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- Special to the Chicago Tribune
Gregg Bassett 1942 – 2008
His squirrel fan club went global
By Patricia Trebe, 8 Oct 2008
An obsession with squirrels started for Gregg Bassett on a walk with his wife.
A brown fox squirrel stopped them in their tracks as it inquisitively peered
down at them from a fence.
A mutual curiosity ensued, one that Mr. Bassett turned into a forum for fellow
squirrel aficionados.
Mr. Bassett founded the Squirrel Lovers Club in 1995 out of his Elmhurst home.
Through it, he offered a catalog of squirrel-related merchandise, resource
materials and a newsletter along with sage advice.
At one time the club boasted 2,500 members. Today members are in all 50 states
and some in foreign countries.
“At the beginning we were going to have regular meetings, but it wasn’t
practical because (the club) grew so fast,” said Dottie Kuzmicki, a founding
club member. “The club went international.”
Mr. Bassett, 65, of Elmhurst died of cancer Monday, Oct. 6, in Elmhurst
Hospital.
“He has done a great effort to making people understand that they are adorable
little pets,” said member David Leidy. “And he did his best to let people know
that they are indeed pets and not tree rats.”
The club and Mr. Bassett have been featured several times in the Chicago
Tribune, and he appeared on the game show “To Tell the Truth” and NBC-TV’s
“The Today Show.” He also appeared on other local television and radio
programs including WGN-TN, where squirrel lover Alfreda Avelis first saw Mr.
Bassett’s ability to get squirrels to eat out of his hand.
“When I saw it I knew that I had to join that club,” Avelis said. “He w
fighting for squirrels. He was always trying to work to have people be more
tame with them and not be cruel to them... I’ve never met a person who was so
wonderful for the animals.”
Mr. Bassett was an only child in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood but moved to
Elmhurst, where he graduated from York High School. He was in the Navy for two
years.
Mr. Bassett had lived in Addison for 20 years and became an electronics
technician for Tektronix in Rolling Meadows. In the 1980’s, after the company
downsized, he started his own business out of this home called Cats ‘N Such,
which sold unique cat and dog items. However, his continual encounters with
squirrels turned into a full-time job.
Mr. Bassett is survived by his wife, Kathy, whom he married in 1987.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Ahlgrim Funeral Home,
567 S. Spring Rd., Elmhurst. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday in the
funeral home.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1942 - 2008 (66 years)
d. Aug 1973 (Age 68 years)