Hunter S. Thompson

Posted in Cremated with tags , on October 9, 2013 by Cade

thompson1July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005

Hunter Stockton Thompson was a writer and journalist, sure. But, let’s not pretend like he was your average, run-of-the-mill cub reporter. Thompson rose to the public eye after spending a year living and traveling with the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gangs. He wrote about the experience and launched what he would refer to from that point on as “Gonzo” journalism. That is, not just reporting the story, but becoming a part of the story. He went on to write his greatest works in this manner. Most notably in his most popular book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. 

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Henry David Thoreau

Posted in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (MA) with tags , , , , on October 9, 2013 by Cade

thoreau1July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,”

Henry David Thoreau is best remembered as a writer of poems, essays and books and for his leadership in the Transcendentalist movement. He famously removed himself from the grid – if such a thing existed in the 1800’s – and wrote about his intentionally simple life in the woods in his most popular work. Walden. But nothing about him was “simple.” Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Ayn Rand

Posted in Kensico Cemetery with tags , on October 9, 2013 by Cade

rand2February 2, 1905 – March 6, 1982

Little Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, moved to the United States at the age of 20, wrote some plays, some books, became an armchair philosopher and, some 80 years later, died.

Of course, simplifying Ayn Rand’s life isn’t fair. So, I’ll expand a bit. Most of her early writings were met with limited success, but she made a splash in 1943 with The Fountainhead. This sprawling 700-page philosophical novel earned her international acclaim and was made into a feature film. She followed it up with, arguably, her most famous book, Atlas Shrugged, an even MORE sprawling 1100-page dystopian philosophical mystery-romance. Both novels put her on the literary map. She devoted herself from that point forward to a personal philosophy she referred to as Objectivism – a theme and subject she would promote and explore the rest of her life.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Truman Capote

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on October 8, 2013 by Cade

capote1September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984

Born Truman Streckfus Persons, Truman Capote was an author whose body of work covered a very wide spectrum of style and subject matter. He is perhaps best known for his fictionalized re-telling of a grisly Kansas murder In Cold Blood and his much lighter novella-turned-Hollywood-smash Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Capote himself was a somewhat eccentric and odd fellow whose distinctive high-pitched voice and unique fashion sense helped build up a sort of character all on its own. Capote also dealt with both drug and alcohol addiction throughout his life. Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Posted in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (MA) with tags , , on October 8, 2013 by Cade

hawthorne1July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864

Nathaniel Hathorne was born – without a ‘w’ – on July 4th, 1804 (U.S.A! U.S.A!) in Salem, Massachusetts. As in, “1690’s Witch Trial” Salem. This detail would factor greatly into his life. He was related to one of the judges in the infamous trials (he would later change his name to ‘Hawthorne’ to distance himself from this fact) and spent most of his life in and around New England. Because of this, most of the works that Hawthorne created were set in New England. But it was his novels The Scarlet Letter – set in pre-witch trial, Puritanical Salem – and The House of Seven Gables – also set, implicitly, in Salem – for which he is most widely regarded. Hawthorne explored themes of guilt and sin and deep symbolism in his novels and short stories. He also wrote non-fiction, including a biography of U.S. President and friend, Franklin Pierce.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Ray Bradbury

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , on October 7, 2013 by Cade

bradbury1August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012

Perhaps one of the most important Fantasy and Science Fiction writers of the 20th Century,1 Ray Bradbury thrilled and challenged readers throughout his 70 year career. His seminal dystopian work, Fahrenheit 451, is a staple in American high schools. Bradbury called on a wealth of influences ranging from Aldous Huxley to William Shakespeare to create numerous other works like Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Martian Chronicles. His works have been adapted into films, television shows and even comic books and was a mainstay in the Sci-Fi convention circuit for decades. At the age of 91, Bradbury died in his home in Los Angeles. Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Herman Melville

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) with tags , on October 7, 2013 by Cade

melville1August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891

…for there is no folly of the beast of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men.

Herman Melville enjoyed a modest amount of success as a writer in the first half of the 19th Century.  But, it was his novel about a man obsessed with a white whale that wrote his name into the history books…even if it was not celebrated fully until after his death.  Moby Dick; or, The Whale is the epic story of a sea captain wrestling with hate and madness and the crew who are dragged along on his vengeful pursuit. It is one of the titans of classic American literature and has given us over 150 years of analogy, characters and great names and archetypes like Ahab, Ishmael and Queequeg. And, I guess rather directly, it’s also responsible for Starbucks. So…yay, books!

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

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 →

Leave a comment »

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.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

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.

stewart4

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »