Hillary's death the end of an era

The news of Sir Edmund Hillary's death spread quickly from Auckland, New Zealand to the rest of the world on Thursday, a testament to a man who's fame and regard has no counterpart in our country.

I only spent six months in New Zealand during college, but the most profound impact it had on me was to realize how differently other people from other nations view the world. Tiny New Zealand, smaller in size than Montana with only about two million people, is no player on the world stage.

Just before I left on my trip I mentioned I was headed to New Zealand to a guy in his 30s I was playing tennis with back home in the South.

"Ahh," he said. "European women are beautiful."

Right.

If it weren't for the Lord of the Rings movies I'm doubtful most people could locate it today. Most probably can't.

But mention Edmund Hillary's name to nearly anyone and they know that he and Tenzing Norgay stood at the highest spot on earth together in 1953, the first men to ever summit Mt. Everest.

Hillary was described until the end of his life as self-depricating and modest, stubborn and giving. He was, his nation agreed, a New Zealander through and through.

I was shocked when I first changed out some American dollars (worth significantly more then) for New Zealand ones. On the $5 bill was Sir Ed's likeness staring back up. Imagine, for a moment, an American who could ever reach such renown that their photo was placed on our currency. Sacagewea graces a scarcely used one dollar coin here and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were memorialized in brief runs, the only break from a tradition that has included no one but our most revered presidents. Lindbergh, Edison, King. These are names synonymous with great American moments, but none approach the reverence with which Hillary was viewed in his native homeland. Or his adopted one.

No celebrity has better parlayed their fame into action and assistance than did Hillary through his support of the Sherpa people in Nepal. His work in that small country might be his most lasting legacy. He saw that behind his great accomplishments were people and that they mattered infinitely more than a summit.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark called him "the most famous New Zealander to ever live" and has broken with tradition and offered to give the Knight of the British Empire a state funeral.

While living in New Zealand a local museum had an Edmund Hillary exhibit open and I learned a day after it happened, that the world's best known beekeeper had spoken there to celebrate its opening. Missing the chance to see one of the 20th century's great men speak has remained one of my most painful regrets.

If Hillary's greatest feat was Everest, then his greatest achievement was keeping his grace and humility for the next 50 years. New Zealand will miss their icon and their national treasure. The rest of us can only hope our nation too can produce such men.

—Alex Strickland