Checking in with President Jimmy Carter’s grandson
Plus what the pandemic taught us about memories and the cinematic legacy of William Friedkin
Welcome back to Seniorish Daily. If you like the newsletter, forward it to a friend! And if you’re that friend, just click the link below to join for free at your own email address…
Today is Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, which is also…
National Book Lovers Day
Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Night
National Rebecca Day
Hugo Wentzel talks about ‘Papa’
During his elimination on ABC’s reality show Claim to Fame, the grandson of Jimmy Carter paid tribute to the grandfather responsible for his celebrity association. The former president was moved to hospice care earlier this year—and while people outside of family can’t visit due to COVID regulations, wife Rosalynn Carter and Hugo Wentzel’s mother Amy Carter frequently visit Jimmy, who turns 99 in October.
George H.W. Bush was previously the longest-living ex-president at the time he died at age 94 in 2018
Ronald Reagan was 93 years old when he died in 2004; Gerald Ford, who was 46 days younger, died in 2006 at 93
Joe Biden, who plans to run for re-election, will turn 82 two weeks after Americans go to the polls on Nov. 5, 2024
Blowing out one more candle today…
79: Sam Elliott, moustachioed character actor who was most recently seen in 1883
75: Barbara Mason, soul singer responsible for the plaintive 1965 hit Yes, I’m Ready
66: Melanie Griffith, second-generation movie star of Body Double and Working Girl
64: Michael Kors, chief creative designer of the fashion brand that bears his name
55: Gillian Anderson, star of The X-Files who alternates British and American accents
Measuring our memories of lockdown
When the pandemic hit, cognitive neuroscientist Nina Rouhani was studying how collective events and individual affect shape autobiographical memory, based on computer modelling. But then came a real-time opportunity to measure if how recall relates to emotional states, and whether the past can be used to heal the future.
On this day in your history…
1944: Smokey Bear—named after New York fireman Smokey Joe Martin—debuts as spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service
1969: Hollywood actress Sharon Tate and four others were murdered by members of Charles Manson’s “family”
1974: Gerald Ford is sworn in as President of the United States after Richard Nixon officially exits the role at noon
1988: Wayne Gretzky is traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings—partly to benefit his actress wife Janet Jones
1995: The Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia dies of a heart attack at age 53 after 30 years as the leader of the hippie band
William Friedkin (1935-2023)
The filmmaker who redefined the horror movie genre with The Exorcist in 1973 died at age 87 on Monday. William Friedkin—who was married to former movie mogul Sherry Lansing since 1991—also directed The Boys in the Band, The French Connection and Cruising, films that solidified his seminal status toward defining the “New Hollywood.”
We’ll talk to you again tomorrow
Matt from Seniorish
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Get future editions sent directly to your inbox…
