Michael Jackson Dead at 50!
- Who cares?
Farrah Fawcett Dead at 62!
- Who cares?
Ed McMahon Dead at 86!
- Who cares?
Sarah Hogan Dead at 90!
- Who?
From the Obituary page of the June 26 Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper web site is the notice of Sarah Logan's death. Her death is no less important to her family and loved ones than the other deaths listed above. Her notice (minus funeral home address and phone number):
HOGAN, Sarah Sarah Bulloch Hogan, age 90 of Loganville, passed away Thursday, June 25, 2009. Funeral Services will be held 3:30 PM Sunday, June 28, 2009 in the Chapel of Tim Stewart Funeral Home with Rev. David Dills and Rev. Nick Harmon officiating. Burial will follow in Ozora Baptist Church Cemetery. Mrs. Hogan retired from Walton Manufacturing as a seamstress and was a member of Ozora Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband Grady Hogan in 1986. She is survived by Children: Linda & Kenneth Guthrie, Loganville; Larry & Alice Hogan: Snellville; Jane Cahill, Loganville; Special Friend: Carl Moon, Loganville; Sisters-in-law: Macy Bulloch, Loganville; Sara Still, Good Hope; Care Givers: Barbara Biggers, Loganville; Dixie Short, Grayson; 7 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; several nieces & nephews.
I recognize the interest in the lives and deaths of 'famous' people. They do provide a certain superficial common bond between the rest of us. Their deaths deserve a note on the news, but not the untold hours of airtime and untold pages in newspapers and magazines that they receive. Such over-exposure detracts from their lives and reputations. It also detracts from the integrity and professionalism of our news outlets.
By the time you read this, I'll bet that you will be sick of hearing about Jackson, Fawcett, and McMahon. I already am. That's too bad. Each was talented.
So I suggest that you pause for a moment and think of Sarah Hogan, chosen at random by me. Then, look in your local newspaper and choose any obituary notice. Think about the stranger you're reading about. That person will then no longer be a stranger to you. Maybe you'll ponder the same questions as I have about Sarah. Was she a happy person? What troubles did she deal with in her life? Was she an optimist or a pessimist?
Mark Twain wrote, "There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy."
My experience with people has been the same as old Sam Clemens. For that I am glad.
About Me
- thinker
- I've voted for many candidates - some have disappointed me, fewer still have inspired me. I've been a member of unions and a member of management. I grew up on the south side of Chicago, and currently reside on the south side of Las Vegas. I bring these varied experiences to bear in my analyses.
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2 comments:
Well, I think for the first time, I completely agree with you on this. In fact, I've always had a conversational rule that I stick to:
"We will not discuss a celebrity death unless you can name at least one other person (of the 100,000) that died today."
That is a great rule. I will obey.
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