"When do the dead die? When they are forgotten." --Laura Esquivel
NEWS & NOTES
The greening of grave options
As more people have become aware of their environmental impact on the planet, they've altered their habits. They recycle, compost, eat less meat, drive an electric or hybrid car and/or invest in solar or wind energy.
As folks ponder their mortality, some are also looking for more environmentally-friendly ways to bid farewell.
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, 60% of Americans are interested in exploring green funeral options. Such practices include: natural or direct burial (wrapped in cloth or placed inside a simple wooden box or eco-friendly casket), human composting (the body is covered in wood chips and straw and allowed to decompose naturally) or aquamation (using lye and heated water to break down the body into a powder-like substance). These practices tend to be more affordable than traditional burial, but accessibility varies by state.
FMI: Click here.
Creating art from the dead
Amanda Stronza is an anthropologist and professor in ecology and conservation biology at Texas A&M University. Her passion is understanding how people relate to wildlife.
She's also a photographer who focuses on a unique subject: road-killed animals.
For the past five years, Stronza has been memorializing animals that have been killed on Texas roadways by turning them into beautiful images. She moves the creatures to a soft and quiet place, then adorns their bodies with flowers, branches, weeds and grasses. With kind words, she bids them farewell, then takes her photographs. Many of these images are featured on her Instagram page and more than 50,000 people follow her to view them.
“I like bearing witness to these animals," Stronza recently told Texas Monthly, "because so many of us don’t look at all."
Several of her photographs are now on display in the exhibit "The Toll of Texas Roads on Turtles and Snakes" at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries on the A&M campus.
FMI: Click here.
Are near-death experiences real?
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NOTABLE OBITS
* Doris Allen, an Army intelligence analyst during the Vietnam War, died at 97. Allen enlisted in the Women's Army Corps, was the first woman to attend the Army’s prisoner of war interrogation course and volunteered to serve in Vietnam. Once stationed at the Army Operations Center in Long Binh, she developed intelligence about the impending attacks by North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces that became known as the Tet Offensive. Her prediction was ignored by the chain of command and U.S. and South Vietnamese forces sustained heavy losses. (Richard Sandomir, The New York Times)
* Jazz and blues vocalist Jewel Brown, who performed for nearly a decade with Louis Armstrong and His All Stars, died. She was 86. Brown was one of the inaugural inductees of the Jazz Heritage Society of Texas. (Monique Welch, Houston Landing)
* First baseman and designated hitter Orlando Cepeda, one of the first Puerto Rican stars in the major leagues, died at 86. Nicknamed "Baby Bull," Cepeda was a seven-time All-Star who played in three World Series. (Janie McCauley, The Associated Press)
* Veteran character actor Bill Cobbs, who appeared in nearly 200 film and TV programs, died at 90. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for limited performance in a daytime program in 2020 for his portrayal of Mr. Hendrickson in the series "Dino Dana." (Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times)
* Country singer/songwriter, author and satirist Richard "Kinky" Friedman died at 79. Friedman published a series of successful novels and penned a popular column for Texas Monthly magazine. He also ran as an independent candidates for Texas governor in 2006, using the clever slogan: "How hard can it be?" (Emily Foxhall and Joshua Fechter, The Texas Tribune)
* William Goines, who was widely credited as the first Black member of the Navy SEALs, died. He was 87. Over the course of his 32 years in uniform, Goines served three tours of duty during the Vietnam War and received both the Bronze Star and a Navy Commendation Medal. (Alex Williams, The New York Times)
* International human rights advocate and author Leah Levin has died at 98. Her 1981 book, "Human Rights: Questions and Answers," a users’ manual for rights groups and activists, was translated into 36 languages and became one of the most widely distributed U.N. books. (Brian Murphy, The Washington Post)
* Martin Mull, 80, a comic actor, painter and musician who was best known as Colonel Mustard in the film "Clue," and for his work on TV shows like "Arrested Development" and "Roseanne," died. In 2016, Mull received an Emmy Award nomination for his guest-starring role as political aide Bob Bradley in the show “Veep.” (Carmel Dagan, Variety)
* Russell Morash, 88, a public television producer and director who was hailed as the “father of how-to television," died. Morash helped turn cookbook author, Julia Child, into America’s chef and created huge hits out of the home-repair programs, "This Old House" and "Ask This Old House." (Alex Williams, The New York Times)
* Anthony J.F. O’Reilly, 88, a former rugby player who later became chairman and CEO of the H.J. Heinz Company, died. The Irish tycoon also created the Kerrygold brand to sell Irish butter to English shoppers, helped to create The Ireland Funds and became the country's richest man and its first billionaire. He eventually lost his fortune in the global financial crisis. (Trip Gabriel, The New York Times)
* Miriam Shehane, 91, who founded a victims' rights movement that reshaped Alabama’s judicial and parole systems, died. Shehane became a crusader after the 1976 kidnap, rape and murder of her daughter Quenette Shehane. (The Associated Press)
* Japanese beat poet Kazuko Shiraishi died at 93. The flamboyant writer performed at poetry festivals around the world and her work was translated into dozens of languages. (Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press)
* Hollywood film editor Bud S. Smith has died at 88. During his five-decade career, Smith received two Academy Award nominations, one for his work on the 1974 horror classic "The Exorcist," and one for the 1984 romance "Flashdance." (J. Kim Murphy, Variety)
* Veteran CIA officer Haviland Smith, who was posted to Beirut, Berlin, Prague and Tehran, died at 94. During the Cold War, Smith devised simple but effective techniques to evade detection in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and taught a tradecraft course to other officers. He also led the CIA's counterterrorism staff and served as an executive assistant to CIA Deputy Director Frank Carlucci. (Harrison Smith, The Washington Post)
* George Woodwell, 95, an ecologist who helped shape U.S. policies on controlling toxic substances, died. He published more than 300 scientific papers and founded the Woods Hole Research Center (later known as the Woodwell Climate Research Center) in Massachusetts, to study global climate change. (Keith Schneider, The New York Times)
FAMOUS DEATHS IN HISTORY
On July 2, French astrologist Nostradmus (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)
On July 8, English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (29), British actress Vivien Leigh (53) and former first lady Betty Ford (93)
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
"Thomas Jefferson still survives." --John Adams, died on July 4, 1826
and
"Is it the Fourth?" --Thomas Jefferson, died the same day
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Caroline Attwood, Unsplash, the National Funeral Directors Association, NPR, Chicago Sun-Times, Bio-Response Solutions, New Hampshire Funeral Resources & Education, Apple News, Amanda Stronza, 500px, Instagram, Texas Monthly, Texas A&M University, Big Think, YouTube, Jonathan Farber, The New York Times, Houston Landing, The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Simon Marks Reporting, The Texas Tribune, The Washington Post, Variety, WGBH, Rainhard Wiesinger, On This Day, Playback.FM, Britannica: This Day in History, Time and Date, Wikipedia, "Famous Last Words: Apt Observations, Pleas, Curses, Benedictions, Sour Notes, Bons Mots, and Insights from People on the Brink of Departure" by Alan Bisbort and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
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