.

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Alan Badger

Jay Justice

My heart goes out to everyone who Urso touched with his light. He was so special and his passing so sudden we will all feel wounded for a very long time. I will miss him terribly. He definitely held a rent-free room in my heart. And I know one day I will see him again. My best to you, Urso. I'm glad we shared time together on this planet. I truly wish it would have been more.

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Alan Badger

Jay Justice

Shared a heart

Jeff Storer

2

2

Comments:

Jeff Storer

San Francisco, 2019 San Francisco, 2019 San Francisco, 2019

Jeff Storer

Photo by Urso. Photo by Urso. Photo by Urso.

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Created with love by Greg Humphrey (Urso's friend).

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