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The Republic of Pemberley: Jane Austen left for us six novels — four published in her all too brief lifetime — filled with wisdom and warmth and humor and passion and unforgettable characters.
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RayCharles.com: Ray Charles taught me how to play the piano. From the first moment I heard "Hallelujah! I Love Her So," probably around 1955, I knew this was what music was supposed to be and proceeded to spend endless hours making certain that I could play every riff he played on every single one of his Atlantic recordings. On the day he passed my brother and my sister each called to ask if I was okay. I was. Sorta.
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The Official Mahatma Gandhi eArchive & Reference Library: As a child there was no question in my mind who the greatest person in the world was: Mahatma ["Great Soul"] Gandhi. Today there is no question who the greatest person in my lifetime has been.
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The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive: It seems impossible that our laughter is as raucous a hundred and twenty-five years after the premiere of H. M. S. Pinafore as ever. W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert was surely the greatest comic librettists to write in English.
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Dizzy Gillespie Homepage: John Birks Gillespie ("Dizzy" as he was known far beyond the jazz world) was, with saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, pianist Thelonious Monk, guitarist Charlie Christian and a handful of others, creator of "bebop," the dominant school of jazz after WWII. He was also a tireless civil rights worker, a U.S. Presidential candidate, a Bahá'í and a brilliant and cordial man.
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Lorenz Hart: Far and away my favorite lyricist. His words to "My Funny Valentine," my personal favorite "Spring Is Here" and at least two dozen other Rodgers and Hart songs are in a class by themselves. Only Mr. Hart could be so witty and so poignant at the same moment.
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Jim Henson: What a magnificent talent. What a magnificent soul!
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The Unofficial Billie Holiday Website: "Lady Day." 'Nough said.
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Gene Kelly: An American Life: Gene Kelly is who I wanted to be when I grew up. An American in Paris is one of my favorite films, but my glee at first seeing him dance with Jerry (the mouse of the Tom and Jerry cartoons) in Anchors Aweigh was boundless and I adore the scene where he sings "Singin' in the Rain" (in the movie of the same name).
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Toonopedia: The Far Side: Like what must certainly have been half of all American refrigerators, mine was decorated with panels from Gary Larson's The Far Side for most of the duration of its all too brief run.
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Maya Lin was a twenty-one-year-old college undergraduate when she was awarded the commission for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. I find everything about her amazing.
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Aaron McGruder: Nobody has ever been able to piss me off the way Aaron McGruder pisses me off. But, then, nobody has ever been able to make me laugh the way Aaron McGruder makes me laugh. I s'pose it's a good trade. Now all I can say is: Please, Mr. McGruder, we want more!
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Pooh Corner: I've only directed three plays in my life. One was A(lan) A. Milne's one-act "The Ugly Duckling."
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Rosa Parks: An unknown 42-year-old from Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, outraged and defiant following the recent murder of Emmett Till, helped to change forever the United States of America.
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Andy Razaf: Never heard of him? I am embarrassed to admit that neither had I till very recently, but we both know "Honeysuckle Rose," "Memories of You," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Gee, Baby, Ain't I good to You," and "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue." And Andy Razaf wrote the wonderful lyrics to each of these and many other standards.
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Jackie Robinson's baseball career was a powerful and straightforward statement putting a lie to all racist rubbish. Besides, he was the most exciting ballplayer I have ever seen.
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Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Mister (Fred McFeely) Rogers was a most welcome guest in our home throughout the years when our children were young.
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