There's been more and more passings that I see now of the figures from the entertainment industry. Of course it's an eventuality for all of us. From the times in school, maybe more so than now, there were lots of television, radio and music persons that had some long standing visibility, and were a part of the culture at the time. That's what this sort of posting recognizes and I will make entries as more come up- maybe even go back to recall some who have already passed on, too.
James Arness, actor. and star of the western series, "Gunsmoke," that ran from 1955 to 1975, died last week at the age of (May 26, 1923 to June 3, 2011) at the age of 88. There's a summary that gives you a bit of information on the actor and the television show - "Legendary ‘Gunsmoke’ Actor James Arness Dies At Age 88." http://www.etidbits.com/legendary-gunsmoke-actor-james-arness-dies-at-age-88=4600
As usual, Wikipedia has more details on Jame Arness: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Arness
This was something of a classic show on tv that I remember watching over many years, with this show, Gunsmoke, being the longest running westerm amid a flood of western shows, many memorable and created during period in the 60s. James Arness' brother was Peter Graves, a star in hsi own right, heading a cost of another show of major popularity, "Mission Impossible," and more recently known for the "Airplane" movies and "Police Squad" movies and television sitcom.
We all have memories from our younger days that came along with our time in school, from elementary to high school and beyond. My school years now are moving back to an older era as each year passes, and that's the way for us all, even if we don't feel older. The passings of entertainment figures reminds us of that aging and maybe gives us cause to try to enjoy the present even more now with whatever time we all have left.
More than a morbid view, this is to say we should all work to make a difference of some level, for our families or society. And to be specific, it should be a "positive" kind of difference. We all know that there are loads of people who seem to have the purpose of making their mark on the day with criminal activity, too often considered by them and their peers as an "accomplishment."
So, from in my view, that's not what we are here for, and shifting the balance of things for our younger people, especially, to know that they have the choice of direction to go and the positive side is what is right. Too often- and here's the school teacher kind of view coming out- parents don't get involved with even small things that can guide their children. Leaving their children to learn all in school is not the way to go. Would you let some strangers have complete control over your money decisions? Then why drop out of the picture for your kids, something of more value than money, and let "someone else" show them what's important in life?
Teachers aren't supposed to be baby sitters or substitutes for parents but it's often what happens. I have seen too many students looking for guidance that they are not getting from home. We do help others, but family needs to be the big factor if you want to see success at any level of life. Teachers and school can only help for part of each day. What parents and family are doing matters as a huge influence, and it can be a bad influence that's being shown, as you can see with some accepting gangster outcomes, or worse, encouraging it.
So, back to the passing of James Arness, and what this has to do with what I mentioned. It was a reminder of the past when we were young and had a lot more choices than now and a reminder of the past when things seemed simpler and more innocent that today's life.
We can't change the past that gave us our experiences and memories. We can, however, affect the present and do that on many levels. The first one needs to be our young people. These will be the ones who will soon be taking over from us who are already, or will become, the older generation. It would be a good idea to equip them with the tools and the "good" side of values to help them in the future decisions that they will make for themselves and for others. Recognizing that the responsibility for that needs to be accepted by us will go a long way to improve life overall.
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