Sunday Salute IX

Helen Hayes

In 1962 Helen Hayes appeared with Maurice Evans at the recital entitled "Shakespeare Revisited: A Program for Two Players" at State College of Iowa (now the University of Northern Iowa).  I was a student there at that time and involved with the Theater group.  It was a great school to attend and the cultural opportunities were impressive.  This was one of the highlights for me. Especially because I was able to speak with Miss Hayes in the basement of the Theater building.  I do not remember the entire conversation, only that we spoke and she was gracious, charming and did not treat me like she had somewhere else to be.  I am certain that she made everyone she spoke with feel that way because that was part of her charm.  Her ability to connect with her audience, whether in a large theater or one to one was another part. 


Wikipeda says:
Helen Hayes Brown (October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. Hayes also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, from President Ronald Reagan in 1986. In 1988, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.  Link

• "The hardest years in life are the ones that live upon life itself." (age 64)

• "If you rest, you rust." (ca. age 60)

• Age is not important unless you're a cheese.

• The truth is that there is only one terminal dignity - love. And the story of a love is not important - what is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of eternity.
  

• "From your parents you learn love and laughter and how to put one foot in front of the other. But when books are opened you discover you have wings."

• "I'm absolutely crazy about life...about the value of living and doing. I have a belief, too, that's there's another world out there and that one day I will be joining Charlie and Mary (the daughter who died at 19 from polio) and other people I love, and it consoles me to think about that.

• My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success.

• Mere longevity is a good thing for those who watch Life from the side lines. For those who play the game, an hour may be a year, a single day's work an achievement for eternity.

Previous Salutes
Marion Wright Edelman
Bishop Gene Robinson
Bishop Desmond Tutu
Rachel Carson
Helen Keller
Martin Luther King, Jr
Dalai Lama
Dag Hammarskjold