Annie Get Your Gun...and Your Grave...and Your Museum....

 

Annie Oakley was born Phoebe Ann Moses in or near Greeneville, Ohio, on August 13, 1860, something the town doesn't want you to forget.  Of all the graves this blogger has visited, this was by far the most celebrated.  More on that later.

At an early age, Oakley developed hunting skills in order to provide for her family.  She became very adept with the use of a firearm, and by age 15, she was entering local marksmanship events.  The first man she ever beat was Francis Butler, a sharpshooter in a traveling variety show.  He obviously didn't hold it against her though, as the two were later married.

In 1885, the couple joined Buffalo Bill's traveling road show and took the world by storm, entertaining royalty and heads of state.  Oakley would become the show's star attraction, her salary second only to Buffalo Bill himself.

In her early 40s, Oakley was in a railroad accident.  It required her to begin scaling back her performances and settle into a more mellow routine.  She continued touring, although this time in a play about her own life and career.  Her stage acts were even filmed for one of Thomas Edison's earliest Kinetoscopes.  Yup, it's on YouTube. 

Well into her 60s, Oakley's health was in decline. She ultimately died of pernicious anemia on November 3, 1926.  She was 66 years old.

Annie Oakley was cremated and her ashes were buried in Greeneville's Brock Cemetery.  Signage throughout the town leads the way.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• An unconfirmed legend has it that Oakley's ashes were placed in one of her many shooting trophies.  
  
  
• Francis Butler died just 18 days after Oakley, most say of a broken heart.
  
  
• In her later years, Oakley was a philanthropist known for her support of women's rights and other causes.  She instructed women in marksmanship, a strong believer in female self-defense.
  
  
• Greeneville, Ohio, is also home to the Garst Museum and the National Annie Oakley Center, where many of her firearms and personal memorabilia are on permanent display.
  
  
• Oakley was inducted into several historical groups, including the Trapshooting Hall of Fame (Sparta, IL), the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame (Fort Worth, TX), the National Women's Hall of Fame (Seneca Falls, NY), and the New Jersey Hall of Fame (Newark, NJ).

Happy Little Accident: The Grave of Bob Ross

 

"We don't make mistakes.  We just have happy little accidents."

Robert Norman Ross, aka Bob Ross, was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 29, 1942.  He dropped out of high school and went to work for his father as a carpenter.  Later, when he tuned 18, he enlisted in the Air Force and served as a medical records technician, eventually rising to the rank of master sergeant.  It was during his service that he first visited Alaska, who's beauty would inspire his paintings to come.

While still in the service, Bob took his first art class, but found the style to be limiting.  "They'd tell you what makes a tree, but they wouldn't tell you how to paint a tree," he later recalled.  While working as a bartender, he discovered a TV program called The Magic of Oil Painting, from which his talent would eventually grow.

After the service, Bob returned to Florida and began working as a traveling salesman and art tutor.  Looking to promote his new business, he decided to create a TV series of his own.  The Joy of Painting first premiered on PBS in 1983 and would run for the next 11 years.  His idea had paid off, eventually earning him more than $15 million.

Bob had begun smoking at an early age, and by 1995, it had finally caught up with him.  He died of lymphoma on July 4th.  He was just 52 years old.

Bob Ross was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha, Florida.  It is the most decorated grave that this blogger has ever seen.

Rest in peace, Bob.

Trivia

• To date, there's no official biography on Bob available, but there is a junior edition for kids.  Pick up a copy of Bob Ross: A Little Golden Book Biography from Amazon.
  
  
• Vlogger Jordan the Lion recently visited Bob's grave and posted this video to YouTube.
  
  
• Bob was never paid for his show.  Instead, he used it as a way to promote his teaching practice.
  
  
• A not-so-happy carpentry accident sustained as a child took the top joint of Bob's left index finger.  It never impacted his ability hold a palette.
  
  
• While just beginning as an art tutor, Bob saved money wherever he could.  One step was to have his hair permed so as to avoid weekly haircuts.  Although he grew to dislike it, it had become so synonymous with his image that he kept it for career purposes.  That too, was a happy little accident.

Mayor for Life

 

Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr., was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on March 6, 1936.  He was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, serving as the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

With an eye on politics, he moved to Washington, DC, where he was first elected mayor in 1978.  He rose to national prominence as the first civil rights figure to serve as chief executive of a major metropolitan city.  When Jesse Jackson ran for president in 1984, Barry gave the presidential nomination speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Barry proved a popular mayor and was re-elected in 1982 and 1986.  Before he could run in 1990 however, his political career was sidetracked by an infamous undercover FBI sting operation, involving Barry, a prostitute, and crack cocaine.  He went to prison for six months, then resumed his political career, ultimately regaining the office of mayor.

Marion Barry died of cardiac arrest on November 23, 2014.  He was 78 years old.  He was laid to rest at Washington's Congressional Cemetery.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• This blogger's grandfather worked for Barry's predecessor, Mayor Walter Washington.
  
  
• The nickname "Mayor for Life" was coined by the Washington City Paper, an alternative weekly publication.
  
  
• Barry was famous for his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaways to DC's neediest families.
  
  
• In 2014, Barry released his autobiography Mayor for Life: The Incredible Story of Marion Barry, Jr.  Pick up a copy from Amazon.
  
  
• In 2010, Barry's life was chronicled in the documentary The Nine Lives of Marion Barry.  Check out the trailer on YouTube.
  
  
• Want to see the footage that sent Barry to prison?  It's on YouTube as well.
  
  

Hell's Angels - Oakland

 

"Angels Forever, Forever Angels."
  - Hell's Angels slogan

A few years back, a friend and I were doing some gravehopping in Oakland, California's Evergreen Cemetery. The park is infamous as the final resting place of nearly 400 victims of the 1978 Jonestown tragedy.  Readers of this blog will remember that report.

I said goodbye to my friend and spent some additional time in the park, looking for, most notably, one of the Little Rascals.  In my search for Allen "Farina" Hoskins, I made a truly unique discovery.  Evergreen is the official cemetery of the Oakland, California, branch of the outlaw biker club, Hell's Angels.

The first chapter was founded in Fontana, California, in 1948.  Otto Friedli, a World War 2 veteran, is credited with forming the initial chapter, after breaking away from a rival gang, the Pissed Off Bastards.  Hey, the more you know.  Chapters soon began cropping up all across the country.

Today, Oakland serves as the worldwide headquarters of Hell's Angels, so it's no surprise that they have such a huge presence within the community.  An entire section of Evergreen is reserved for their fallen members.

Rest in peace, Angels.

The Mick

 

"All I had was natural ability."

Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, on October 20, 1931.  In 1951, he began playing for the New York Yankees in a career that would span nearly two decades, earning him the nicknames "The Mick" and "The Commerce Comet." 

A sample of his career highlights includes:

  * 7 times World Series Champion
  * 20 times All-Star
  * 3 times American League MVP
  * American League Batting Champion
  * Batting average of .298
  * 536 home runs

A few years after his retirement, Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

As much as Mantle loved baseball, he loved alcohol even more.  He took his first drink when he was in the minors, and in his words, he "chugged as if it were a soda pop."  It would be a constant problem for the rest of his life, leading to at least one stint in the Betty Ford Clinic.  He ultimately died of liver cancer on August 13, 1995. He was 63 years old. 

Mickey Mantle was entombed at Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas. He is located in the St. Matthew Wing of the mausoleum and is relatively easy to find.

 

Rest in peace, Mick.

Willard Scott!

"I'm bald, I'm overweight, I don't make all the smooth moves and I dress like a slob.  I take tremendous pride in the fact that I beat the system."

Willard Herman Scott, Jr. was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 7, 1934. From an early age, he was very interested in broadcasting. When he was just eight years old, he walked into radio station WTOP in Washington, DC, and asked to observe the announcers. That day, he met CBS News Correspondent Eric Sevareid, who was telling his listening audience of a recent trip to Burma.  Willard was instantly hooked.

By 15, he was operating his own radio station out of his parents' basement.  A commercial endeavor, he charged his friends and neighbors ad time on the station, which was quickly gaining in popularity.  Unfortunately, his broadcast was also being picked up by commercial pilots at nearby Washington National Airport, so the FAA shut him down.  Within a few years however, he'd have his first real show, "Lady Make Believe," followed by other programs in the Washington market.

After completing his education at American University, Willard went right to work in Washington radio.  He teamed up with fellow graduate Ed Walker and created the Joy Boys radio program for WRC. Consisting mostly of sketch comedy, the series ran from 1955 until 1972.  That year, WRC changed its format to rock and roll, and the Joy Boys were shown the door.

Throughout the show's run, Willard was simultaneously making his first appearances on local television.  He hosted a number of children's shows, including Barn Party, in which he played "Farmer Willard."  He also co-hosted a series called Afternoon with fellow DC broadcast legend Mac McGarry.  The series introduced University of Maryland student and puppeteer Jim Henson and early versions of his Muppets characters.  In 1959, WRC-TV bought the local rights to Bozo the Clown, whom Willard would play for the next three years (right).

When Bozo was canceled in 1962, Willard could no longer legally play the character.  When approached by a Washington area McDonald's franchisee to do just that, Willard had to decline, but it gave him an idea.  Recognizing the great appeal that Bozo had, Willard suggested that they create a clown character of their own.  He ultimately created Ronald McDonald (below), who proved so popular that the company adopted him as their own, turning the character into an international marketing success. Willard played the character for four years, beginning with this first commercial in 1963.  The company let him go in 1967.

That same year, WRC-TV asked Willard to present the weather on a part-time basis after their meteorologist walked off the job.  The position became permanent in 1970, which Willard occupied for the next ten years. Then in 1980, NBC tapped Willard to become the new meteorologist on The Today Show, replacing established weatherman Bob Ryan. Ironically, the two would switch positions, as Ryan came to DC and WRC-TV. Willard stayed with the program on and off until his retirement in 2015.

Despite Willard's obvious commercial appeal, not everyone at Today was happy for his presence. In a letter to NBC executives in 1989, host Bryant Gumbel wrote that Willard "holds the show hostage to his assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays and bad taste...this guy is killing us and no one's even trying to rein him in."  The letter was publicly leaked and the backlash was instantaneous.  The public was clearly Team Willard, and the show's ratings declined. 

In 1996, Willard was replaced by meteorologist Al Roker, but he stayed with Today, continuing to produce segments for the show.  He was simultaneously flexing his pitchman muscles, endorsing such products as Maxwell House Coffee, USA Today, Diet Coke, and most significantly, McDonald's rival Burger King.  Hey, what goes around comes around.

In 2002, Willard's wife of 43 years, Mary Dwyer Scott, passed away.  The following year, he began dating WRC employee Paris Keena, whom he'd first met while working there in 1977.  The couple were married in 2014.  They relocated to Sanibel Island, Florida.

By 2021, Willard's health was in decline.  He ultimately passed of natural causes on September 4, 2021.  He was 87 years old.

Willard Scott was buried next to his first wife Mary at Leeds Community Cemetery in Markham, Virginia.

Rest in peace, Willard.

Trivia

• During his years on Today, Willard was famous giving on-air shout-outs to those celebrating their 100th birthday.  Sadly, he would not reach that age himself.
  
  
• Willard was a successful author, releasing works of fiction and nonfiction alike.  Check out these titles on Amazon.
   * If I Knew it Was Going to be This Much Fun...Grandparent First (2004)
   * The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune: The Joys of Reaching... (2003)
   * Murder Under the Blue Skies (1998)
   * America is My Neighborhood (1987)
   * Willard Scott's All-American Cookbook (1986)
   * Willard Scott's Down Homes Stories (1984)
   * The Joy of Living (Autobiography) (1982)
  
  
• With a name like Smuckers, it has to be Willard, who was famous for his Smuckers preserves spots on Today. Here's one on YouTube.
  
  
• Willard served as host of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1987 to 1997.
  
  
• In 2006, Willard co-hosted a TV infomercial for Universal's Those Wonderful Years CD collection.
  
  
• As noted above, Willard published several books, including his Down Home Stories in 1984.  It was a series of letters he'd received from fans, including the following:  "Dear Mr. Scott - I think you're the best disc jockey in Washington. You play the best music and have the nicest voice of anyone on the air. Please excuse the crayon - they won't let us have anything sharp in here."

The Boston Marathon Bomber - Buried in Virginia

 

Doswell, Virginia, just outside of Richmond, is home to the Al-Barzakh Islamic Cemetery.  It is uniquely situated in a residential neighborhood not far from the Kings Dominion amusement park.  Visitors can often hear the everyday sounds of dogs barking and children playing, as well as the screams of those riding a variety of roller coasters.

This small and rather simple cemetery made international headlines in May 2013, when it was revealed that it would be the final resting place of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.  Earlier that spring, Tsarnaev, joined by his brother Dzhokhar, carried out an attack on the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured hundreds more.  Tsarnaev was killed four days after the attack in a shootout with police, but not before being repeatedly run over with an SUV by brother Dzhokhar.

While his brother went off to prison, Tamerlan's remains were turned over to his uncle, who had difficulty finding a cemetery willing to take them. The citizens of Boston vehemently opposed his burial there and even protested outside of his funeral service.

A Virginia resident named Martha Mullen, who had no ties to the case, took sympathy on the family after hearing media reports and arranged a Virginia burial with her local church.  As in Boston, local residents were outraged by the decision, but Tsarnaev was ultimately laid to rest in the park.

The cemetery is just a quick drive from this blogger's hometown, and it is one I've been meaning to visit for a few years. I finally did just that, and I was amazed by the simplicity of the park. 

Burials are conducted in chronological order.  Each grave has the same concrete slab and a simple name tag listing only the date of death, with no other information.  Anyone looking for Tsarnaev's grave will come up empty handed though, as there is no exact tag with his name or date of death.  I think that I indeed found it under a pseudonym, but without confirmation, I won't post that tag here.

Normally, this is where I end the post by saying "rest in peace."  Not this time though.

Trivia

• Prior to the race, runners observed 26 seconds of silence to honor the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which claimed the lives of 26 people.
  
  
• Ethiopian runner Lelisa Desisa won the men's division that year, finishing in two hours and ten minutes.  Kenyan Rita Jeptoo won it for the ladies, finishing in two hours and 26 minutes.  More than 23,000 runners participated.
  
  
• Dzhokhar was found guilty for his role in the attack.  Despite a series of legal reversals, he is currently sitting on death row.
  
  
• Celebrities with ties to the Boston area took to social media to condemn the attacks.
  Howard Stern. "I don't know why, I just never think of Boston being victims of some kind of act like this.  But we're not safe anywhere and there are maniacs running around in our midst..."
  John Kraskinski. "My heart and my prayers are in Boston and with everyone affected by this nightmare of an incident."
  Mark Wahlberg.  "Thoughts and prayers with my hometown Boston today."
  Maria Menounos.  "Flying home because I need to be there."
  Dane Cook.  "My prayers with everyone in Boston right now after this atrocious act of violence!!"
  
  
• A memorial honoring the victims was erected in August 2019.  Built by sculptor Pablo Eduardo, it can be found near the finish line on Boylston Street.