British Traveler George Meegan Revisits Norwood and Talks Death

By KASIA ROMANOWSKA 

George Meegan, the renowned British adventurer who spent seven years crossing both Americas by foot, is revisiting Norwood, where he looked back on his epic walk while extending an invite to friends for his “last journey.” Yet on this one, he will be present only in spirit. 

In his 20s, Meegan began his famous uninterrupted walk logging just over 19,000 miles from Patagonia in Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

Now in his 60s and looking past the fame that grabbed national media attention, the traveler already knows where his final stop will be–the Yupik Eskimo-land in Bethel, Alaska. A member of The Royal British Legion, Meegan will be buried at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Cemetery, a place where, when the time comes,  will be his resting place following “the biggest open prison of the world,” which he calls life.

“But I hope it will not be in the near future,” he laughed.

The site where cemetery is situated seems perfect for Meegan, a long time lecturer with a profound interest in the culture of indigenous people of the Americas. Yet still in good shape and full of vitality, he is now visiting  New York City on the invitation of the Junto Organization where in September he talked about his exploits that placed him in Guinness World Records.

While staying with friends in Norwood, the world traveler has also taken to rediscovering the borough he pegged “a very special place” that “always inspired him.”

Meegan talked to the Norwood News also about his project to create the map of his journey that will be etched on headstone with references of his adopted mother, who raised him shortly after his own mother passed away from cancer while his father left.

Money was never a crucial issue while Meegan traveled. Even though penniless, he was always able to crawl out from a difficult situation thanks to “the philosophy of purpose”, the harmony with the world itself and wonderful friends who he called “selected persons who create happiness.”

“Dreams are coming when one is young,” he said, adding the real journey came while sharing his experiences with people he encountered en route.

On the cusp of another travel–a trip to Northern Italy where he will provide a lecture on his book entitled “The Longest Walk: the Odyssey of the Human Spirit”–Meegan admits having experienced bad situations during his expeditions. But after all he had confronted, he still sees the world as good and strongly believes people are “magnificent.”

“Imagine being alone on this plane?” he said not letting go the eager smile of his face.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.