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VOICE ONE:
I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Faith Lapidus with People in America in VOA SpecialEnglish. Today we tell about five special people who died during thepast year. We start with actor Christopher Reeve. He became a heroin real life as well as in the movies.
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VOICE ONE:
Christopher Reeve became famous as “Superman” in the movies aboutthe comic-book hero who flew through the air and saved people’slives. But Mister Reeve may be remembered longest for his activitiesduring the last part of his life. He was thrown from a horse duringa horseback-riding competition in nineteen ninety-five. He broke hisneck and was unable to move his body. He was even unable to breathefor long periods without mechanical help. But later, he exercisedhard on special equipment. Doctors expressed great surprise at theprogress he made long after his injury.
He also was a strong activist formedical research. He urged scientists to work to cure disabilitiescaused by back and neck injuries and disease.
VOICE TWO:
Christopher Reeve was born in New York City in nineteenfifty-two. After college, he studied acting at the Juilliard Schoolof the Performing Arts in New York.
Mister Reeve first acted in a Broadway play in nineteenseventy-six. Then he became “Superman.” The movie was a huge successwhen it opened in nineteen seventy-eight. Mister Reeve starred inthree more “Superman” films. Critics praised his performances in anumber of other movies and plays.
VOICE ONE:
Mister Reeve continued acting even after his riding accident. Heappeared in an award-winning television movie in nineteenninety-eight. In “Rear Window”, he played a man in a wheelchair whowatches a murder in a nearby building. Most recently, ChristopherReeve directed a television film and wrote two books. He diedOctober tenth at age fifty-two. He had suffered a severe infectionresulting from his inability to move.
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VOICE TWO:
Do you recognize that voice? Many Americans, especially olderones, would. Julia Child was welcomed into homes across the UnitedStates for years through her television show, “The French Chef.”
Julia Child was not French,however. She was born Julia McWilliams in Pasadena, California innineteen twelve. After college, Julia went to work for the UnitedStates’ intelligence agency, then called the Office of StrategicServices. 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 innineteen forty-six and later moved to Paris, France. Julia begantaking classes at the famous cooking school, Cordon Bleu. She becamefriends with two French students, Simone Beck and LouisetteBertholle. In time, the three began a cooking school of their own.
The Childs returned to America after about ten years. Julia keptworking with her French friends to write a cookbook. The women wrotewhat is probably the most famous French cookbook in English.”Mastering the Art of French Cooking” was published in nineteensixty-one. It was written for the average person. And the recipescalled for products that could be found easily in American foodstores.
VOICE TWO:
Julia Child was asked to talk about the book on a television showin Boston, Massachusetts. Instead, she cooked on the show. Thetelevision station asked Child to create her own cooking show. “TheFrench Chef” was first broadcast in nineteen sixty-three. It becamethe longest running show on American public television, with morethan two hundred episodes. Part of the show’s popularity was JuliaChild’s friendly personality. She made mistakes while cooking andshe did not try to hide them.
“The French Chef,” died in Montecito, California, on Augustthirteenth. She would have been ninety-two years old on Augustfifteenth.
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VOICE ONE:
Poet Mattie Stepanek lived for only thirteen years. But he had animportant effect on the world. Former President Jimmy Carter praisedthe young boy as “the most extraordinary person” he had ever known.
Mattie Stepanek lived inRockville, Maryland. He suffered from a rare form of amuscle-weakening disease called muscular dystrophy. This samedisease had killed his three brothers when Mattie died on Junetwenty-second.
Mattie’s goal in life was to help bring peace to the world. Atage three, he was already writing poetry. He began writing after oneof his brothers died.
A publisher printed two hundred copies of his collected poems intwo thousand one. The book was called “Heartsongs.” Before long,people across the country wanted copies. He wrote four more books ofpoetry. They have sold more than one million copies.
VOICE TWO:
Mattie appeared on television programs and became famous. But hewas 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 orangry. Here Mattie Stepanek reads from his poem “About Things ThatMatter.”
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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 ofninety-seven. She had sold beauty products for more than seventyyears. Her business, the Estee Lauder Companies, began on thestreets of New York City.
She was born Josephine Esther Mentzer in Queens, New York. Herparents had come to America from Hungary. They did not have muchmoney. But they did have a beautiful daughter.
Estee’s uncle was a chemist. Together, they worked to developskin care creams in the nineteen-twenties when Estee was still ateenager. She took her products to New York City and stopped womenon the street. She let them try the creams for free, calling theproducts “jars of hope.”
VOICE TWO:
Soon, young Estee was selling the products to large stores thatsold things to wealthy women. She wrote powerful marketing messagessuch as “I have the secrets” or “start the New Year with a newface.” She also used many smart sales tricks.
Estee Mentzer married Joseph Lauder in nineteen thirty. He becameher business partner. Estee Lauder once said, “I never dreamed aboutsuccess. I worked for it.” In nineteen ninety-five, she decided shehad worked long enough, so she retired. Today, her two sons and agrandson lead the Estee Lauder Companies. The business is worthabout ten thousand million dollars. It employs more than twentythousand people.
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VOICE ONE:
Singer Robert Merrill lived a long and musical life. He died athome in New York State on October twenty-third. Records say he waseither eighty-five or eighty-seven years old.
For thirty years, his rich baritone voice rang out at theMetropolitan Opera in New York City. Mister Merrill recorded popularmusic as well as opera music. He also played a leading part in themusical play “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Robert Merrill took pleasure in New York City life. He oftentraveled on the underground subway train to sing at the MetropolitanOpera. For many years, he sang America’s national song at theopening game of the New York Yankees baseball team.
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Mister Merrill was born in the Brooklyn area of New York in aboutnineteen seventeen. As a young man he worked in a poorly paid job inthe area of New York where clothing is made.
One day, he heard singers preparing for a performance of GiuseppeVerdi’s “La Traviata” at the Metropolitan Opera. On that day, theyoung man decided what he wanted to do with his life.
Robert Merrill worked and studied hard at his music. He sang atweddings and in hotels. In nineteen forty-five, the MetropolitanOpera hired Robert Merrill. His first performance was in “LaTraviata.” He sang more than five hundred performances of operasthere during his long life.
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VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson and Caty Weaver. Itwas produced by Caty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for another Peoplein America in VOA Special English.