Obit of the Day
Looking at the unique lives that have shuffled off this mortal coil. OOTD is the most popular obituary blog on Tumblr.
Also featured on Tumblr's History Spotlight
I also write for MLBOffseason.com.
And you can check out my personal blog.
“Her life is so amazing, if she had never become a popular psychologist, we probably still would have done her obit.” - Josh Eisenberg on the multifaceted, amazing life of Joyce Brothers.
The original mass-media therapist Joyce Brothers passed away this week. Historian Josh Eisenberg from Obitoftheday.com joins hosts Brian Babylon and Molly Adams on the phone to discuss her life, from quiz show champion to popular psychologist and media icon.
As an extra bonus, you will learn whether I think it’s a good idea to get out of someone’s dream and get into their car.
Here is my original post on Dr. Joyce Brothers.
As we hit the weekend please feel free to check out the OOTD Home Page which has nearly 30 different obit categories for you to peruse. If you are more into chronology check out the Archive.
And if you would like you can find Obit of the Day all over social media:
Obit of the Day: End the Beguines*
When Marcella Pattyn died on April 14, 2013 she took 800 years of history with her. Ms. Pattyn was a Beguine. A creation of the Middle Ages, beguines were lay women who formed communities that allowed them independence, both socially and economically.
During the Medieval period women of the upper class were given two choices for their adult lives: marriage or religious life. They were to either be under the rule of their husband or the rule of God, serving as a nun. (Women of the lower classes could sometimes live alone and run a business but usually only as widows.)
In the 12th century in Flanders (a region that now is part of Belgium and The Netherlands) lay communities sprang up in cities where widows of the Crusades would congregate but without the rules of a convent or giving up their freedom. They could travel freely on their own. They could marry at any time. Some even lived in homes with servants.
At their peak Beguines were found across northern Europe and could have thousands of members. They would provide services for the poor and needy as well as sell handmade textiles.
To no one’s surprise, the group was quickly considered a threat. Independent women who were without strict supervision? It must be heresy. And in 1311 Pope Clement V banned the movement. (Less than a century earlier in 1233 Pope Gregory IX had given papal backing to the Beguines.)
In order to maintain their existence some of the Beguine orders partnered with monastic orders in order to continue their work with some level of “supervision.” (Random note: There were male communities similar to the Beguines called the Beghards who were also considered heretics but less for their service than for their theology which bordered on anarchism.)
Although the orders persisted for centuries in France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium their numbers dwindled. Belgium at one time had 94 Beguine communities. In 1856 they were down to 20.
In 1941 when Marcella Pattyn, a partially blind 21-year-old, was sent to the beguinage in Ghent there were two. Unable to join convents because of her disability, a wealthy aunt sponsored her entrance into the Beguines. This last small group of Beguines moved to the town of Courtrai and in 1960 there were nine left.
By 2008 Marcella Pattyn was the last of her order. The town of Courtrai celebrated her with chocolates and champagne and had a bronze statue made in her likeness to stand outside the beguinage.
Ms. Pattyn died at the age of 92, taking with her a glimpse into medieval life.
Sources: The Economist, The Telegraph, The Catholic Encyclopedia, The Economist (on the Beguines), and a 1992 paper by Elizabeth Knuth
(Image of Marcella Pattyn and her statue is courtesy of FOCUS-WTV in Belgium.)
* The title of the post is a play on the Cole Porter song, “Begin the Beguine,” written in 1935. The two words are unrelated. There is no known etymology for the order, although the community in Lieges, Belgium was founded by Lambert de Begue. By the time of the Porter song the term “beguine” was commonly used to mean a “close couples’ dance” in the Caribbean. - Wikipedia
Obit of the Day: Dead Together
OOTD continues its occasional seres, “Dead Together,” which features famous individuals who died on the same date.
Sammy Davis, Jr. - Mr. Davis died at the age of 64 on May 16, 1990. An entertainer for nearly 60 years, he started on stage when he was only four years old. During his career he would have 8 top-20 hits (his only #1 was “The Candy Man” in 1972) appear in dozens of movies and on numerous television shows. A member of the famed “Rat Pack,” Davis often referred to himself as “the one-eyed Jewish Negro.” (He lost an eye in a car accident in 1954 and while hospitalized became interested in Judaism and converted.) Random fact: Tim Burton wanted Sammy Davis, Jr. to play Beetlejuice in the 1988 film.
Sources: www.sammydavis-jr.com, IMDB.com, and The Playlist
Jim Henson - Muppet creator Jim Henson died on May 16, 1990 at the age of 53. Henson who began his professional career while still an undergraduate at the University of Maryland won a combined 10 Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards during his career. Known best for his voicing of Kermit the Frog and Ernie, Henson died suddenly after a bout of walking pneumonia that he left undiagnosed. Although raised as a Christian Scientist, which led the public to believe that he refused medical care, he “didn’t want to bother anyone” with his illness. Random note: “Rubber Duckie” sung by Henson as Ernie reached #16 on the Billboard charts in 1970 and was in the Hot 100 for seven weeks.
Sources: www.jimhensonlegacy.org, IMDB.com, Muppet Wiki, and Wikipedia
(Images: Sammy Davis, Jr. courtesy of nostalgic-radio.com; Jim Henson courtesy of zuzahin,deviantart.com)
Of relevant interest:
Aubrey Woods, the first person to sing “The Candy Man,” posted on May 15, 2013
Jane Henson, Jim’s ex-wife who helped create the Muppets, died on April 2, 2013
Obit of the Day: Personal Note
May is National Foster Care Month. I note this because Mrs. OOTD and I are foster parents. We began doing foster care in December 2008 and have had six children over that time. We adopted our son, Jamari, in 2011 and are on the way to adopting our three daughters sometime this year.
Note: We also have a biological son, Andrew, who is the oldest of our five.
I don’t write this for compliments. I write this to ask you think about foster care. Find out more about it. Ask questions. Get information.
Yes it’s hard. Why does everything have to be easy? And what’s harder, being a foster parent or being a foster child? (Hint: Not the parent)
I know not everyone is suited to be a foster parent but many who are don’t explore it. They are afraid of the children. They are afraid of the children’s biological parents. They are afraid of the process. They are afraid of attaching to a child and having her return home. (We’ve done that, twice.) They are afraid of not attaching to the child.
I’m afraid of children spending their entire lives as wards of the state and aging out of the system at the age of 18 with no real family. With no place to call home. With no parents to call when they need advice or help. With no one to meet their boyfriend or girlfriend. With no family to come to graduation. With no family to call when they need help.
And doesn’t everyone deserve to have a family?
If you have questions, I am happy to answer any, especially regarding questions on foster care in the state of Illinois. Just ask.
And also check out the site for National Foster Care Month.
Thanks for your time.
