Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A Common Thread

I never thought I would write about Betty Ford and Sherwood Schwartz in the same blog, but here goes.

Former first lady Betty Ford died last week at the age of 93.  She will be remembered for facing breast cancer with courage, and talking about it at a time when such things weren't discussed publicly.

She was also open about her addictions and she let people know her children experimented with marijuana.  At the time, her candor was stunning.

Betty Ford showed it was okay to be open and honest.  She discussed her problems without playing the victim.

Sherwood Schwartz passed away yesterday morning at the age of 94.  He wrote and created the 60's TV series "Gilligan's Island."

Schwartz showed it was okay to be silly, at least once in a while.

Both Ford and Schwartz made big contributions to American culture.