Remembering Five Special People

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus with People in America in VOA Special
English. Today we tell about five special people who died during the
past year. We start with actor Christopher Reeve. He became a hero
in real life as well as in the movies.

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VOICE ONE:

Christopher Reeve became famous as "Superman" in the movies about
the comic-book hero who flew through the air and saved people's
lives. But Mister Reeve may be remembered longest for his activities
during the last part of his life. He was thrown from a horse during
a horseback-riding competition in nineteen ninety-five. He broke his
neck and was unable to move his body. He was even unable to breathe
for long periods without mechanical help. But later, he exercised
hard on special equipment. Doctors expressed great surprise at the
progress he made long after his injury.

He also was a strong activist for
medical research. He urged scientists to work to cure disabilities
caused by back and neck injuries and disease.

VOICE TWO:

Christopher Reeve was born in New York City in nineteen
fifty-two. After college, he studied acting at the Juilliard School
of the Performing Arts in New York.

Mister Reeve first acted in a Broadway play in nineteen
seventy-six. Then he became "Superman." The movie was a huge success
when it opened in nineteen seventy-eight. Mister Reeve starred in
three more "Superman" films. Critics praised his performances in a
number of other movies and plays.

VOICE ONE:

Mister Reeve continued acting even after his riding accident. He
appeared in an award-winning television movie in nineteen
ninety-eight. In "Rear Window", he played a man in a wheelchair who
watches a murder in a nearby building. Most recently, Christopher
Reeve directed a television film and wrote two books. He died
October tenth at age fifty-two. He had suffered a severe infection
resulting from his inability to move.

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VOICE TWO:

Do you recognize that voice? Many Americans, especially older
ones, would. Julia Child was welcomed into homes across the United
States for years through her television show, "The French Chef."

Julia Child was not French,
however. She was born Julia McWilliams in Pasadena, California in
nineteen twelve. After college, Julia went to work for the United
States' intelligence agency, then called the Office of Strategic
Services. World War Two was going on and Julia wanted to be a spy.
The O.S.S. put Julia to work in Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka.

VOICE ONE:

There, she met Paul Child, another O.S.S. worker. They married in
nineteen forty-six and later moved to Paris, France. Julia began
taking classes at the famous cooking school, Cordon Bleu. She became
friends with two French students, Simone Beck and Louisette
Bertholle. In time, the three began a cooking school of their own.

The Childs returned to America after about ten years. Julia kept
working with her French friends to write a cookbook. The women wrote
what is probably the most famous French cookbook in English.
"Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was published in nineteen
sixty-one. It was written for the average person. And the recipes
called for products that could be found easily in American food
stores.

VOICE TWO:

Julia Child was asked to talk about the book on a television show
in Boston, Massachusetts. Instead, she cooked on the show. The
television station asked Child to create her own cooking show. "The
French Chef" was first broadcast in nineteen sixty-three. It became
the longest running show on American public television, with more
than two hundred episodes. Part of the show's popularity was Julia
Child's friendly personality. She made mistakes while cooking and
she did not try to hide them.

"The French Chef," died in Montecito, California, on August
thirteenth. She would have been ninety-two years old on August
fifteenth.

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VOICE ONE:

Poet Mattie Stepanek lived for only thirteen years. But he had an
important effect on the world. Former President Jimmy Carter praised
the young boy as "the most extraordinary person" he had ever known.

Mattie Stepanek lived in
Rockville, Maryland. He suffered from a rare form of a
muscle-weakening disease called muscular dystrophy. This same
disease had killed his three brothers when Mattie died on June
twenty-second.

Mattie's goal in life was to help bring peace to the world. At
age three, he was already writing poetry. He began writing after one
of his brothers died.

A publisher printed two hundred copies of his collected poems in
two thousand one. The book was called "Heartsongs." Before long,
people across the country wanted copies. He wrote four more books of
poetry. They have sold more than one million copies.

VOICE TWO:

Mattie appeared on television programs and became famous. But he
was a very sick boy. He had to use a wheelchair to get around.
Mattie spent a lot of time in hospitals. Yet he never seemed sad or
angry. Here Mattie Stepanek reads from his poem "About Things That
Matter."

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"A person by my name and being existed

With a strong spirit and an eternal mindset

To become a peacemaker for all

By sharing the things that really matter."

VOICE ONE:

A very successful business leader also died this year. Estee
(es-stay) Lauder died April twenty-fourth at the age of
ninety-seven. She had sold beauty products for more than seventy
years. Her business, the Estee Lauder Companies, began on the
streets of New York City.

She was born Josephine Esther Mentzer in Queens, New York. Her
parents had come to America from Hungary. They did not have much
money. But they did have a beautiful daughter.

Estee's uncle was a chemist. Together, they worked to develop
skin care creams in the nineteen-twenties when Estee was still a
teenager. She took her products to New York City and stopped women
on the street. She let them try the creams for free, calling the
products "jars of hope."

VOICE TWO:

Soon, young Estee was selling the products to large stores that
sold things to wealthy women. She wrote powerful marketing messages
such as "I have the secrets" or "start the New Year with a new
face." She also used many smart sales tricks.

Estee Mentzer married Joseph Lauder in nineteen thirty. He became
her business partner. Estee Lauder once said, "I never dreamed about
success. I worked for it." In nineteen ninety-five, she decided she
had worked long enough, so she retired. Today, her two sons and a
grandson lead the Estee Lauder Companies. The business is worth
about ten thousand million dollars. It employs more than twenty
thousand people.

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VOICE ONE:

Singer Robert Merrill lived a long and musical life. He died at
home in New York State on October twenty-third. Records say he was
either eighty-five or eighty-seven years old.

For thirty years, his rich baritone voice rang out at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Mister Merrill recorded popular
music as well as opera music. He also played a leading part in the
musical play "Fiddler on the Roof."

Robert Merrill took pleasure in New York City life. He often
traveled on the underground subway train to sing at the Metropolitan
Opera. For many years, he sang America's national song at the
opening game of the New York Yankees baseball team.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Merrill was born in the Brooklyn area of New York in about
nineteen seventeen. As a young man he worked in a poorly paid job in
the area of New York where clothing is made.

One day, he heard singers preparing for a performance of Giuseppe
Verdi's "La Traviata" at the Metropolitan Opera. On that day, the
young man decided what he wanted to do with his life.

Robert Merrill worked and studied hard at his music. He sang at
weddings and in hotels. In nineteen forty-five, the Metropolitan
Opera hired Robert Merrill. His first performance was in "La
Traviata." He sang more than five hundred performances of operas
there during his long life.

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VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Jerilyn Watson and Caty Weaver. It
was produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for another People
in America in VOA Special English.