George and Ira Gershwin

Posted in Westchester Hills Cemetery with tags , on October 13, 2015 by Cade

gershwin2September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937
December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983

The mere utterance of few names in American music make as immediate and complete of an impact as the name “Gershwin”.

The composer/lyricist brothers (George/Ira, respectively) had a profound influence on music in the early 1900’s. George’s body of work covers everything from Classical to Popular, with stops on Broadway and in opera along the way. The younger Gershwin landed his first music job shilling songs in New York’s fabled Tin Pan Alley at the age of 15. Ira waited a little longer, but by the time the brothers teamed up for the first time with 1924’s Lady Be Good, their golden touch was evident. Continue reading →

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Raymond Burr

Posted in Fraser Cemetery with tags on September 1, 2015 by Cade

burr2May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993

Let’s just get this out of the way up front: There were TWO Raymond Burrs. The Raymond Burr that Raymond Burr wanted everyone to know about and believe and the Raymond Burr that Raymond Burr had no interest in people knowing about.  The FORMER may have had wives and kids who died tragic deaths; he may have served with the Marines in World War II – or perhaps the Navy…either way. This Raymond Burr had degrees from many prestigious institutions and owned a farm in Fiji where he cultivated and grew orchids. Actually, that last one was true. The LATTER Raymond Burr was a closeted homosexual who liked to tell tall tales about his life for some reason. Why he felt the need to mythologize himself, only Raymond Burr would know.

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Andrew Wood

Posted in Miller-Woodlawn Memorial Park with tags , , on August 26, 2015 by Cade

awood1January 8, 1966 – March 19, 1990

It’s completely understandable if the casual music fan doesn’t know Andrew Wood’s name. It’s also a distinct possibility that the same fan might not know Mother Love Bone, the band Wood fronted. But, Wood’s influential work in the late-1980’s Seattle music scene and his tragic death touched off much of what the landscape of the 1990’s alternative music would come to look like.

In 1988, Andrew Wood formed the Seattle-based post-metal/pre-grunge alternative rock band Mother Love Bone with bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard, both formerly of the locally-influential band, Green River. MLB showed massive promise in the burgeoning Seattle circuit. They recorded their debut album in 1989, but Wood never saw it released. After years of battling substance abuse, he died of a heroin overdose at the age of 24.

But, Wood’s story doesn’t end there. Continue reading →

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Harriet Beecher Stowe

Posted in Phillips Academy Cemetery with tags , on August 17, 2015 by Cade

stowe2June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896

Harriet Beecher was a very well-educated writer from a very religious family who wrote dozens of books. But, none are as well-known or had as much of an impact as her landmark 1852 work, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Originally produced as a serial for the abolitionist newspaper, The National Era, the story’s popularity (and accompanying controversy) demanded it be released in novel form. Cabin‘s depiction of the daily, oppressed life of slaves in America both enrapt a sympathetic people in the North and enraged Southerners whose very way of life depended on the slaves Stowe portrayed. The book sold outrageous amounts of copies. Continue reading →

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Jimi Hendrix

Posted in Greenwood Memorial Park with tags , , on August 13, 2015 by Cade

hendrix2November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970

Any bio-let I could come up with for Jimi Hendrix would immediately fail to do him justice. Perhaps the most iconic guitar player in the history of rock-and-roll, Hendrix blazed (both figuratively AND literally) onto the scene in the late 1960’s and quickly became one of the most popular and sought-after artists around. His style was unique. His persona was wild. And his legend – following his untimely death at the age of 27 – remains unmatched and ever-expanding.

With that said…James Marshall Hendrix grew up in Seattle and idolized musicians like Elvis Presley and Little Richard. He learned guitar at 15 and found his first success in England where he formed his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Continue reading →

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Martin Van Buren

Posted in Kinderhook Cemetery with tags , on August 4, 2015 by Cade

vanburen1

December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862

Martin Van Buren, the 8th President of the United States, was born in mostly-Dutch-speaking Kinderhook, NY in 1782. He was the first U.S. President to be born AFTER the country had declared its independence from Britain. He was 5’6″. And, because of his upbringing, was the only President to speak English as a second language.

But, fun factoids do not a great president make. Continue reading →

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Robin Williams

Posted in Cremated with tags on July 31, 2015 by Cade

williams1July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014

Sometimes, it’s just completely outside the realm of possibility that a star that shines so bright can be extinguished. Such is the case with Robin Williams, one of the most talented and popular entertainers in the world for more than 30 years. As someone who grew up in the 1980’s, I could never have imagined a world that didn’t contain some form of Robin. From his star-making role as the titular Orkan on ABC’s Mork and Mindy to his Academy Award winning (dramatic) turn in Good Will Hunting, Williams was always there…always larger-than-life…always great.

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Norman Rockwell

Posted in Stockbridge Cemetery with tags , on July 27, 2015 by Cade

February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978

Norman Rockwell was a painter and illustrator who’s definitive style portraying every-day life in 20th Century America is instantly recognizable to generations of people. He spent nearly 50 years creating covers for The Saturday Evening Post, a weekly magazine that could be found in homes all across the country as well as countless other publications, books and stand-alone pieces. Rockwell’s ability to capture the “simple” life with humor and poignancy made him immensely popular. His ubiquitous work can still be seen today in doctors’ offices, during the holidays or in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Personal note: There was a copy of No Swimming in our guest room when I was growing up for as far back as I can remember.

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James Fenimore Cooper

Posted in Christ Churchyard (NY) with tags , on July 20, 2015 by Cade

cooper1September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851

James Fenimore Cooper was one of the most popular American writers of the 19th century. His quasi-Romantic  writings tended toward the political especially in the sphere of Post-Revolutionary land rights and Native American relations. This is more than evident in his 5 novel series, the Leatherstocking Tales (which includes his masterwork, 1826’s The Last of the Mohicans.) Groundbreaking for the time, these stories were the first of their kind to feature Native American characters to the degree they did – for better AND worse. Continue reading →

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Chester A. Arthur

Posted in Albany Rural Cemetery with tags , on July 13, 2015 by Cade

President Chester A. Arthur

October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886

A relatively quiet cog in the post-civil war New York political machine, Chester A. Arthur was thrust into the U.S. Presidency when his predecessor, James Garfield, was assassinated in the first year of their administration. Arthur served out the single term in surprisingly successful fashion considering his general lack of public opinion prior to being nominated as Garfield’s  vice-president. Originally from Vermont, Arthur studied and practiced Law in New York before getting into politics. His rise through the New York Republican “Stalwarts” put him at odds with Garfield and the two were never close. Continue reading →

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