"You know the Greeks didn't write obituaries. They only asked one question after a man died: 'Did he have passion?'" --Marc Klein, "Serendipity"
NEWS & NOTES
Honoring the Hortmans
When a gunman disguised as a police officer knocked on the door of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman’s home at 2 a.m., she and her husband Mark were likely not the first to hear it. Gilbert, the family's friendly, 4-year-old golden retriever, was probably at the door as soon as the stranger pulled into the driveway. So, when the couple answered the door and the gunman opened fire, they weren't the only ones who were struck by bullets.
The Hortmans both died in the attack. Gilbert sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and despite attempts to save him, had to be euthanized.
Last Friday, thousands of people lined up at the Minnesota Capitol to pay tribute to the slain lawmaker and her husband. Between their caskets was a photograph of their dog and an urn emblazoned with paw prints that contained Gilbert's ashes. According to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, Hortman is the first woman to lie in state in the Capitol; it's also the first time a dog has received such an honor. At least 20 service dogs and trainees also took turns standing guard at the edge of the Rotunda.
Vance Boelter, 57, faces state and federal murder charges in what officials have described as a politically motivated assassination. He is also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife Yvette, who were seriously wounded.
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Gay history in the nation’s capital
If you ever have the chance to wander through the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., you'll find the graves of many past members of Congress as well as patriotic composer John Philip Sousa and Civil War photographer Mathew Brady. The cemetery is also the final resting place of several trailblazing LGBTQ+ icons.
Buried in what is affectionately known as the "Gay Corner" are:
* Ken Dresser, designer of Disney theme park parades and shows
* Barbara Gittings, mother of the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement
* Alain Locke, founding father of the Harlem Renaissance and the first Black and known gay Rhodes scholar
* Leonard Matlovich, a decorated Vietnam veteran and the first U.S. military member to come out publicly
The Congressional Cemetery is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Self-guided and docent-guided tours are available and include the LGBTQ+ section. In June, the cemetery offers a Pride celebration called "Gays and Graves.”
FMI: Click here.
Can dying be illuminating?
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NOTABLE OBITS
* Margot Friedländer, one of the most prominent survivors of the Holocaust living in Germany, died. She was 103. Friedländer spent more than a year of her life hiding from the Nazis, and when they found her, she spent nearly as long in a concentration camp. After the camp was liberated in 1945, she and fellow Holocaust survivor, Adolf Friedländer, wed and emigrated to the U.S. For the next 50 years, she worked as a travel agent and toured the world, but always avoided returning to Germany -- until her husband died in 1997. She visited Berlin in 2003 and moved back in 2010. In the final years of her life, Friedländer often recounted her story of survival to students, the press and anyone who would listen so the terrors that millions suffered would not be forgotten. (Emily Langer, The Washington Post)
* Broadway performer Stephen Mo Hanan died at 78. Hanan studied drama at Harvard College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In the late 1970s, he landed roles in the New York Shakespeare Festival productions of "All's Well That Ends Well" and "The Taming of the Shrew" in Central Park. Hanan got his big break on Broadway in the 1981 production of "The Pirates of Penzance," which also starred Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt. Later, he would play three felines (Bustopher Jones, Asparagus and Growltiger) in the original Broadway cast of "Cats." (Richard Sandomir, The New York Times)
* Pioneering athlete Nina Kuscsik, who won the Boston Marathon during the first year that women were officially allowed to enter the race, died at 86. But that wasn't the only milestone Kuscsik attained. She graduated from high school at 16, studied nursing for two years and received her license at 18 after successfully petitioning the state of New York to change the law that required nurses to be 21. She also won state championships in speed skating, roller skating and cycling -- all in the same year -- and became the first woman to enter the New York City Marathon. (Jimmy Golen, Los Angeles Times)
* Actor Joe Marinelli, 68, who appeared on both daytime and primetime TV shows, died. During his five-decade career, Marinelli acted in numerous soap operas, including "General Hospital" and "Guiding Light," but he was best known for playing the cross-dressing mobster and nightclub owner Bunny Tagliatti on "Santa Barbara." Marinelli also guest-starred on numerous hit shows that aired in the evening, including "ER," "NYPD Blue," "The West Wing," "House," "Castle" and "Ray Donovan." (Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter)
* Jonathan Mayers, one of the founders of the Bonnaroo music festival, died. He was 51. Mayers co-founded the music promotion company Superfly Entertainment in 1996 with Rick Farman, Kerry Black and Richard Goodstone. Superfly eventually joined forces with concert promoter Ashley Caps and Coran Capshaw, the founder of music management/promotion company Red Light, and launched Bonnaroo in 2002. The organizers sold some 70,000 tickets to the music festival solely on word of mouth. The event, located on a farm in Tennessee, featured performances by Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Trey Anastasio of Phish and the band Widespread Panic. (Dave Brooks, Billboard and Alex Williams, The New York Times)
* Bill Moyers, veteran broadcast journalist and former White House press secretary for President Lyndon B. Johnson, died at 91. After serving as the publisher of Newsday, and leading the newspaper to two Pulitzer Prizes, Moyers turned to broadcasting, mainly with CBS and PBS. His 1988 series, “Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth,” drew 30 million viewers, and popularized the Campbell dictum “Follow your bliss.” Moyers’ work would eventually receive more than 30 Emmy Awards, including one for lifetime achievement. (Fred A. Bernstein, The Washington Post and Janny Scott, The New York Times)
* Mikayla Raines, a social media star who was known for rescuing foxes and other animals, died. She was 30. Raines was raised around animals — her mother worked in wildlife rehabilitation — and fell in love with foxes at the age of 15. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit sanctuary Save a Fox Rescue in Rice County, Minn., and began using YouTube to promote her message of kindness. More than 2.4 million people followed her efforts. (Jeré Longman, The New York Times and Matt Lavietes, NBC News)
* Prolific and award-winning composer Lalo Schifrin has died. He was 93. The Argentine-born composer, who described himself as a "music maker," wrote more than 100 scores for film and TV. Schifrin received five Academy Award nominations for best score ("Cool Hand Luke," "The Fox," "Voyage of the Damned," "The Amityville Horror" and "The Sting II"), one for best song (“People Alone” from the 1980 drama “The Competition”) and received an honorary Oscar. He also won a Grammy Award for his most well-known piece, the theme song for "Mission: Impossible." (Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times)
* Bobby Sherman, 81, a singer, actor and teen heartthrob of the late 1960s and early 1970s, died at 81. Sherman skyrocketed to fame in the ABC series "Here Come the Brides," and parlayed that role into a career as a singer. His brand of bubblegum pop and clean-cut good looks were a huge hit with preteens and helped four of his singles ("Little Woman," "La La La (If I Had You)," "Easy Come, Easy Go" and "Julie, Do Ya Love Me”) reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Sherman continued to perform later in life, mostly on nostalgia tours, but also found a passion for public service, working as both an EMT and a trainer with the LAPD. (Chris Willman, Variety)
* Fred Smith, the founder and CEO of FedEx, died. He was 80. Smith came up with the idea of using planes for delivering time-sensitive packages back in 1965 when he was a student at Yale and wrote a term paper about it. Although he only received a C for the paper, the idea stuck with him. After college, he joined the Marine Corps, served two tours in Vietnam and returned to the states to launch his business. Today, FedEx employs more than 500,000 people and moves more than 17 million shipments a day. (Harrison Smith, The Washington Post)
FAMOUS DEATHS IN HISTORY
On June 30, guitarist Chet Atkins (77), actor/comedian Buddy Hackett (78) and children's writer Robert McCloskey (88)
On July 1, actor Karl Malden (97), operatic soprano Evelyn Lear (86) and journalist Hugh Downs (99)
On July 2, French astrologist Nostradamus (62), author Ernest Hemingway (61) and singer/dancer/actress Betty Grable (56)
On July 3, actor Andy Griffith (86), journalist/author John Keel (79) and Doors singer Jim Morrison (27)
On July 4, news anchor Charles Kuralt (62), painter/TV host Bob Ross (52) and R&B singer Barry White (58)
On July 5, French inventor/photography pioneer Nicéphore Niépce (68), baseball player Ted Williams (83) and director Richard Donner (91)
On July 6, author William Faulkner (64), trumpeter Louis Armstrong (69) and actor James Caan (82)
On July 7, German-Swiss industrialist Henri Nestlé (75), Swiss author Johanna Spyri (74) and English singer/songwriter Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) (60)
RECOMMENDED SUBSTACK
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
"Goodnight my kitten." --Ernest Hemingway
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Josef Kubes, The Minnesota Star Tribune, PBS News, The Associated Press, Helping Paws, Inc., Facebook, KARE11, YouTube, The Washington Post, the Congressional Cemetery, WAMU 88.5 FM, Google Arts & Culture, the LGBT Civil Rights Movement, The Lambda Literary Review, NPR, Story Corps, Dr. Christopher Kerr, TEDx Talks, A Bit of Good News, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard Magazine, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC News, CBS 8 San Diego, Variety, On This Day, Playback.FM, Britannica: This Day in History, Time and Date, Wikipedia, The Moonlight Reader Society, Happy Death Club, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
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The upcoming Independence Day is a time to celebrate, but we also need to remember that time
I didn't know just what a powerhouse Nina Kuscsik was! As always, your obits tell such rich stories about people. Thanks for all your work! (Also, the dog cremains? More heartbreak in an already heartbreaking story.)