This weekend we learned of the passing, at age 83, of a great human being, Paul Newman. Paul Newman is considered one of our own in the Cleveland area. He was born in Cleveland Heights and raised in Shaker Heights. After high school, he briefly attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. After a stint in the Navy during World War II (where he saw combat), he attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. He came back to the college and to the Cleveland area many times over the years. I vividly remember him campaigning for John Kerry in the Shaker area four years ago. He even canvassed in his old neighborhood, knocking on the family's former home, and showing the current residents where he and his father used to sneak cigarettes.
Paul Newman was able to do what many people find impossible: he balanced a devotion to wife and children with artistic pursuits, hobbies, and businesses. He was married to Joanne Woodward for 50 years, and he died in the presence of his wife and children. His family life was not without sorrow--he did lose his oldest son, Scott, to drugs and alcohol and never got over the terrible loss.
He certainly was one of our greatest actors, in films, on television, and in live theatre. His work include some of the greatest, most iconic films in history, including The Hustler, Hud, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Color of Money, and more. He directed his wife and actors John Malkovich, James Naughton and Karen Allen in a tremendous production of Tennessee Williams' Glass Menagerie (this great work is not widely available, as far as I know). His characters had spunk, spirit, attitude, and left a sharp imprint in memory.
His hobby of race car driving began in mid-life and was pursued, with passion and great success, until the end. Another hobby, cooking, evolved into a tremendously successful non-profit business--Newman's Own salad dressings, popcorn, and sauces.
What is greatest about this artist and family man is his generosity. He gave back to his community, his country, his world in so many ways, not the least of which is an estimated $200,000,000 in profits from "Newman's Own" and his establishment of camps for children with illnesses (The Hole in theWall Gang Camps).
Paul Newman lived a blessed and full life (though not without suffering and personal tragedy). Let us thank God for the likes of him, and somehow let's begin to take on the work of this great human being.
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