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Paul Newman: Admirable American
This is a center-right website, right? So if we were to start a series of posts on admirable Americans, we’d have to begin with a dead white man, naturally. But I’m writing this first entry about a dead white man who is only mostly dead (bonus points for identifying the movie reference), not an American founder. This post also happens to be personal.
Most of us know of Paul Newman’s admirable performances as an actor. Or we know that he had a passion for auto racing. Or maybe we associate the name and face with Newman’s Own salad dressings and ever-expanding line of quality food products. If you’ve purchased any and read the labels, you know that all the post-tax profits of Newman’s Own sales go to charity. That’s certainly praiseworthy.
And most of us of a certain age know that Paul Newman’s 50-year marriage to Joanne Woodward was one of the few enduring marriages in Hollywood. That’s amazingly admirable.
What you may not know is Paul Newman started something seriously good for kids with serious illnesses. It’s called the Serious Fun Children’s Network. It’s an international network of camps for kids with medical conditions needing professional supervision. These camps give exceptional kids a chance to have some ordinary summer camp fun. And they’re entirely free to the families. My youngest daughter is at one of them right now.
My daughter, Kate, and I checked-in at Children’s Hospital in Denver this morning to catch her bus, where she was greeted by smiling (volunteer) camp counselors and about 20 other campers, nearly half of them in wheelchairs. Other campers will be transported to the camp outside Gypsum, Colorado by their families today.
All the medical forms were filled out months ago, so today was about parents handing off kids, their medications, and camp gear to counselors and nursing staff. The nurses — one to each cabin — and doctors volunteering at Roundup River Ranch were already in place, waiting for the campers to arrive. They’ve been preparing for this moment for weeks and months. The nurses at the hospital told me they battle each other for the opportunity to volunteer each summer. Shifts still have to be covered, so not everyone can go.
My Kate and these other kids will get to sing, dance, goof off, and tell scary stories around the campfire. They’ll kayak, rock climb, slide the zip line, practice archery, and ride horses. Perhaps best of all, they’ll make friends; it’s a friend-making factory, according to the literature.
Not many of us will have such an admirable effect on so many young lives or leave such a legacy. Paul Newman did. His hope for these kids was that they would:
Kick back and raise a little hell.
I suspect Paul Newman is doing the same from his perch in Heaven.
Thanks, Paul.
Please feel free to continue this series by honoring another admirable American in a post of your own, or in the comments below.
Published in Culture, Entertainment, General
I first remember Paul Newman from the Hustler when I was a young teenager but I had an impression at that time that he was considered a hunk because of prior movies like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which may be the best title of any play, movie or work of fiction of all time. I watched him from the sidewalk in West Palm Beach Florida in the 70’s on a rather dreadful movie called Harry and Son. I think he was embellishing his sensitive side at that time. I was very impressed with how professional and economically proficient he was in his interactions with the crew and other actors during that filming. He left behind a treasure of memorable performances, the sadly unique legacy of a very long and happy Hollywood marriage and of course his ongoing charities. I don’t know if he left his body to science but I am pretty sure Bill Simmons has his eyes.
Like you, I grew up in the area he lived in and while I never encountered him, everyone I knew who had was very positive about him. And, yeah, I heard the same thing about autographs.
Newman was one of my favorite stars, but you asked for other admirable Americans, and so I’ll add Joni Eareckson Tada. From her bio: “Joni Eareckson Tada, the Founder and CEO of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, is an international advocate for people with disabilities. A diving accident in 1967 left Joni Eareckson, then 17, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, without the use of her hands. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills and a fresh determination to help others in similar situations.
During her rehabilitation, Joni spent long months learning how to paint with a brush between her teeth. Her high-detail fine art paintings and prints are sought-after and collected.”
She took her pain and suffering and turned it into a blessing for thousand, perhaps millions. Her organization helps churches and other organizations know how they can serve the handicapped. They’ve provided wheel chairs and other essential tools for the disabled and poor.
Her organization, Joni and friends also runs Family Retreats and camps for the disabled. I have friends that have benefited greatly for Joni’s ministries.