Archive for December, 2021

Kate Spade

Posted in Calvary Cemetery (KC) with tags on December 20, 2021 by Cade

December 24, 1962 – June 5, 2018

Kate Brosnahan Spade was a journalism major who worked for Mademoiselle magazine after graduating from college. In 1993, she and her fiancé launched a fashion line by selling handbags from their New York City apartment. Kate Spade New York became a successful brand that relied on simple designs, cheerful patterns and vibrant colors that contrasted many of the darker and more serious brands of the time. The more affordable bags appealed to younger professional customers and became instantly popular. Continue reading →

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Moss Hart

Posted in Ferncliff Cemetery with tags , , on December 13, 2021 by Cade

October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961

With the help of a beloved aunt, Moss Hart grew up enamored by the possibilities of the theater. To be able to create worlds and characters that weren’t bound by the economic or social insecurity he saw everyday was thrilling to him. So, growing up in New York City, it was no surprise when he started to write about these worlds and characters. By the time he was in his mid-20s, Hart had his first hit on Broadway: a play called Once in a Lifetime that he cowrote with George S. Kaufman. Kaufman and Hart would go on to collaborate on a string of hit plays including You Can’t Take it With You, George Washington Slept Here and The Man Who Came to Dinner. Continue reading →

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Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee

Posted in Ferncliff Cemetery with tags , , on December 6, 2021 by Cade

December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005
October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014

Raiford Chatman “Ossie” Davis was an actor, writer, director and activist whose career charged across the stage and screen through the turbulent middle half of the American 20th Century. Along with contemporaries like Sidney Poitier and Melvin Van Peeples, Davis forever altered how Black artists approached their roles and the stories they told.

Ruby Ann Wallace was an actress, poet, writer, journalist and activist whose seven decade career garnered a Drama Desk award, an Emmy, an Obie, a Screen Actors Guild award, and a Grammy. She was nominated for a Academy Award for her performance in the 2007 film American Gangster.

In 1946, Davis and Dee met on the Broadway production of Jeb. They were married shortly thereafter and their partnership would become legendary. Continue reading →

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