Paul Newman

I've never been a big follower of Hollywood celebs. I havent had much use for them mostly because I never liked the attention given to glamour and looks; I thought that attention and celeb status should depend upon acting ability and decency.

Then there is Paul Newman - he was a great actor, he was always decent, and he was painfully gorgeous. Maybe I never had a crush on him because I didnt want to demean what was truly wonderful about him. (if that seems crazy then consider that when I was little and people called me pretty and cute, I didnt like it because I would think, "why arent you saying I do things well, or I'm nice, or I try hard. What about my friends who aren't pretty or cute - I think they are great. What if I had a bad accident and I'm not cute, what will you say then? Will I be nothing?" Anyway you get my point; I obviously worried and obsessed too much. But in the end I was right.

What is important about Paul Newman is not those steely good looks; what is important about him is who he was. He was a man who did his craft to the best of his abilty, who loved and lived for his family, and who gave back. He wasn't just a good actor, he was a tremendous philanthropic - always giving back to those that helped him or to those causes that were important to him. He was unique and without him, I feel the world is a little poorer now.

Paul Newman grew up just outside of Cleveland in the city where I live now. Some former neighbors told me that his childhood buddy lived in our house so Paul spent a lot of time in the house where I live now. Just four years ago he came back home to campaign on behalf of John Kerry. He toured his old home, met the neighbors and told them great stories of his childhood in our town. From what I can tell, he never lost touch of what mattered. Just five years ago he donated thousands to build playgrounds in our community so that kids would have places to play and get exercise. Of course this is nothing compared to the millions that he has given to other charities.

God bless you Paul Newman and thanks for all you have done. God bless Joanne Woodward - your wife of fifty years, and your family. My kids now run through a house in which you use to hang out. I hope that I can teach them to live the type of life that you lived.

Here's to Paul Newman - a great person, a great American. Why dont we all do something in Paul's honor and help someone or something.

 

That's good Mo.

I hope you know that it's not the replies to your posts that show appreciation, it's the views.

 

Great thread Mo. To tell you how iconic he was the 11 O'Clock (local) newscasts out here spent the first 15-20 minutes on his life. Obviously his acting career speaks for itself (I still use the "Who are those guys" from Butch Cassidy), and he was a very respected car racer and team owner (Newman/Hass Racing). The thing that is by far the most impressive is what the man gave back. His food products (of which all profits go to many different charities) have been estimated to donate over 250 million dollars.

 

Re: RE: Paul Newman

yeah, the post was probably too personal and too girly but oh well. If I'm going to honor Paul Newman I figure that I might as well be honest. The "God Bless" may be going too far because I'm not religious; the phrase just has a meaning to me that transcends religion.

RIP Paul

 

RE: Re: RE: Paul Newman

I came across this quote by Paul Newman; I think he would have approved of my tribute to him: