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Arthur C.
Clarke He was one of the giants, or so I was told, of modern science fiction. And he is one of the three main reasons I read\watch science fiction and fantasy. I had someone ask me once what was the first fantasy novel I'd ever read and truth be told I cannot remember if it was Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland\Through the Looking Glass. But I clearly remember the second science fiction novel I ever read and it was Childhood's End. No one recommended it, I found it solely on the title and was enraptured by the story. From that moment I thought Clarke a god. I discovered then that he was the genius behind 2001: A Space Odyssey and his deification was complete. Sadly, he fell a few notches for me with Rendezvous with Rama as I never found an appreciation for that work. But overall, I liked what he wrote. He explored the evolution of mankind - what possible futures might we as a race grow to achieve. The visions of his that I found, I thought to be largely optimistic, as though he saw to what greatness mankind could come. And when he touched on religious themes, it was almost as though he helped us see into the mind of God. With his passing on March 17, 2008 the world loses a great voice, not only one of hard science fiction, but a visionary who saw the beauty of mankind's future and the nobleness of our spirit. As another friend quoted from my favorite Clarke work (The Nine Billion Names of God): "Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out." Arthur C. Clarke. Riposi In Pace.
James Doohan
My fondest memory of Montgomery Scott is in one original series Star Trek episode in which he takes command of the bridge, and performs whatever action necessary to save the lives of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. In that moment, he cut a commanding figure and seemed to be the penultimate example of command. Doohan always played Scotty with dignity, whether as the befuddled, love struck engineer in "The Lights of Zetar"; or the engineer daring to try something new ("The Naked Time"). Of James Doohan I can say that what I've heard of him denotes a man of graciousness and generosity. He appreciated what he had built over years as Scotty and approached it with respect, and a certain amount of awe that he had become a legend. There are few role models better to follow than that of James Doohan. While I know little of him behind Commander Scott, I did have the privilege of seeing him speak once at a Creation Convention in Minneapolis. He was engaging and personable, and frankly better than some of the other notables. He admitted that he had once tired of being known only as "Scotty",and wanted to be rid of it. But he was given advice to embrace it,and came to accept that it would be his typecasting forever. Doohan said that Star Trek had given him much pleasure in his life, and he would always respect that. I do have one personal memory of James Doohan. Somehow, my now ex-wife got his attention and asked him to deliver her favorite line from "The Voyage Home". It took him only a moment to remember the line (she had described the moment to him) and he thundered "Admiral! there be whales here!" And in that moment, he earned a place in my heart and in my memory. I will miss James Doohan and Montgomery Scott.
Christopher Reeve
Tribute
I first saw him in 1978 in Superman: the Movie. This was a film in which we were promised we'd believe a man could fly, and lo I at least did. But it was Reeve who charmed me in a way I'd never expected. I'd been a fan of the Superman comics since I was a kid - considered this fictional character somewhat of a hero. Over the years of reading the comics I'd built up an image of the character - a belief in what he'd most likely be like. Reeve brought that image to life in his portrayal. It is perhaps one of the best dual roles I've ever seen. Reeve brought an innovation to it that many people don't know to help distinguish one character from the other - it was he who suggested wearing then part as Clark Kent on the other side of the head. Throughout the series of four movies he played the characters with wit and charm, and whether bumbling as Clark Kent or filled with the confidence of Superman, you couldn't help but like him. I saw a couple of his other films, almost exclusively because Christopher Reeve was in them. He never, for me, failed to deliver solidly good performances, and I became more and more convinced that here was an actor with staying power, who could go a distance few handsome men could. Once, when playing in my mind with who could play the starring role in a remake of Casablanca, I thought Reeve would be damned good. And then the tragedy struck. He suffered the riding accident that left him paralyzed. How many of us would have been devastated? How many of us would have shunned the daylight and locked ourselves away? Not Christopher Reeve. Rising to the occasion and donning a metaphorical red cape, he fought back from the injury, learning to breathe again without a respirator, and working to live an active life. He lobbied Congress for better insurance protection for catastrophic injuries; he endured hours of physical rehabilitation, and like he helped us believe a man could fly, he never stopped believing that a cure was possible, that one day he would walk again. Through the way he lived his life, Christopher Reeve taught me a thing or two about courage and perseverance. I believed because he believed. I watched in awe and wonder as, during a Larry King interview, he voluntarily moved a finger. I was enthralled to know he was acting again. And I hope that in my oh-so-pale-by-comparison, so-called dark hours of despair and depression, I remember the hero that was Christopher Reeve, and through his struggle I find my own strength to carry on. It is not his portrayal of one of the greatest super heroes who ever lived that we should remember; it is his actual LIFE as a super-hero we should honor. May we always remember Reeve as he would have wanted, so demonstrated by his life, as a man who could overcome obstacles and be more than he was.
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Connie & Professor Misfittle created by Christopher Jones |
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