Archive for October, 2013

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Louisa May Alcott

Posted in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (MA) with tags , , , on October 7, 2013 by Cade

alcott1November 29, 1832 – March 6, 1888

Though she wrote a number of letters, articles and novels (sometimes under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard) prior, Concord, MA resident Louisa May Alcott found her greatest literary success with 1868’s semi-autobiographical Little Women. Alcott was one of four daughters of transcendental parents and grew up with family friends such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.  The characters and incidents in Little Women are based on Alcott’s early life and relationship with her sisters. Continue reading →

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Lou Gehrig

Posted in Kensico Cemetery with tags , , on October 7, 2013 by Cade

gehrig1June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941

It doesn’t get much more “New York” than Hall of Famer Henry Louis Gehrig. He was born in New York. He died in New York. And, he played 17 seasons for the New York Yankees. As a player, Gehrig was outstanding. With a career batting average of .340, the left-handed first baseman was a 7-time All-Star, won six World Series titles won the Triple Crown in 1934 and set franchise offensive records that stood for more than 70 years. Nicknamed, “The Iron Horse,” Gehrig set one of his most famous records when he played in 2.130 consecutive games – a feat eventually broken by Cal Ripkin, Jr some 56 years later.

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Payne Stewart

Posted in Dr. Phillips Cemetery with tags on October 2, 2013 by Cade

stewart3January 30, 1957 – October 25, 1999

Donned in his unmistakable  pinch-billed Ivy caps and checkered knickerbockers, William Payne Stewart dazzled fans and colleagues alike on the PGA Tour for 17 years before his untimely death in 1999. Stewart’s remarkable fashion and amiable personality on the links made him one of the most popular and recognizable figures in golf for most of the late 1980’s and ’90’s. He was known to have a naturally fluid stroke and his trademark victorious one-legged-air-punch-celebration-thingy thrilled spectators and the media.

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Lee Marvin

Posted in Arlington National Cemetery with tags , , on October 2, 2013 by Cade

marvin1February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987

PFC Lee Marvin earned a Purple Heart for being wounded in action on an island in the Pacific during World War II. That’s enough excitement in one lifetime for most people.

But, not for Lee. In his post-war years, Marvin sort of stumbled into a career as an actor and over the following 4 decades, slowly built himself into a top-billed star. Bit parts as tough guys and soldiers gave way to more substantive roles which, eventually, gave way to iconic turns in in films like The Dirty Dozen (with Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland and Charles Bronson) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (opposite John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart). Continue reading →

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Joe Louis

Posted in Arlington National Cemetery with tags , on October 1, 2013 by Cade

louis1May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981

Joe Louis was arguably the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Toward the very top, at least. It just so happened that the “Brown Bomber” was also one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. Joseph Louis Barrow became one of the, if not the, first Black national heroes due not only to his dominating presence in the ring, but also to his honest and hardworking persona. Louis also gained international fame when he lost (his first as a professional) to German, Max Schmeling in 1936. The Nazis used Schmeling’s victory to promote the dominance of the so-called Aryian Race. So, Louis fought Schmeling again two years later…and knocked him out in 2 minutes. Louis defended his Heavyweight Title 25 times and held it for 140 months (that’s almost 12 years, for those of you like me who suck at math.) He joined the Army during World War II but never saw combat as the powers that be decided he was better suited to boost morale in the Special Services.  He also integrated golf…you know…just for good measure.

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Jean Vander Pyl

Posted in Ascension Cemetery with tags , , on October 1, 2013 by Cade

vanderpyl1October 11, 1919 – April 10, 1999

An American radio and voice actress, Jean Vander Pyl’s name may not be that familiar, but her voice should be. She voiced Wilma Flintstone on the Hanna-Barbera classic, The Flintstones. Her work wasn’t limited to Bedrock, though. She made a nice career of lending voices to popular characters on shows such as Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons and Scooby-Doo as well as reprising her role of Wilma in various incarnations of The Flintstones up until the late 1990s. She also act-acted. Ms. Vander Pyl made guest appearances on many of the great, classic sitcoms like The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Leave it to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show. She died of lung cancer at the age of 79. Continue reading →

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Duke Ellington

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) with tags , , on October 1, 2013 by Cade

ellington1April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington began playing piano at the age of 7 and never looked back. He wrote his first song at 15 and went on to become one of the most influential and prolific artists in American music at large, let alone within the genre with which he was most closely associated: Jazz. Nicknamed “Duke” because of his swagger and the way he dressed – even at a young age – Ellington led his orchestra for nearly a half century. He gained national exposure while playing on the radio from Harlem’s famed Cotton Club in the late 1920s. He wrote and recorded songs at a near unprecedented pace. He worked with greats in all genres from Frank Sinatra (Francis A. & Edward K.) to Louis Armstrong  and constantly stretched himself into new musical territory. Continue reading →

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Bela Lugosi

Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery with tags , on October 1, 2013 by Cade

lugosi1October 20, 1882 – August  16, 1956

Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó was born in Lugos, Hungary (now, Romania) in 1882. He acted on stage and in films in his native country before fleeing to Germany, and eventually, the U.S.A. He changed is name to Lugosi (after his hometown) and made a career of playing one of the most recognizable monsters in pop culture history. As far as I am concerned, Bela Lugosi – with his eastern European accent and steely glare – WAS Count Dracula. You can’t convince me otherwise (except for the fact that he is dead, as evidenced by his presence in this blog – though he WAS buried in a cape1.)

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