Fame
• The famous cellist Pablo Casals went to a physician who had attended President Eisenhower. Mr. Casals congratulated him, saying that the physician was a very famous man. The doctor humbly replied that he would never be as famous as Mr. Casals. Mr. Casals thought a moment, and then admitted, “That’s true.”
• Lieder singer Lotte Lehmann’s chauffeur, whose name was Fritz, was an unlikely celebrity; however, he was proud when a newspaper published a photograph of himself and an operatic notable. The caption of the photograph identified the people depicted as two “notabilities.”
Fans
• Jonathan Kellerman’s first mystery, When the Bough Breaks, appeared in 1985 and introduced the character Alex Delaware, who thereafter starred in many of his mysteries. The book was not supposed to be a hit, but it got rave reviews and became a word-of-mouth — and definitely a surprise — bestseller. That is why Mr. Kellerman answers fan mail. He says, “But for the graciousness of ordinary folk who took the time to traipse to the bookstore and plunk down their hard-earned dough for that first novel — and all the novels that have followed — I wouldn’t be able to avoid honest labor and work the greatest job in the world.”
• During the 19thcentury, composer Franz Liszt was a major celebrity, as is demonstrated by these anecdotes: 1) He used to go to fancy restaurants, order tea, and leave a few drops in the cup. Women fought each other for the privilege of drinking those drops. 2) After he had sat on a chair, an American woman took the covering off the chair, had the covering framed, then hung it on a wall. 3) An old woman who smelled of tobacco even though she never smoked admitted that she had acquired a stub of a cigar that Liszt had smoked and was carrying it around in her corset.
Food
• As of late 2010, New Zealand taxi driver Daniel Chung had been serving the homeless a Sunday lunch at his own expense for three years. He started after hearing that some homeless people in his Christchurch, New Zealand, community had died while sleeping outdoors. Each week, he spends between $100 and $300 (New Zealand Dollars) to feed the homeless. He also supports a wife and four children; his family helps serve the meals. Mr. Chung had been a chemical engineer in South Korea, but after moving to New Zealand, he was unable to find a job in chemical engineering, so he started to drive a taxi. He says, “A couple of years ago I heard two people died during the night. One of them here [in Latimer Square]. I thought he was homeless, so I started here.I had it in my heart to help them — I had to.” His mother, a pastor in South Korea, was an inspiration to him. Garry Dickey, who has been homeless for 26 years, was one of the first people to be fed by Mr. Chung. Mr. Dickey remembers, “I was minding my own business. It was a nice sunny day, and he came over and said, ‘Would you like a feed?’ He told me then that he would come back every Sunday.” The first time Mr. Chung fed the homeless, he brought a bag of burgers. But more and more homeless people began to show up, so he needed to bring more and more food. He admits, “It is a struggle financially to keep doing it,” but he adds, “If possible, if God permitted me, I would do this to the end of my days. It’s an eternal job I will do until I leave this world.”
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Copyright by Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
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