Those Who Died in 2017 (Part One)

Each year, we pause and remember those who died during the previous 12 months. For the next two weeks, we’ll take a look back at those who left a lasting imprint on our world.

January

Reporter Clare Hollingworth

Clare Hollingworth

Clare Hollingworth was born on October 10, 1911 in Knighton, England. She became a journalist in 1939 and was the first war correspondent to report the outbreak of World War II, landing “the scoop of the century.” Hollingworth’s knowledge of the war earned her the designation of "the undisputed doyenne of war correspondents" from the New York Times.

Hollingworth began reporting for The Guardian in 1950, and as a British reporter covered wars in China, Algeria, Vietnam, and Iran. Hollingworth was also the last reporter the Shah of Iran requested be allowed to interview him.

Clare Hollingworth

During her life, Hollingworth was awarded Woman Journalist of the Year in 1962, the James Cameron Award for Journalism in 1994, and in 1999, Hollingworth received a lifetime achievement award from the UK TV program “What the Papers Say.” She was also made an officer in the Order of the British Empire for services rendered in journalism.

Hollingworth died January 10, 2017 after being discovered unresponsive in her apartment. She was 105 years old.

Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards

Mary Tyler Moore

Who could turn the world on with her smile … Mary Tyler Moore, who died in January. Moore was best known for her two television roles, playing the perky Laura Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966, and as Mary Richards on the Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1971 to 1977.

In both roles, Mary pushed the gender boundaries. As Laura Petrie, she was a modern wife and mom. But it was the role of Mary Richards, a single career woman working as a news producer for WJM that made her an inspiration to girls and young women everywhere. (She was one of the reasons I pursued a career in broadcasting and  journalism.) At a time when women were just beginning to break into male-dominated jobs, it was a breath of fresh air to see her portray a smart, witty woman, sans husband and children, who worked and held her own in the then male-dominated work world. And Mary Richards didn’t have to act tough to pull it off. She remained quintessentially Mary Tyler Moore.

Mary Tyler Moore

Mary also appeared in several films including Thoroughly Modern Millie in 1967, Change of Habit with Elvis Presley in 1969, and Ordinary People in 1980 for which she was nominated for an Oscar and an Academy Award for Best Actress. Moore went on to star in several plays in the 1980s and wrote two books, both memoirs, describing her life, losing her only son, her battle with alcoholism, and living with Type 1 diabetes.

Mary Tyler Moore died on January 25, 2017 from cardiac arrest complicated by pneumonia. She was 80 years old. She was buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut.

February

Al Jarreau in the 70s

Al Jarreau

Jazz singer Al Jarreau announced his retirement two days before he died in February.  Born Alwin Lopez Jarreau, Al would make jazz music his life. Starting with nightclubs and working up to appearances on the late night shows, Jarreau gained fame when he sang on Saturday Night Live during its first season in 1976.

He soon released his first album, We Got By in 1978, and won his first Grammy Award for best Jazz Vocal Performance for his album, Look to the Rainbow.  We’re in This Love Together put him on top of the Pop charts in 1981 where he remained with After All in 1984, and scored another spot with the theme from the television show, Moonlighting.

Al Jarreau

Jarreau continued touring during the 1990s but stepped back from making records. He released a handful of albums during the 2000s, preferring to take to the stage and perform his music live. In fact, Jarreau had to cancel his remaining 2017 tour dates after he was hospitalized for exhaustion on February 8, 2017. Four days later, on February 12, Al Jarreau died of respiratory failure at the age of 76. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Bill Paxton

A Young Bill Paxton

He was that character actor who could portray “every man” but is best known for his leading roles. William “Bill” Paxton starred in The Terminator, Aliens, True Lies, Twister, Titanic and Nightcrawler, just a few of his recognized film hits. He also starred in the drama series Big Love (2006-2011) earning three Golden Globe Awards. His final film, The Circle was released in April 2017.

Paxton knew he wanted to be an entertainer at an early age. He formed a band called Martini Ranch in the 1980s, releasing one album and a music video. By the Nineties, he was appearing in box-office hits like Tombstone, True Lies and Apollo 13.

Bill Paxton

But Paxton was also a force behind the screen. In 1997, he produced the film Traveller, and directed Frailty in 2001, and The Greatest Game Ever Played in 2005. Then came the HBO series  Big Love in 2006 and Paxton made the character of Bill Henrickson believable. After the show ended in 2011, Paxton went on to co-star with Kevin Costner in the History Channel miniseries Hatfield and McCoys for which he was nominated for an Emmy. In 2014, he returned to television to play John Garrett in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and again in 2017 in Training Day.

Bill Paxton died on February 25, 2017 from a fatal stroke following heart surgery. He was 61 years old.  He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

March

Chuck Berry in the 50s

Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American music innovator; a man Rock and Roll greats owe a huge debt to. Thanks to Chuck Berry’s stunning grasp of rhythm and blues, he changed the sounds of the Fifties, and influenced decades of musicians to come. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Aerosmith are just a few groups that have thanked him for his influence.

Berry began his musical career patterning himself after Nat King Cole but soon realized that he had more to offer than imitations. Self-taught on the guitar, Berry started playing clubs with the Sir John Trio in St. Louis. While visiting Blues clubs in Chicago, he asked Muddy Waters for advice on how to make it in the business. Waters connected him to Chess Records, and Berry soon signed a record deal. With his one-of-a-kind guitar riffs, and his signature “duck walk” across the stage, Berry became a popular performer.

Chuck Berry

Some of his best loved songs include “Maybellene,” “Johnny B. Goode,” and “Roll Over Beethoven.” By the 1970s, Berry had faded from the record music scene, but he went on to perform live at concerts through the coming decades and had a standing weekly  gig to play at Blueberry Hill, a restaurant and pub located in St. Louis. Last year, he announced that he would release an album in 2017. Berry was one of the first musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Chuck Berry died on March 18, 2017 of cardiac arrest at his home in Missouri. Berry was 90 years old. He was buried with his Gibson guitar in his hometown of St. Louis.

David Rockefeller in the 60s

David Rockefeller

The world’s oldest billionaire died in March. Standard oil founder, John D. Rockefeller’s youngest and last surviving grandchild, David Rockefeller, spent his entire life in the corporate world. Rockefeller served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Chase Manhattan Bank from 1957 to 1981. He was known and well regarded by presidents, prime ministers, kings and queens around the world.

Brothers John D. and William made the family fortune in the petroleum industry during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The founders, sons and grandsons branched out into the real estate market with the development of Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Empire State Building, Lincoln Center, the World Trade Center, and One Chase Manhattan Plaza. The family was very involved in conservation helping to create more than 20 national parks, and providing funds for the historical restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. The Rockefellers are considered to have been the most powerful family in American history.

David Rockefeller

Rockefeller was also a well known philanthropist, donating to causes that supported social change worldwide along with donations to the arts, and for medical research. His memoirs were published in 2002, something no other member of the family had ever done. His personal wealth was estimated at more than $3 billion at the time of his death.

David Rockefeller died at his home in Pocantico Hills, New York of congestive heart failure on March 20, 2017. He was 101. Rockefeller was buried in the Rockefeller Family Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow New York.

APRIL

Don Rickles in the 1960s

Don Rickles

America’s favorite insult stand-up comic died in March. Don Rickles was known for his pointed barbs lobbed at anyone famous. Rickles started his comedic career working bars and clubs in New York and Los Angles. He developed his style as a way to discourage hecklers but audiences loved it. Frank Sinatra saw Rickles' act in Florida and enjoyed it so much, they kept in touch and later became good friends.

During the 1960s, Rickles took roles on sit coms and dramatic shows. He also appeared in the infamous Annette Funicello Beach Party films, which brought his name into the mainstream. By the end of the Sixties, he was appearing on Johnny Carson and The Dean Martin Show. In 1968, he released his first comedic album, “Hello Dummy.”

Rickles stared with Clint Eastwood, Carol O’Conner, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland in Kelly’s Heroes, a comedy war movie in 1970. By 1972, he had his own show, which lasted 13 episodes.

Comedian Don Rickles

From the 1980’s through 2015, Rickles appeared in movies, voiced characters in animated films, and kept his stand up routine going on the road. He performed for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and compared show notes with his best friend, comedian Bob Newhart. When asked in 2015 if he had considered retiring, Rickles replied that he still enjoyed doing the show, so he had no plans to quit.

Don Rickles died of kidney failure at his home in Beverly Hills on April 6, 2017. He was 90 years old. Rickles was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in L.A.

J. Geils in the 80s

J. Geils

John Warren Geils Jr. was the guitarist and leader of the J. Geils Band during the 1980s. He began his musical career by forming a group called Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels in the Sixties. The group moved to Boston and changed its name to  the J. Geils Band. Between 1970 and 1985, the band released eleven albums, two were successes – Love Stinks in 1980, and Freeze Frame with the Number One hit, “Centerfold” in 1985. The band broke up that same year. Geils went on to race cars, and opened KTR Motorsports, a vintage sports car restoration company in Massachusetts.

J. Geils

The J. Geils Band reunited in 1995, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013 to perform reunion concerts. Geils released his first solo album, Jay Geils Plays Jazz in 2005. His final album release was in 2009 with Toe Tappin’ Jazz.

Geils was found unresponsive at his home in Groton, Massachusetts on April 11, 2017. He died of natural causes at the age of 71.

 

MAY

Roger Moore

Roger Moore as 007

Sir Roger George Moore was best known for playing the role of James Bond from 1973 to 1985. Moore took over the Bond role from Sean Connery in 1972 and made made it his own. Born in Stockwell, England, Moore began his career making television appearances and working as a model. He signed a contract with Warner Brothers Studio in 1959 and continued to take bit parts until he landed the lead role of Silky Harris on The Alaskans (1959-1960.) His next regular part was as Beau Maverick playing the English cousin to James Garner’s Brett Maverick in the Maverick western series. In 1962, he was cast as Simon Templar in The Saint and stayed with the show until 1969 - one of the longest running series of its kind on British TV. By now, Moore was known worldwide and the time seemed right to try films. 

Roger Moore

In August 1972, Moore was offered the role of  James Bond. From 1973 to 1985, he portrayed 007 in Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill. Moore reigned as Bond for 12 years - the longest any actor held the part. He then took several years away from acting before returning to play numerous parts on British television shows, and continuing with his voice-over work.

 

Roger Moore died in Switzerland of cancer on May 23, 2017. He was 89 years old. Moore was buried at Cimetiere de Monaco.

Dictator Manuel Noriega

Manuel Noriega

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega died in May. Noriega was at one time one of Central America’s most notorious dictators and drug leaders leading a regime marked with brutality and repression. Noriega ruled Panama during most of the 1980s before the CIA invaded the country and overthrew his regime. He was the first head of state to be convicted in a U.S. court, but during the trial it was discovered that he had been on the CIA’s pay role as a spy. The CIA never commented on Noriega’s status with them.

Noriega's Mug Shot

Noriega was sentenced in 1992 to 30 years in prison but it was later reduced to 17 years, and he was given prisoner of war status. When his sentence was completed in the US, he appealed his extradition to France on a money laundering charge. He was convicted in absentia to serve ten years in a French prison. In April, 2010 he was extradited to France and his sentence reduced to seven years. Once in France, Panama requested his extradition to face charges of human rights violations he had ordered when he was dictator. Noriega arrived in Panama in December 2011.

In February 2012, Noriega was taken to a hospital in Panama City with a brain hemorrhage. One month later he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. On January 23, 2017, he was released from prison and placed under house arrest to undergo surgery to remove the tumor. On March 7, Noriega incurred a brain hemorrhage during the surgery. He was placed in a medically induced coma and died on May 29, 2017 at the age of 83. He was cremated and his ashes given to his wife.

JUNE

Adam West

Adam West as Batman

Adam West, long known for his portrayal of Batman in the 1960s, died in June. West began his career in westerns and cop shows during the ‘50s. He appeared in Maverick, The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, and Perry Mason, among others. He also had a regular role on The Detectives from 1959-1962.

Then came the role of his lifetime, playing Batman, part of the campy Dynamic Duo, which spent each episode fighting to keep Gotham City free from villains. Cesar Romero played the Joker, Burgess Meredith was the Penguin, and Burt Ward played sidekick Robin to West’s Batman. The show became an immediate hit and aired for three seasons before production costs ended it.

Adam West

West went in search of more serious fodder but discovered that he had been typecast at Batman - no one could imagine him without the cape. West didn’t expect fame as a pop culture icon but discovered that he was in demand for live appearances as the caped crusader.

For the next forty+ years, West was active, mainly as a voice artist working on dozens of animated series, video games, and, yes, occasionally voicing Batman for cartoons. He also kept busy with small parts on numerous television shows and films. In 1994, Back to the Batcave was published. In it, West offered a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the television show along with a complete episode guide.

Adam West died June 9, 2017 after a short battle with leukemia in Los Angeles . He was 88 years old.

Helmut Kohl in 1969

Helmut Kohl

Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl died in June. Kohl served from 1982 – 1998 as Germany’s chancellor – the country’s longest serving leader since 1945. Kohl first became the leader of Western Germany in 1982. His goal was to unify the western part of the country with Communist East Germany. That process began in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Kohl surprised the world one week later when he gave a speech offering a 10-point plan to reunify the two countries into one Germany. By October 1990, Kohl was chancellor of a unified Germany. After he left office in 1998, Kohl kept abreast of what was happening, supporting European unity for the new century.

Helmut Kohl

Kohl was hospitalized in 2008 for a serous head injury, which left him barely able to speak and bound to a wheelchair. Helmut Kohl died June 16, 2017 in deteriorating health in his hometown of Ludwigshafen. He was 87. He was buried in the Cathedral Chapter Cemetery in Speyer.

Next week, we will continue our look back at Those Who Died in 2017.

~ Joy

Cabarets of Death and Beyond

Let’s be honest, the Victorians were always fascinated with death. They came up with the “Silent Language of the Stones,” proper etiquette for mourning and funerals, superstitions about death, and what mementos a family should keep after a member had departed. (Hair wreath anyone?) But by the turn of the century, Victorian nightclubs were serving up a taste of death and Hell with a final respite.

The Cabaret of Hell

The Cabaret de l’Enfer (The Cabaret of Hell) opened in 1892 in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. Patrons of this hellish nightclub walked through a giant hellmouth to enter. Visitors were then greeted at the door by a devil with a rousing  “Enter and be damned, the Evil One awaits you.”

Red imps served up the drinks while musicians played suspended in a caldron over a fire. The Devil took every opportunity to heckle guests while plaster demons and the damned hung suspended from the walls and ceilings. For added realistic affect, smoke billowed out of the walls, thunder echoed through the rooms, and an odor of sulfur permeated the place. This entertaining inferno-themed cabaret was demolished in 1950 to make way or a supermarket.

The Cabaret of Nothingness

Originally stated in Brussels, the Cabaret de la Mort" (The Cabaret of Death) opened in 1892 in the same Paris neighborhood. This macabre nightclub specialized in death and the illusions of what happened beyond the grave. But this was still the nineteenth century and the public was leery of a place that flaunted death, so it was renamed The Cabaret du Néant" (The Cabaret of Nothingness.) 

Here, guests were seated at coffins and caskets that rested on biers in the Salon of Intoxication. Monks and pallbearers served patrons drinks named after diseases... cholera; cancer and consumption were just a few. Human skulls were suspended from the walls, skeletons were posed in unholy positions, and guillotines were featured as decorations. 

Of the three cabarets, this was always the one most feared by the public due to its death-themed decor and the mysterious illusions of decomposing bodies, and the walking dead. The Cabaret of Nothingness died in the 1950s.

The Cabaret of Heaven

But for all of the fiendishness at these nightclubs, there was respite close at hand. The Cabaret du Ciel ("The Cabaret of Heaven") offered celestial décor complete with candles and golden statues. A group of angels in white robes with wings and halos took heavenly drink orders amidst harp music.

Father Time and Dante visited with patrons while St Peter sprinkled holy water upon those on hand for the evening's reckoning. This cabaret closed its pearly gates during the mid-twentieth century.

Would such themed cabarets or cafes be popular today? I definitely think so. Let’s hope someone decides to succumb to the idea and open one.

~  Joy

Remembering the Tragic Fire at Our Lady of the Angels School

Our Lady of the Angels School

It was Monday, December 1, 1958. The past weekend had been the Thanksgiving holiday and students were counting down the minutes until this school day was over. Just another half an hour and school would be dismissed at 3:00. But those next thirty minutes would take a toll on the 1,600 students at Our Lady of the Angels elementary school in Chicago; 92 would die from smoke inhalation, toxic fumes and burns in one of the worst school fires in U.S. history.

The fire began in a trashcan near the stairway in the basement of the school at around 2:00 p.m. The smoldering blaze went undetected for almost half an hour. At 2:25 pm three eight-grade girls were returning to their class when they encountered smoke on the second floor. They immediately told Sister Mary Helaine O'Neill, a teacher in Room 211. She prepared her class to exit the building in an orderly fashion and then decided it was too dangerous for them to go down the stairs. Since the first floor was actually the basement, the second floor was located at the height of a third floor – far too high for children to jump to safety. O’Neill told her class to sit down and wait to be rescued. (Twenty-four students were found still at their desks after the fire.) But rescue attempts would prove futile. Those located in the north wing of that second floor were already doomed.

School Stairs to Second Floor

Since there was no fire door to the second floor, the fire and smoke raced past the first floor's protective closure and up to the next floor spreading smoke, heat and fire as it burned. 

Smoke and Fire

The school janitor, James Raymond, saw the fire’s glow in a basement window at 2:30pm as he walked past, and immediately ran to the church rectory to get help. The fire department was not called until 2:42pm – 12 minutes after Raymond told office workers to summon help. (Raymond returned to the school where he saved 40 children and one teacher that day.)

Second Floor After Fire

Three hundred ninety two students and five nuns were trapped on the second floor with only one avenue of escape – to jump 25-feet to the concrete below, hoping firemen and by-standers would catch them. 

Roof Collapsed into Classroom

Meanwhile, smoke inhalation was taking a toll, and the temperature in the wing was increasing. At 2:55pm, a flashover occurred and parts of the second floor exploded. Moments later, the school's roof collapsed onto trapped students and teachers in the north wing.

Those Who Died

Of the nearly 400 students involved, only 160 were rescued from the inferno. Many jumped, some were caught, and others made a mad dash down the smoke-filled stairs. As a result of the fire, 92 children – 56 girls and 36 boys died, along with three nuns. The cause of the blaze was never officially determined, although in 1962, a 13 year-old boy claimed to have started the blaze, but later recanted his statement. The boy had a history of starting fires in the neighborhood and when questioned, provided evidence that he knew things about the school fire that had not been released. But, in the end, a judge ruled that there was not sufficient evidence to charge the teen with the crime of setting the murderous blaze in which 95 people lost their lives.

Shell of the School

At the time of the fire, Our Lady of the Angels had one fire escape, no enclosed stairwells, and only the first floor had a protective fire door. The school had only one manually operated fire alarm system. Two fire switches were located in the north wing, a good six feet from the floor, making their use difficult. 

Chicago Firemen Fight the Blaze

The tragedy resulted in new fire regulations for schools nationwide. Within a year, more than 68% of older schools in the U.S. had seen improvements and were being brought up to code. Sprinkler systems were installed, more fire escapes were added, and alarm boxes were located for easier access. And schools began holding regular fire drills to practice safely exiting a burning building.

Our Lady of the Angels Memorial

It has been almost 60 years since that tragic day. Remembrances are held annually, many attended by those who were students at the time of the blaze, and by those who still remember that hellish afternoon when the skies of Chicago turned dark with smoke as Our Lady of the Angels lost 95 souls to the flames.

~ Joy

 *Visit Our Lady of the Angels for personal stories and remembrances.

Mystery Surrounds the Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is the most famous diamond in the world. But fame comes at a cost … more than a dozen owners of the diamond lost fortunes, attracted suspicious circumstances, or suffered tragic deaths, all supposedly due to the diamond’s curse.

Jean Baptiste Tavernier

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier

It was originally called the Tavernier Blue Diamond and came from India in 1666. French gem merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier sold the 112-carat diamond to King Louis XIV in 1668. Legend has it that marauding dogs killed Tavernier as part of the curse. It seems Tavernier acquired the diamond through deception and murder, and in retaliation; a curse was put upon the stone.

King Louis XIV

King Louis XIV and Louis XV

Ten years later, King Louis XIV had the court jeweler recut the stone into a 67-carat diamond that became known as The Blue Diamond of the Crown. In 2009, it was discovered that the gem had been specially cut to create an effect of a sun in its center. The jewel was then displayed on a gold background to heighten the sun effect. Louie gave the stone to his mistress, who he later abandoned - but kept the diamond.

Kind Louis XV

In 1749, Louis XV had the diamond set in an elaborate pendant to be worn as a ceremonial piece for the Order of the Golden Fleece. Louis XVI died of gangrene.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

After Louis XV’s death, his grandson Louis XVI inherited what was now called the French Blue. Rumor has it that Marie Antoinette may have worn the diamond; although historians say the king would have worn the diamond, just as his grandfather had with the Golden Fleece. Regardless of who wore the jewel, it was said that their beheadings in 1793 were a result of the cursed stone.

The Recut Diamond

Daniel Eliason

Stolen in 1792, the diamond was never seen again in its original shape. But in 1812, a blue diamond surfaced in England owned by diamond merchant Daniel Eliason. Although it had been recut, it appeared to be the same stone. Speculation was that King George IV may have owned the stone but at his death in 1830, everything of value was sold to pay off his debts. 

Henry Philip Hope

The Hope Family

London banker, Thomas Hope, purchased the stone from Eliason in the 1830s. It then became known as the “Hope Diamond.” Henry Philip Hope was the next owner, followed by his nephew Henry Thomas Hope, and the gem eventually went to Lord Francis Hope.

May Yohe

Lord Francis Hope and May Yohe

 Lord Hope married actress May Yohe in 1894. Yohe, who performed in musical theatre, divorced Hope eight years later; the same year he sold the stone to pay off his debts.  Yohe also died penniless. Part of the Hope diamond curse?

Selim Habib

Death at Sea

Turkish diamond collector, Selim Habib purchased the diamond in 1908. The next year he sold his collection of gems due to financial trouble. Habib died at sea -  contributing to the diamond’s curse.

Pierre Cartier

Pierre Cartier

Paris jeweler Pierre Cartier was the person who gave the curse some sparkle. When he talked to people about the stone, he always mentioned that it was cursed. When he sold the diamond to the owner of the Washington Post, Cartier included a statement that read, “Should any fatality occur to the family of Edward B. McLean within six months, the said Hope diamond is agreed to be exchanged for jewelry of equal value." The "curse" became famous.

Evalyn Walsh McLean

Edward B McLean and Evalyn Walsh

When McLean purchased the stone in 1911, his wife, Evalyn Walsh had it made into the diamond pendant necklace that exists today. Newspapers carried headlines linking the McLean’s to the “sinister” diamond. Evalyn was fascinated with the story and believed that what brought bad luck to others would bring her only good. Then, in 1919, their nine-year-old son Vinson Walsh McLean was killed by an auto outside the family residence.  Edward left Evalyn for another woman and the couple divorced. But in 1933, Edward was declared legally insane. He died eight years later of a heart attack. Evalyn’s 25-year-old daughter died of a drug overdose, and Evalyn was eventually forced to sell The Washington Post. She continued to own the stone until her death in 1947 when diamond merchant Harry Winston purchased all of her jewels, including the Hope Diamond, to settle her debts.

Harry Winston

Harry Winston

Once Harry Winston had the diamond, it was put on display in the “Court of Jewels” exhibition for over a decade. The diamond was exhibited at charity events throughout the world. Then, in 1958, Winston donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution. But he didn't take it to the Smithsonian, instead he sent the diamond through regular mail, insuring it for roughly $150.

James Todd

Rumor has it that the mailman who delivered the package bearing the diamond had his share of cursed luck. James Todd suffered a crushed leg in an accident soon after. He also sustained a head injury in another accident, and his house burned down.

Smithsonian Institution

Embracing Hope

Once the gem arrived at the Smithsonian, the “curse” appeared to end. The Hope Diamond has remained at the institution, leaving the premises only four times in the past sixty years. Today, the diamond has its own room. In 2009, to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the diamond’s arrival to the Smithsonian, “a modern design consisting of three ribbons set with baguette-cut diamonds wrap around the Hope Diamond in an exquisite embrace.” Known as "Embracing Hope," the necklace was displayed for more than a year before the stone was returned to its original setting. 

Hope Diamond Today

Once again, the Hope Diamond is surrounded by 16 white diamonds on a necklace chain of another 45 white diamonds. The cut of the diamond is described as “cushion antique brilliant with a faceted girdle and extra facets on the pavilion.” The diamond itself is 45-carats: about the size of a walnut, and worth an estimated $250 million dollars.

~ Joy

Make holiday shopping easy. My new book The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide is now available at bookstores across the country. Click here for book information.

Help Preserve Our Veteran’s Histories

President John F. Kennedy

President John F. Kennedy said, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”

November 11 is Veteran’s Day – a day set aside to honor all American veterans who have served in our wars.  But time is passing and each day we lose more veterans, and their stories. 

US Department of Veterans Affairs

According to US Department of Veterans Affairs, the last WWI veteran died in 2012 at the age of 110. There are only 558,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II still alive. A million and a half Korean vets remain. Surviving vets of Vietnam total 6.7 million while there are 7.13 million Gulf War veterans alive, and 4.5 million who served during peacetime. These stats are current as of September 2017. But how many veterans have we lost since then?

There are several groups and organizations across the country that take these interviews and preserve them for future generations. Here are just a few:

Ancestry

This popular genealogy site is focusing on saving the stories of WWII veterans before it’s too late.  Millions of records were lost in a fire in the National Personnel Records Center destroying about 80-100 pages per soldier. Information that included battles fought in, medals and honors received, occupations held during the war, diseases and injuries suffered, parental information, affidavits of character, photographs and letters from commanding officers - all of the details that make a service record a story. Ancestry provides a list of questions that can jump-start the conversation. All you have to do is capture your WWII veteran’s reminisces on video (Please edit it down to no longer than 4 minutes.) and upload it to the Ancestry site where it will be included in a free collection for anyone to view. 

Heroes of the Second World War

It takes only one person to start a movement and that is what 20-year-old Rishi Sharma is doing. After graduating from high school, Sharma decided to try to preserve as many veteran’s stories about WWII as he could. With 372 of those vets dying each day, Sharma has his work cut out for him. Sharma began Heroes of the Second World War, a web site where the videos of these soldiers are available for viewing. He also makes sure the veteran, and his or her family, have copies of the interview. It takes between 4-6 hours to record an interview but Sharma intends to interview at least one WWII vet each day until the last one is gone.

Veterans History Project (VHP)

In 2000, Congress created the Veterans History Project to preserve veteran’s personal stories. The VHP maintains not only video stories but materials veterans and their families donate including uniforms and medals. Each veteran has an individual web page that includes his or her service history along with other information provided. Check out the FAQ page before starting. Then visit the Participate page to take part in the project, and print out the VHP field kit forms. Fill them out and submit the entire kit with a video to the VHP for inclusion in the Library of Congress.

Witness to War (WTW)

Witness to War is a non-profit private preservation organization that records the digital stories from veterans who served in all American wars. The interviews are then professionally edited into 2 to 5 minute war stories and are available on the WTW web site for viewing. The short format makes the interviews more interesting and approachable to today’s media savvy generation. The organization has an extensive collection of combat narratives - close to 1,500 interviews, and counting. To request an interview visit the WTW web page.

If you know a U.S. veteran, set a date, grab your questions and head out with your phone to capture his or her story for posterity. More than 600 WWII vets die each day … there’s no time like the present to get started.

~ Joy

My new book The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide is now available at bookstores across the country. Click here for book information.