Gaylord Nelson rises to the occasion

This is an Earth Day story that slipped through the cracks.

Gaylord Nelson, the former Wis. governor and US Senator who founded Earth Day in 1970, is in failing health and was unable to make any Earth Day speeches or appearances this year, although he did issue a "Call to Arms" statement which ran in many newspapers.

He has basically been homebound except for doctor appointments for the last two months.

But on Friday, Earth Day, Nelson attended a ceremony at the school of his 6-year-old grandson, Ben, in Kensington, MD.

Ben's first grade recycling team won an award, the kids sang a song to Nelson, the Montgomery County exec said a few words, and they all planted a tree.

It was undoubtedly the quietest Earth Day Nelson has spent, but the tradition endures with a new generation of young people who will grow up with an understanding of the environment and their responsibility to protect and preserve our natural resources. That is the enduring legacy of Earth Day and Gaylord Nelson.

Nelson's Earth Day expedition was revealed in a letter to students at a Milwaukee school, which had invited him to visit. Letter.

UPDATE: Photo and news story from Washington Examiner.