• Oh Robin Williams, how you made us laugh… and cry

    August 12, 2014 / 3 Comments

    Like millions of fans, I loved Robin Williams. I enjoyed his quick wit and no-holds-barred brand of comedy. I greatly admired his prolific career and Oscar-winning acting talent. Most of all, I adored his generous spirit. He touched so many lives in so many ways. I just can’t believe he’s gone.

    “What Dreams May Come”
    “Dead Poets Society”
    “The World According To Garp”
    “The Bird Cage”
    “Aladdin”
    “Dead Again”
    “Good Will Hunting”
    “Jumanji”
    “Awakenings”
    “Good Morning, Vietnam”
    “Mrs. Doubtfire”
    “FernGully”
    “Hamlet”

    These were the Robin Williams films that made me laugh… and cry. Over the years, his work imprinted upon me, creating a tapestry of people and places and stories and memories that remain evident in the person I am today. While I’m tempted to hold a movie marathon in honor of this cinematic legend, I know that if I did so now, there would be too many tears.

    Perhaps someday.

    Instead, I shall remember how often — and lovingly — Robin Williams spoke of his children: Zelda, Cody and Zachary. And how his wife Susan found the strength to give a beautiful and heartfelt statement so soon after losing her best friend.

    I’ll think back to the time Robin Williams helped save his friend’s life. After actor Christopher Reeve was left paralyzed by a horrible horse-riding accident in 1995, he seriously pondered pulling the plug. It was then that Williams showed up at the hospital, dressed as a doctor, and did what he did best; he made his friend laugh (no easy task in such a dire moment). Reeve later told Barbara Walters, “I knew then: If I could laugh, I could live.”

    I’ll recall Robin Williams’ many comedy specials, interviews and performances on television. These appearances, especially the one on “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” made me laugh until my cheeks hurt and my belly ached.

    I’ll look back on the two times I saw Robin Williams live, once during a fascinating conversation with Lillian Ross at The New Yorker Festival, and once during a promotional event for “Man of the Year.” In both cases, I marveled at his genius.

    I’ll search through my hard drive to find the Audible recordings Robin Williams created in the early oughts, years before podcasts were en vogue. I particularly enjoyed the chats he did with Oliver Sacks, Walter Cronkite and Harlan Ellison.

    I’ll pay tribute to his tireless efforts to raise money and spirits for charitable organizations like Comic Relief, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the LiveStrong Foundation and the USO. Why, to many in the service, he was the Bob Hope of their generation.

    I’ll reminisce about how Robin Williams’ performance in “Dead Poets Society” inspired me to launch a similar organization at my university. Late at night, our small band of literati would gather in the dark and read poetry by candlelight. I later wed my soulmate near a poet’s grave.

    Lastly, I’ll remind myself of how much Robin Williams loved to make people laugh. Ultimately, that should be his legacy.

  • In Memoriam: A look back at the people we lost in 2013

    December 28, 2013 / No Comments

    hourglass.jpgSome people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people lead. In 2013, these 13 obituaries were the stories that most resonated with me:

    * Helen Thomas, reporter, columnist and dean of the White House Press Corps

    * Abigail Van Buren, advice columnist

    * Roger Ebert, movie critic

    * Elmore Leonard, author

    * Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the first black president of South Africa

    * Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Britain

    * Ed Koch, former New York City mayor

    * Gary David Goldberg, TV producer

    * Ray Harryhausen, special effects pioneer

    * Tom Clancy, author

    * Peter O’Toole, actor

    * James Gandolfini, actor

    * Jean Stapleton, actress

  • John and Rita’s Holiday House

    December 23, 2013 / 1 Comment

    For many years, John and Rita Chakalos decorated their home with millions of lights. The 82-acre property, located at 140 Pond Brook Road in Chesterfield, N.H., was so filled with Christmas cheer that thousands of people drove by each year to see it.

    John and Rita never charged a fee to view their home, though light knows their electricity bills must have been through the roof. Instead, the couple simply asked passersby to make small food donations. These offerings were then given to a local food bank, which serves hungry people in our area. Last year, there were so many donations that the food bank was stocked up until April.

    In November, right before Thanksgiving, Rita died of cancer at the age of 84. Despite the grief of losing his wife of 59 years, John decided to decorate the property for Christmas, and even filled one tree with pink lights in her honor.

    M and I had planned to drive by their house to view the festive display and the memorial tree. Unfortunately, we can no longer do so. A few days ago, John’s body was found inside his Connecticut home. He reportedly died of a gunshot wound to his head. It is unknown at this time if the shot was self-inflicted or not, but police are investigating the incident as a homicide.

    John and Rita’s generosity and goodwill helped the poor and hungry. And everyone in the area knows their home because of the decorations and lights that were lovingly displayed each year. The couple left behind four daughters, but the entire community mourns their deaths.

    I wonder if they truly realized just how many people they touched.

    I hope so.

  • The 10 biggest news stories of 2013

    December 15, 2013 / No Comments

    These are my picks:

    Syrian refugee crisis
    Photo by Joel Carillet. Used with permission.

    1. The bloody civil war in Syria, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives since 2011, finally gained the attention of world leaders when Syrian President Bashar Assad allegedly ordered government troops to use chemical weapons on the country’s citizens. Hundreds of people died in the attacks and thousands more suffered from exposure. To date, the conflict has displaced 5 million Syrians internally and forced more than 2.2 million to become refugees. At least 150 journalists also have been killed while covering the war.

    2. Super Typhoon Haiyan, a Category 5 storm, hit the Philippines in early November. A month later, the death toll passed 6,000. More than 27,000 people were injured and nearly 1,800 were reported missing. The homes of more than 16 million people were either flattened or damaged by the typhoon. Rebuilding the country is expected to take at least three years.

    3. The bombings at the Boston Marathon claimed three lives, injured 264 people and prompted a massive manhunt for the terrorists. The suspects, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, then allegedly engaged in a deadly crime spree that ended when the police killed Tamerlan and captured his brother. Dzhokhar is currently being held at a federal medical center while awaiting trial.

    4. Edward Snowden vs. the NSA: Snowden, a former computer technician and CIA contractor, stole classified documents and released many of them to the press. The files detailed the U.S. government’s massive surveillance program, which not only spied on potential terror targets but also millions of unsuspecting Americans and foreign dignitaries.

    5. The Popes: When Benedict XVI announced his resignation in February, the world was stunned because no pope had resigned from office in nearly 700 years. However, with the March election of Francis, the Catholic Church was revitalized. The first non-European pope in 1,200 years, Francis was admired for his work with the poor, his nonjudgmental attitude toward gays and atheists and his goal of healing a religious institution harmed by infighting and years of sexual abuse scandals. Francis was named “Person of the Year” by TIME magazine.

    6. Mass killings — which involve four or more victims not including the killer — occurred 30 times in the U.S. this year. The deadliest incident happened at the Navy Yard, and claimed 12 lives.

    7. The death of Nelson Mandela on Dec. 5 prompted a period of mourning worldwide. The beloved anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize and was the first black president of South Africa.

    8. DOMA/Prop 8 decisions: The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act that denied federal benefits to same-sex couples. The justices also dismissed the Proposition 8 case, which banned same-sex marriage in California, claiming the defendants had no standing in court. In 2013, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island all legalized gay marriage. Illinois also passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, but it will not take effect until June 1, 2014.

    9. The U.S. government shut down on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to enact legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014 and refused to agree upon a continuing resolution. During the 16-day shutdown, approximately 800,000 federal employees were furloughed, and another 1.3 million were required to report to work without pay.

    10. The Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, began when several unidentified gunmen entered the structure and took hostages. The attack lasted for four days and claimed 72 lives, including 61 civilians. More than 200 people were also wounded. The Islamist group al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the attack.

    (Other big stories of the year include: The coup against Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically-elected president; the Supreme Court decision striking down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; NASA’s release of a map containing over 1,400 “potentially hazardous astroids” for Earth; the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco; the trial of George Zimmerman for the slaying of Trayvon Martin; and the birth of Prince George of Cambridge.)