Celebrating Long, Productive Lives
RIP Cicely Tyson, 96. Born in Harlem to devoutly religious immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis, she began as a model for Ebony magazine and soon found her niche in acting. Her career spanned 1951–2020. There are 94 titles under her name at IMDb. She would portray only positive roles models. She was the first African American female to star in a TV drama, East Side/West Side, which ran one season, ‘63-’64. She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Sounder (1972). She received 14 EMMY nominations and won twice: Best Lead Actress in a Drama — The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special — Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994). In 1979 she hosted the Sears Radio Theater — Love and Hate Night. In 2013 she won a Tony, Best Actress in a Play — The Trip to Bountiful. She received an honorary Oscar in 2018. Her only marriage was to jazz legend Miles Davis. It lasted seven years, which must have been a severe trial given his reputation. Here’s a quote attributed to her: “I am the sum total of each one of the women I have played. That they were able to survive the times, and the way in which they did it, made me a stronger person and allowed me to truly believe that all things are possible.” Well done, madam. Thank you.
RIP Marie Harmon, 97. She appeared in 28 B movies in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s, mostly westerns, acting opposite the likes of Roy Rogers. Two of her four children became more famous than she: Cherie Currie, a member of the iconic rock band The Runaways, and Sondra Currie, who has 84 titles under her name at IMDb, which include all three films of The Hangover series. Well done, Mom.
RIP College Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Chaney, 89, also a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He led Cheney St. for ten years, winning the NCAA Division II championship in 1978. He moved on to Temple, and led the Owls to the post season every year of his two-decade-plus tenure. Overall, his record was 741–312. His team won eight Atlantic 10 titles. In 1988 he was named Coach of the Year by both the AP and UPI. Well done, sir.
The floating book shop was a last minute decision today. I had to see if the Chase bank was blocking the brunt of the wind. It was. Although the temperature was about 20, sunshine was abundant, providing a little warmth. And if I got cold I had the option of sitting in the car, which I did twice. I also reasoned that if the vendors were able to work in the shade on 86th Street, I had no excuse not to work in the sunshine. My thanks to the two ladies who combined to buy five books in Russian, and to the gentleman who bought Natural Healing and Prevention Secrets by American Publishing; and to the guy who selected Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth by Richard John Neuhaus. The latter usually opts for DVDs, of which I’ve been out for months. He spent so much time reading in prison that he avoids it these days. He’s struggling to reform, still drinking heavily. He took a couple of hits from a bottle as we spoke. I hope it killed any potential Corona germs he may have been carrying.
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