Thursday, January 28, 2010
J.D. Salinger, 91
When I was around six so Santa brought me a record player and a bunch of Disney LP’s to play for Christmas. Of course my parents weren’t as generous as Santa and those were the only two records I owned for a long time. I started pulling stuff from my Dad’s old collection like Alan Sherman, Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass Band and (now) one of my all time favorites The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band' and on it, the last song on the second side, “A Day In the Life” is one of my all time favorites. I remember listening to that very last cord fade out into nothing… so awesome.
I was in third grade when Lennon got shot. I brought the Sgt Pepper album in and Lori G. colored John Lennon’s face in with red crayon. I was sooooo mad. Years later that album, with Lori’s artwork, disappeared out of the family stereo record rack my Mother had No idea where it went to . Years later, right before vinyl became extinct, I bought another copy. I went looking for it before I went away to college and that to was gone (along with my Led Zeppelin ‘Houses of the Holy’ but not my two Poison LP’s) again my Mother had No clue where it went to.
OK rant over… The point of all of this is that I really liked The Beatles so in seventh or eighth grade after hearing all about Mark David Chapman I went out and bought Catcher In The Rye just so I could find out for myself why this asshole would want to shoot Lennon… I didn’t get it… not sure if I even do now.
One of J.D. Salinger was a published author before he was drafted in the army in 1942 some of his works appeared in magazines such as The New Yorker and The Saturday Evening Post. He wrote his most famous and controversial novel Catcher in Rye in 1951. He received a lot of unwanted attention after Catcher was released and in 1953 fled Manhatten to New Hampshire and became somewhat of a recluse and was seen rarely in public but often riding his Jeep on his Cornish, NH compound. He married his second wife in 1955 and they had two children a son and daughter. At this time he continued to write for a few hours a day but not specifically for publication but just because he loved to. One of the few novels he published after (which was actually a bunch of previous released short stories) Catcher was ‘Franney and Zooey’ (funny I lent that novel out and it to disappeared… seems to be a reoccurring theme).
He was approached by Hollywood numberous times to make Catcher into a movie but rejected them all (one of the letters can be read here).
Salinger passed away of natural causes at his home in Cornish.
January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010
R.I.P.
Sources
I was in third grade when Lennon got shot. I brought the Sgt Pepper album in and Lori G. colored John Lennon’s face in with red crayon. I was sooooo mad. Years later that album, with Lori’s artwork, disappeared out of the family stereo record rack my Mother had No idea where it went to . Years later, right before vinyl became extinct, I bought another copy. I went looking for it before I went away to college and that to was gone (along with my Led Zeppelin ‘Houses of the Holy’ but not my two Poison LP’s) again my Mother had No clue where it went to.
OK rant over… The point of all of this is that I really liked The Beatles so in seventh or eighth grade after hearing all about Mark David Chapman I went out and bought Catcher In The Rye just so I could find out for myself why this asshole would want to shoot Lennon… I didn’t get it… not sure if I even do now.
One of J.D. Salinger was a published author before he was drafted in the army in 1942 some of his works appeared in magazines such as The New Yorker and The Saturday Evening Post. He wrote his most famous and controversial novel Catcher in Rye in 1951. He received a lot of unwanted attention after Catcher was released and in 1953 fled Manhatten to New Hampshire and became somewhat of a recluse and was seen rarely in public but often riding his Jeep on his Cornish, NH compound. He married his second wife in 1955 and they had two children a son and daughter. At this time he continued to write for a few hours a day but not specifically for publication but just because he loved to. One of the few novels he published after (which was actually a bunch of previous released short stories) Catcher was ‘Franney and Zooey’ (funny I lent that novel out and it to disappeared… seems to be a reoccurring theme).
He was approached by Hollywood numberous times to make Catcher into a movie but rejected them all (one of the letters can be read here).
Salinger passed away of natural causes at his home in Cornish.
January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010
R.I.P.
Sources
Wikipedia
New York Times
Labels: 1919 births, 2010 deaths, military, natural causes, writer
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Pernell Roberts, 81
I've been watching M*A*S*H since I was in utero. Seriously. I, like many others, have probably watched every episode made like 10 times. I firmly believe that I understand the complexity of the characters and because of that I stand by the fact that the Henry Blake years were the best and that was mainly because of the Wayne Rogers and his IN-credible performance of Trapper John (B.J. blows).
The sad thing is as much as love Trapper I never knew until a couple of years ago that Trapper John M.D. was kind of a M*A*S*H spin off. I know it seems pretty obvious... how many people are named Trapper... let alone the Trapper John.
Anyway... the actor that played Trapper John M.D., Pernell Roberts, was a real life Koren War Vet. I'm not sure if any of that experienced crossed over into the hospital melodrama but it couldn't have hurt, right.
Mr. Roberts started his acting career onstage in the 50's, graduating to movies in 1958 and then easing into the role of Adam Cartwright on the long running series Bonanza. In addition to acting he was also a the captain for "Battle of The Network Stars" for a couple of seasons as well as a civil rights activist and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama in 1965.
The actor was married four times and had one son (who was killed in motorcycle accident in 1989).
He passed away on January 24th after battling pancreatic cancer in his home in Malibu, his fourth wife Eleanor was by his side.
May 18, 1928 - January 24, 2010
R.I.P.
Sources:
Stupid Celebrity Gossip
Wikipedia
NY Daily News
Labels: 1928 births, 2010 deaths, activist, actor, cancer, military
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Carl Brashear, 75
I've never really understood Cuba Gooding Jr. At times he seems like a complete boob by picking roles like Boat Trip, Rat Race, & Snow Dogs then turns around and appears to be a real intelligent funny actor that picks roles in flicks like As Good As It Gets, Boyz in the Hood & Radio. But I guess there is something to be said about making millions doing commercial crap and justifying the soul with low paying serious roles. The real mystery to me is why he got an Oscar for Jerry Maguire rather then for his portry of Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear in the movie Men of Honor.
Carl Brashear enlisted with the US Navy in 1948 shortly after the desegration was instituted but not fully grasped. But he worked his way through the diving program and became the first black certified diver in 1951. In 1966, while on a mission to recover an unexploded hydrogen bomb a towing line broke and hit his lower right leg nearly severing it. Doctors tried to repair the damage but the leg was ultimately amputated. His career in the Navy was an up hill battle from day one and this obstacle wasn't going to get in Brashears way either. He continued to train and battle through pain and discomfort to become the first amputee diver in 1968 and the first black Master Diver in 1971. He retired from the Navy in 1979 and continued a career with the government until his final retirement.
He passed away from respritory and heart failure.
January 19, 1931 - July 25, 2006 - RIP
Labels: 1931 births, 2006 July deaths, heart failure, military, pioneer
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Fredrick Ashworth, 93
A few years ago when I was finishing up my worthless Bacholors Degree at Walsh College I had a finance teacher who was, at the very least, interesting. He had been a business man for many years, part of that time working in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia and had plenty of stories that he was willing to share. Part of his required reading included George Orwells 1984
and Balint Vazsonyi's Americans 30 Year War. The book written by a Hungarian immigrant and paralled some of the things that have been happening in America to the things he witnessed in Eastern Europe before his immigration. Interesting book, I highly recommend it to anyone that I get into a political conversation with, especially these days.Vice Admiral Fredrick "Dick" Ashworth was a weaponer aboard the bomber that dropped the a nuclear bomb over Nagasaki August 9, 1945. The bomb devastated the area and is the cause of an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 deaths. It was a horrible, horrible event in WW2 but was one of many reasons that the War was quickly brought to an end.
War stinks no matter what you say. Dropping bombs on innocent people is horrible way to show power. But to forget about this event such as this would be sickening. On May 18, 1998 the Enola Gay exhibit, the first plane to drop a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, was discontinued at the Smithsonian Institute. The cancellation was brought on by a number of reasons (googling picked up plenty) that pretty much boiled down to being 'politically incorrect'. Thankfully the exhibit and the plane was moved to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and will hopfully be up for a long time to come. It's been often said that to forget the past is to repeat it. It seems like a lot of information is lost now a days thanks to commercial media. If we can keep events like this in mind we can overcome and surpass our predecessors.
Ashworth was born in Beverly, Mass., and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1933. He passed away on December 6th while undergoing heart surgery.
1912 - December 3, 2005
RIP
Labels: 1912 births, 2005 December deaths, historical, military, surgery
