Charles Schulz was born on this day in 1922. "Peanuts" ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000. Schulz was proud that he never used assistants, writing and drawing the strip entirely himself. He didn't want it continued by someone else. He died of cancer the day the final strip ran in newspapers. I purchased
the Fantagraphics "Complete Peanuts" books as they came out.
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Composer Ned Rorem passed away this week. I enjoy his music as well as his diaries, particularly "Nantucket Diary" and the diary "Lies." Sadly, he assumed that his partner, organist James Holmes, could care for him in later years. (Holmes was several years younger). But Holmes died of cancer related to AIDS in 1999. "Lies" is a sadly vivid chronicle of a love one's decline and death. Norem was famous for his many song settings as well as works in nearly every type of classical music. In his diaries he was wonderfully transparent and even put-upon. The early ones are landmarks of gay literature. It would be an interesting life to share a cab ride with John Updike and to send grumpy notes to neighbor Itzhak Perlman because his AC unit is too loud.
Here is a recent Gramophone article.
Jodie Foster turned 60 yesterday! When I was at Yale Divinity School, she was an undergrad at Yale--the residential college now named Hopper College. I was in line for a slice of pizza at a restaurant in New Haven. When I turned around with my tray, I realized she was in line right behind me. She's 5'2" or 5'3". I said, "Excuse me." She said, "Sure." I thought I should respect her privacy. So that was the entire conversation, LOL.
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Today is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the Christian liturgical calendar. The First Sunday of Advent next week will begin a new liturgical year. The Post-Nicean church father Cyril of Alexandria wrote that Christ "has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature. His kingship is founded upon the hypostatic union [the union of his divine and human natures]. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures" (from Wikipedia). Although the theological ideas are ancient, the holiday itself was only instituted in 1925, by Pope Pius XI. Several Protestant churches now commemorate the day as well.
Happy memories of watching Family Feud in my 1980s parsonage, and watching Hogan's Heroes today! English actor-comedian Richard Dawson would've been 90 today! (He died in 2012.) His birth name was Colin Lionel Emm. Later he took the stage name Dickie Dawson. Eventually he changed his name legally to Richard Dawson. He played Corp. Peter Newkirk in Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971), was a regular panelist on Match Game (1973–1978), and hosted Family Feud (1976–1985, 1994–95).
