A life defined
Vol. 3, Issue 22
“I don’t want my life to be defined by what is etched on a tombstone. I want it to be defined by what is etched in the lives and hearts of those I’ve touched.” --Steve Maraboli
NEWS & NOTES
Preserves of biological diversity
Beneath the grass of a quiet cemetery, millions of tiny bees are busy shaping our world.
While some bees live in hives, about 70% of bee species prefer a solo life. These creatures build small nests in wood or soil and live independently in subterranean apartment buildings – solitary yet still near their fellow bee neighbors. They’re also key to the pollination of crops and wild plants.
One of the largest bee communities was discovered in East Lawn Cemetery in Ithaca, N.Y. Scientists from Cornell University estimate that between 3.1 million and 8 million bees live side-by-side there in a single season. The boneyard is located near apple orchards, and these solitary bees likely pollinate the plants on those farms.
The researchers have also launched a citizen science project in which people around the world can report on the status of ground-nesting bee populations. The goal is to learn more about the biology of this understudied species, support the conservation of nesting sites, promote local stewardship and exchange information to help safeguard pollinators in their communities.
“These populations are huge, and they need protection,” Bryan Danforth, professor of entomology in the College and Agriculture and Life Sciences, said. “If we don’t preserve nest sites, and someone paves over them, we could lose in an instant 5.5 million bees that are important pollinators.”
Since cemeteries are often quiet and rarely used, they are an ideal environment for certain types of wildlife. According to Kevin Morse, East Lawn Cemetery’s superintendent, coyotes, foxes, deer, hawks and nesting geese have all been spotted on the grounds, the Cornell Chronicle reported. And so long as caretakers like Morse avoid using pesticides, cemeteries can serve as a home for the dead -- and for the living.
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It’s never too late
Like many people with a sense of humor and a love of adventure, Harry Heasman created a bucket list (a.k.a. things to do before kicking the bucket). And in the process of crossing off one of the items on it, the 98-year-old British man set a new world record.
Heasman has been fascinated by wing walking since he was a child. Last year, the World War II veteran added the activity to his bucket list and began training. At the time, he could barely get out of a chair on his own.
Eleven months later, the nonagenarian stood on top of a moving Boeing Stearman biplane for nine minutes as it flew over the British countryside. In doing so, Heasman not only raised more than £8,000 for the Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund, he also set the world record for the oldest male wing walker, per Guinness World Records.
“It was the most incredible experience of my life and, if I could, I would do it all over again without a second thought,” he told BBC News.
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The pain of grieving a dead pet
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NOTABLE OBITS
* Grammy-winning R&B singer Peabo Bryson died at 75. The South Carolinian fell in love with music in childhood and entered the business as a backup singer. Bryson signed his first record deal in 1967 and would eventually release 20 albums during his four-decade career. The crooner was best known for his love songs – including “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” (with Roberta Flack), “Can’t You Stop the Rain” and “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again” – which became popular requests on late-night radio dedication shows. In 1992, he had hits on four different charts: “A Whole New World,” a duet with Regina Belle from the Disney animated movie “Aladdin,” topped the pop and adult contemporary charts; “The King and I” album, featuring Bryson, was No. 1 on the classical crossover charts, and Kenny G’s “Breathless” album, featuring Bryson on “By the Time the Night Is Over,” topped the contemporary jazz charts. Bryson would win back-to-back Grammy Awards in 1993 and 1994 for his performance on the Disney tunes. (Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times and Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter)
* Corporal Barry Foust, who spent more than 35 years with the Arlington County Police Department in Virginia, died at 64. As a certified motor officer, Foust was known for devising effective yet out-of-the-box solutions to public safety and traffic issues – which occasionally earned him the ire of his supervisors. But his place in history was marked on Sept. 11, 2001, when Foust saw American Airlines Flight 77 veer off course and fly toward the Pentagon. Although he didn’t hear the aircraft hit the building, he spotted smoke in the distance and was the first officer to radio dispatch about the crash. Foust would spend the next week trawling through the wreckage, collecting evidence of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history and remains from the nearly 200 military and civilian personnel who perished in the Pentagon. That effort was later linked to the pancreatic cancer that ended his life. (Juan Benn Jr., The Washington Post)
* Veteran character actor James “Jim” Handy, 81, has died. The native New Yorker fell in love with acting while attending City College. His first big-screen credit was in the 1981 film “Taps,” in which he played a sheriff. Over the next 45 years, he would appear in dozens of films, including “Arachnophobia,” “Jumanji,” “Logan,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “The Verdict.” Handy also made his mark on television, appearing as the CIA director on “Alias,” and in recurring roles on “Breaking News,” “Melrose Place,” “NYPD Blue,” “Profiler,” “The West Wing” and “The Young and the Restless.” (Pat Saperstein, Variety, McKinley Franklin, The Hollywood Reporter and Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times)
* Anthony Stewart Head, a beloved and versatile British actor, died. He was 72. Born in London, Head’s mother was actor Helen Shingler, who portrayed Madame Maigret in the BBC detective series “Maigret,” and his father, Seafield Head, was a documentary filmmaker. Although his parents didn’t push him into the entertainment industry, a chance encounter seeing actor Tim Curry in the musical “The Rocky Horror Show” ignited his desire to become a thespian. In the mid-1980s, Head and actress Sharon Maughan were featured in numerous ads for Nescafé Gold Blend instant coffee that captivated viewers in the U.K. But Head found worldwide fame in the late 1990s when he landed the role of Rupert Giles, a high school librarian and the father figure/watcher tapped to guide the heroine in the supernatural cult classic “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Although Head was widely regarded as talented and kind in person, he shone playing the heel, Rupert Mannion, in the Emmy-winning comedy “Ted Lasso.” (Sopan Deb, The New York Times and Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter)
* Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian-French artist, author and filmmaker, died. She was 56. Born in Rasht and raised in Tehran, Satrapi grew up in a communist-leaning household. Following the Iranian Revolution, Satrapi and every other girl and woman in Iran were forced to wear a hijab, a practice that she felt stifled her right to free speech and expression. Fearing for her safety under such repression, Satrapi’s parents sent her to Vienna. But four years later, Satrapi donned the veil and returned to Iran, the one place she always considered home. Between 2000 and 2003, she published the acclaimed graphic novel “Persepolis.” Originally released in four French volumes, the black-and-white comics would be translated into more than 20 languages and become an international bestseller. In 2007, Satrapi and her creative partner Vincent Paronnaud co-wrote and directed an animated adaptation of “Persepolis.” The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and earned Satrapi an Academy Award nomination in 2008. She was the first woman in history to receive a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. (Ivy Buck and Chloe Veltman, NPR and Amelia Nierenberg and Ségolène Le Stradic, The New York Times)
FAMOUS DEATHS IN HISTORY
On June 9, Roman Emperor Nero (31), English author Charles Dickens (58) and civil rights activist/presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull (88)
On June 10, actor Spencer Tracy (67), singer/pianist Ray Charles (73) and Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe (88)
On June 11, author Robert E. Howard (30), actress/civil rights activist Ruby Dee (91) and actor John Wayne (72)
On June 12, civil rights activist Medgar Evers (37), mystery novelist Carol Higgins Clark (66) and actor Treat Williams (71)
On June 13, Macedonian king Alexander the Great (33), bandleader/songwriter Benny Goodman (77) and journalist Tim Russert (58)
On June 14, Vice President Adlai Stevenson I (78), Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (86) and science fiction/fantasy author Roger Zelazny (58)
On June 15, President James K. Polk (53), singer/actress Ella Fitzgerald (79) and radio host Casey Kasem (82)
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FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“I am in a cold sweat. Is it the sweat of death? How are you going to tell my father?” --Georges Bizet
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Iain, Unsplash, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Nature on PBS, YouTube, Find a Grave, Springer Nature Link, Apidologie, Earth.com, MDPI, the Cornell Chronicle, Project GNBee, Scientific American, This Morning, Guinness World Records, BBC News, People Magazine, Sarah Hoggan, TEDx Talks, Hello Death: Conversations on Life and Death, The Death Deck, The Moonlight Reader Society, Peabo Bryson VEVO, the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, the Officer Down Memorial Page, The Washington Post, Variety, The New York Times, Sony Pictures Classics, NPR, The Written Word, On This Day, Playback.FM, Britannica: This Day in History, Time and Date, Wikipedia, Life, Death, and the Space Between, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions. Note: Generative AI was not used during the ideation, creation or publication of this newsletter.
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