Archive for the Saint Anthony’s Catholic Cemetery Category

Tito Puente

Posted in Saint Anthony's Catholic Cemetery with tags , , on July 29, 2024 by Cade

April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000

Like most latter-day Gen Xers, I formed most of my pop-culture knowledgebase throughout the 1990s watching The Simpsons. The writers of the iconic show were clearly of a generation previous to mine and would pepper in references to things from their youth, and thereby introduce them to us youngins.

So, it should come as no surprise that my first introduction to percussionist Tito Puente was from the 1995 cliffhanger episode “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 1” in which Lisa Simpson wanted to use the city’s newfound riches to hire Puente as the music teacher. To this day, I can’t hear the name “Tito Puente” without uttering to myself “He robbed the school of TITO!”

But, I digress.

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Chita Rivera

Posted in Saint Anthony's Catholic Cemetery with tags , , , , on April 29, 2024 by Cade

January 23, 1933 – January 30, 2024

Broadway legends aren’t super rare, but Broadway icons are much more precious and exceptional. And friends, Chita Rivera was an ICON.

Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington D.C., the dancer, actress and singer who would eventually become “Chita Rivera” took dance lessons as a teenager and found her way to New York by way of her growing reputation. By the time she was 18, she was already getting dancing roles in hit Broadway musicals like Guys and Dolls and Can-Can. Then, in 1957, Rivera landed her first featured role: Anita in a new musical called West Side Story.

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