• From the New York Times this morning:
"Jean Kennedy Smith, a sister of the Kennedy clan who as the United States ambassador to Ireland in the 1990s helped pave the way for a formal agreement to end decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, died on Wednesday at her home in Manhattan. She was 92."
The Times writes that "Ms. Smith was the youngest and last-surviving sibling in a family that embedded itself in the American consciousness and wrote itself into American history, producing a president and senators and an unrivaled mystique fashioned out of political glory, personal charisma, great wealth and staggering tragedy."
• Vera Lynn, the British singer who became known as Britain's Wartime Forces' Sweetheart during World War II, sounding notes of optimism with performances in places like the London Palladium, on a BBC radio show, as well as in front of the troop in India and Burma, has passed away. She was 103.
The BBC writes this morning that during the war, she was "one of the country's most potent symbols of resilience and hope … As Britain's cities came under attack, her wistful songs, with their messages of yearning and optimism, were heard in millions of British homes."
Ironically, as the UK dealt with the pandemic, one of her most popular tunes, "We'll Meet Again," used by Queen Elizabeth II in a televised speech meant to rally the British people.
- KC's View:
-
"We'll Meet Again" is a great song, and so evocative of the World War II era. Listen to it, and see if you can get it out of your mind…
