EAST CALAIS Â- Chester Arthur Briggs, Jr. passed away at his home in East Calais, Vermont, on January 2, 2014, surrounded by his beloved wife, his son, his nephew and his dog.

He passed gracefully, in the manner of his choosing and cradled by love. The dignity of his departure matched the dignity of the life he led. An inspiration to countless people, ChetÂ’s joy, compassion, humor and mischievous nature endeared him to everyone. His intellect, wisdom and humility were gifts he shared with every life he touched.

Chet was born in San Diego, California, on June 23, 1940. He attended the University of Texas as a young man, where he became deeply involved in the civil rights movement. In 1960, Chet led a movement to integrate lunch counters, movie theaters & local businesses in Austin, Texas.

During this time, he found his personal faith as a Quaker. He went on to organize several peace groups and voter registration drives in Texas and Louisiana, as well as one of the first protests against the Vietnam War in 1961. During summers Chet worked as a forest fire lookout and trail crew leader in Idaho, surviving both wildfires and summer blizzards.

Soon a burgeoning alternative culture movement was sweeping the country, and Chet participated in Austin with concerts at the famous live music venue, The Vulcan Gas Company.

He helped start the first student co-op residence in Austin, in which Janis Joplin was one of his housemates. He was co-owner of The Psychedelic Pizza Parlor, the first live music venue that hostedRoky Erickson & The 13th Floor Elevators.

During his student days he met the love of his life, Karen Lane, whom he later married. Together they moved to Atlanta in 1970, to open the regional office of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (a national draft counseling organization) in response to the need of active military, veterans, draftees, and resistors who opposed the Vietnam War.

This organization eventually became the Southern Center for Military & Veterans Rights, whose focus was to provide legal aid to Vietnam veterans with flawed discharges that jeopardized their futures. During those years he served as movement editor for the renowned underground newspaper The Great Speckled Bird, and he and Karen founded the Georgia Folklore Society. In 1977, Chet joined the congressional campaign of civil rights luminary John Lewis as campaign co-director, which helped build the political coalition that eventually sent Lewis to Congress, where he still serves in the House of Representatives.

Soon after, Chet & Karen moved to Vermont, purchasing a historic house in East Calais that was in need of renovation. Chet became Head Start director with Central Vermont Community Action Council, and later served as administrative director for the agency. He developed two award-winning projects for the Partners of the Americas: Vermont/Honduras Â- one for rural farmers and the other for small business owners. He also owned and operated his own firm, Public Management Systems, and was a statistician with Vermont Medicaid for 13 years.

Every moment of ChesterÂ’s life was spent in pursuit of helping the world around him; his efforts were political, cultural and personal, yet always grew from the same fundamental need to give. From civil rights to anti-war activism, from organic farming to the Red Cross, from music festivals to Chinese cooking, Chet was tireless in his efforts to elevate his community and its conversations.

From 1978-82, Chet helped chair the hugely successful Barre Ethnic Heritage Festival. He also served on the board of the Champlain Valley Folk Festival for 17 years. He was a popular guest chef, including at the annual Chinese New YearÂ’s Banquet and Auction to benefit the Aldrich Library ofBarre. They have held similar fundraisers for the PeopleÂ’s Health & Wellness Clinic and for Central Vermont Red Cross.