… of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Senator Clinton is 57 today.
… of Pat Sajak. His wheel has spun for 58 years today.
… of Pat Conroy. The author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini is 59 today.
And it’s the birthday of Mahalia Jackson, born on this date in 1911 (she died in 1972). As The New York Times noted in Ms. Jackson’s obituary:
“I been ‘buked and I been scorned/ I’m gonna tell my Lord/ When I get home/ Just how long you’ve been treating me wrong,” she sang in a full, rich contralto to the throng of 200,000 people as a preface to Dr. King’s “I’ve got a dream” speech.
The song, which Dr. King had requested, came as much from Miss Jackson’s heart as from her vocal cords. The granddaughter of a slave, she had struggled for years for fulfillment and for unprejudiced recognition of her talent.
My “baby boy” turns 22 today!
Re: Pat Conroy…. I especially love his story, “The Water Is Wide”, which is based on his own experience as a teacher in Yamacraw Island, South Carolina about 35 years ago. It was also made into one of my favorite movies, “Conrack”, starring Jon Voight.