Rest in Peace, Jon Bogle

Rest in Peace, Jon Bogle

Originally Published March 28, 2024

Jon Robert Bogle

January 18, 1940 – March 22, 2024

All of us at RDA are deeply saddened by the passing of RDA’s founder and our dear friend, Jon Bogle.

RDA exists only because of Jon’s foresight and dedication. He was the driving force behind the grassroots organization founded in 2009 to balance the gas industry’s wild promises with facts and the truth about the massive industrial process of shale gas extraction known as “fracking.”

The Responsible Drilling Alliance organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with Jon as the first president and his home in Williamsport serving as the site for those early RDA meetings. Jon was not only knowledgeable about energy issues and politically astute, he also had a keen sense of justice and brought it to bear in all of RDA’s deliberations. He had great love for the PA Wilds, and his advocacy contributed to the preservation of critical public lands in Pennsylvania.

Jon put RDA on the international news map with his trenchant critique of Emerging Giant, a propaganda piece funded by the Marcellus Shale Coalition and written by Penn State University staff. The work was published as scientific research, bearing the Penn State seal on every page. Jon’s press release under RDA’s name exposed the work’s deep flaws and caused a stir across
America and around the world, leading to a retraction by the Dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at PSU. The University seal was removed from the paper, and Jon’s work was instrumental in the eventual departure of the two professors responsible for the unrealistically rosy economic forecasts the study contained.

Jon will be long remembered for his leadership, dedication, and host of contributions to RDA. Included among those was his invaluable work with RDA in preserving critical public-land wild areas in PA, including Rock Run.

It is with deep gratitude and heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our trail-blazing leader and beloved friend.

Ralph Kisberg
Robbie Cross
Harvey Katz
Barb Jarmoska
Diane Peeling
Mark Szybist
Eliza Whyman
Jonathan Butterfield
Jesse Turri
Lena Yeagle
Norman Lunger
Sheila Lunger


Jon’s Obituary as published in the Williamsport Sun Gazette, March 27

American artist, activist, and philosopher Jon Robert Bogle, age 84, of Williamsport, died peacefully in his home surrounded by family on March 22, 2024.

He was born in Philadelphia on Jan. 18, 1940, to James and Mary Bogle.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Deborah Ann Caulkins; children, Rian (Bridget) Bogle, Adrea (Ryan Good) Bogle, Vincent (Shelby) Orelli, and Camille (Daniel) Seeling; three grandchildren Ian, Nash, and Norah; and his sister, Elizabeth Bogle.

Over the course of four decades of marriage, Jon and Deb loved and laughed their way together through adventures, restored multiple historic buildings in downtown Williamsport, and built a strong family and a community of friends who were always welcome accomplices in their life.

Jon taught art at Tyler School of Art and Temple University before his career at Lycoming College, where he taught for 26 years. He mentored and befriended innumerable students, colleagues, and artists around the world in a career spanning more than 60 years of creative work. His art has been exhibited and can be seen in many permanent installations across the country. His passion for art, design, and innovation led him to publish a book (A Picture Book for Paleontologists) and papers, and to develop conceptual projects across a broad spectrum of disciplines; his concern for preservation of historical architecture and the environment kept him very active in the local community, promoting preservation of his beloved Pennsylvania.

He is loved and will be dearly missed for his kind heart, sharp wit, and love of the good fight.

In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

We look forward to sharing stories and our love of Jon with friends and family when the air is warm and the sky is blue.

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