Showing posts with label Robert Hudson Westover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Hudson Westover. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

A Dream in the Desert leads to an art career in Paris

By Robert Hudson Westover

The Joshua trees were darkly silhouetted against a faint yet deep shade of blue—a color James Purpura would never forget. When he woke up from the dream, in the desert outside Palm Springs, he didn’t know it at the time, but this hue of blue would haunt him beyond just a day of contemplating this unique vision.

He became obsessed with it and bought paints to mix and find it.

A new language of blue.

A new language of art.

A work by James Purpura. One of 13 that will be exhibited 
this November in Palm Springs.

Paris, 20 years later and my husband and I are walking the storied boulevard Rivoli on our way to the Louvre. We were in no rush, having been to the awe-inspiring former “other” palace home of the Sun King, when just a few blocks away, we spotted a rather strange looking building that stood out from the very well-kept limestone and marble facades of Rivoli.


I mean really stood out as in huge blue humanoid looking statues climbing up the façade.

Curious as he is my husband wanted to go for a closer inspection. He was utterly fascinated. I wasn’t. Just another weird art gallery, I thought as we entered the foyer of 59 Rivoli, a former hotel now covered in paint of multiple colors and a strange assortment of odd-looking art. Everywhere. As we ascended the stairs of the seven-story structure, we soon discovered that there were at least 30 artists of varying talent either displaying or creating their art.

As we looked at the amazing, contemplative and wonderous works I remembered one of the lessons I learned when I worked at the NationalEndowment for the Arts in Washington, DC: Every new great artist must distinguish themselves from the past and other artists. To break new ground, they need to speak a new language of art.

As we turned a tight corner in the maze-like complex, we stumbled on James Purpura’s studio and looked into colors in such placement as I have never seen before, an interpretation of reality both surreal and accurate and that blue. That Purpura blue.

Lucky for us James had just come back from an errand and we struck up a conversation. Somewhere in between James’ normal pitch to sell his art to us, and me being pulled into his alternate realties on canvas, I thought, “I not only want to buy one of his works, I want to help promote him.”

James Purpura's surreal take on the
Eiffel Tower in this painting is one of his most
well know works.

As a fulltime PR specialist, I was in no position to commit fulltime, but I went to work talking James up to anyone and everyone in the art world I happened upon. Then, when James was given the distinct honor of having his work displayed by the city of Paris in the 5th district across the street from the famed Pantheon I wrote a blog which has been viewed over 5000 times—for a yet-to-be, world-famous artist this is a big number. 

I know enough about art to know that James is the real thing. All I can say to those thinking of buying his work is to do it now. It won’t be long before the whole world knows about the dream in the desert.





Monday, June 28, 2021

This Pride Month I Honor LQBTQ Hero Frank Kameny


Let us never forget that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Frank Kameny's efforts to fight for Gay Rights throughout his long life means we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Yes, Gay is Good! 
Watch my tribute video: Happy Pride!





Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Beware Trogs! @lordwestover Twitter Site Has Over 4000 Lordiacs


By Robert Hudson Westover

The Vast Estate (and me!) are very pleased to announce that the Lord Westover Twitter account, @lordwestover, has over 4000 followers, or Lordiacs, as I like to refer to fans of His Lordship.

So, you may ask, why did I start the Lord Westover Find Your Inner Nobility performance art piece?

It all started many, many years ago when, as a young Trog, I was introduced to a woman who changed my life. She gave me a gift that has sustained me throughout my life for which I am eternally grateful. This gift was an awakening of something we all have within us: our inner nobility.

A high-born Russian countess (for real), this woman, Olga C Morgan, was uniquely qualified to take a very rough-hewn character and make him into someone who would lead a productive and useful life.

It could have so easily gone the other way (really easily!)

Unidentified Trog (believed to be this Steven Tyler person)
Attempts to congratulate His Lordship upon hearing
the news of the growing followers of @lordwestover Twitter Site
Since Olga’s passing I find myself constantly drawing on the wisdom she imparted to me to guide decisions, shape my behavior and most of all, to provide me strength. I now realize this noble teaching, this framework of higher life ideals, can be used by others to help them overcome their own life challenges and ignite the spirit of inner nobility that burns within.

And it can be funny, too!

As an artist, I sought out an array of ways to bring this noble awareness to others. Then it hit me! Why not use comedic (that means funny) performance art? What better way to see the impact on fellow Trogs but to actually witness it! (Of course, Lord Westover is not a Trog, obviously.)

I started with a Nobility Oath based on Lowell’s Be Noble quote and created the character Lord Westover to administer it. I then recruited others (seriously, I did) to play the roles they most thought brought out (or didn’t!) their inner nobility.

We “opened” our first “performance” at the Jon Stewart Rally on the National Mall (that’s Washington, DC, not the Mall of America.)

The impact went far beyond our expectations. I named our performance art piece Find Your Inner Nobility and it received national attention with many wanting to take the Nobility Oath!  

Later that year I then created a blog and developed the Ask a Lord column taking “questions” from both “noble” and “trog” alike. The timing could not have been more appropriate for shortly thereafter the horrific Tucson shootings of Congresswoman Giffor, her staff and bystanders, shined a white-hot
spotlight on the growing incivility taking hold in our national discourse.

That year, the Washington Post asked readers to submit their one minute “State of the Union” address. Lord Westover’s speech, addressing incivility, was one of only three to be posted by the newspaper and by far received the most hits.

Our next installation (of sorts) was to take the concept of Inner Nobility to a medium most familiar now to American audiences: the reality show venue. We called it American Monarch  (yes, I know, it congers up so many amazing images!) and created a ten minute “sizzle real” and a “promotional” trailer.

At the same time both comedic and profound, I think Find Your Inner Nobility breaks new ground and goes to the core of why so many of us want to be and do good things (really, most of us do).

Discovering one’s inner nobility has very little to do with the bling (well, not entirely) and societal positioning (ok, maybe not entirely) that Lord Westover possess. It has everything to do with the intrinsic desire we all have in us to be noble as we best understand what nobility means to us.

Here’s to four thousand more Lordiacs!


Monday, December 17, 2012

Mental Illness + Guns = Death


How 10 minutes with Chris Matthews has challenged me to fight for gun control

By Robert Hudson Westover

The recent massacre of innocent children and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, will haunt our nation for years to come.

It should.

The horrific tragedy that overtook our country last Friday has perhaps convulsed the American people into taking stronger action at stricter gun control measures.

At least I hope so.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak with legendary liberal commentator Chris Matthews, and the subject of getting serious action on gun control came up.

This wasn't the usual forum for an intense discussion on such a heated issue. It was a book signing for Chris Matthews’ Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero at Politics and Prose in  Washington, DC and that was all—no lecture and no Q&A. However, a chance meeting with my former colleague would change all that. Paula Terry and I hadn't seen each other in years but I remembered her as a staunch advocate of liberal causes.

Robert Westover with Chris Mathews
She would not disappoint.

Before my and Paula’s encounter with Mr. Matthews no one dared to get “real” with the MSNBC political pundit.

The married couple in front of Paula and me knew Mr. Matthews and Chris thanked the gentleman, who had years ago apparently enlisted him in Toastmasters, thus changing his life, while the two men worked together on Capitol Hill.

Then it was my turn.

My clever way of “gettin’ jiggy” with the liberal icon was to mention we knew someone in common. I’ve been working on a book called Lessons in Nobility based on my memories of a friendship I had with a Russian Countess, who was Hugh “Yusha”D. Auchincloss III’s aunt (still with me?) Chris and Yusha are friends and I reached out to Mr. Auchincloss last summer to let him know of my intentions to publish these memories and we have since become pen pals. As many readers know, Yusha is Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ beloved older stepbrother and since Mr. Matthews’ book signing was about JFK—I went with it.

It worked. We spoke a little bit about getting together with Yusha at the famed Metropolitan Club and I got my photo op.

But Paula really got things going.

She wanted a clearer understanding as to why we Americans don’t have a stronger legislative commitment on preventing the sales of semi-automatic weapons. Matthews answered with a question, “What politician is going to risk losing his seat for supporting gun control?”


Paula Terry with Chris Matthews
Paula wasn't giving up, “Someone needs to take stronger action,” she insisted, “Times have changed and many gun supporters have since lost their seats…”

Matthews said back, “Who?”

At this point I jumped in and said, “We need more guys like me. I’m a third generation Marine. I grew up with a profound respect for guns. I want them registered…”

“And most cops agree with you…” Matthews added and then said what I feel is going to give the vital emotional connect to reach the minds of rational folks all over our country on some type of gun control, “Mentally ill people should not be allowed to own assault rifles.”

“That’s it. That’s the tagline,” I said. And then added, “Mental Illness + Guns = Death.” (At the posting of this blog, a Google Search indicated this exact tagline has not been used or trademarked.)

Feeling erudite I added, “If we accept the argument that semi-automatic rifles fit the circumstances of Second Amendment era muskets and primitive revolvers, the fact that we experience the insanity of mass murder from the mentally ill then perhaps we should not be shocked when they are turned against us.”

By this point another fan had bravely approached with that agitated look of “get a room” on his face. Our time to move on had come, but thanks to Paula and Chris I now have a tagline that I can develop into an awareness campaign and, with God’s help, work to prevent another Newtown massacre of the innocents.  

And I think I've already begun...

Tags: Chris Matthews, Hardball, MSNBC, #newtown @chrismatthews, Robert Hudson Westover, Yusha Auchincloss, gun control #guncontrol

Friday, September 23, 2011

Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal wedding coverage: Americans watched and sighed

I'm quoted extensively in this post royal wedding article in the Christian Science Monitor. They really make me sound smarter than I am!!! God Save the Queen!
Royal wedding coverage: Americans watched and sighed

Royal wedding coverage: Americans watched and sighed
Americans who watched the royal wedding coverage say they appreciated the elegance and traditions of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge.
Britain's Prince William and and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, travel to Buckingham Palace in a 1902 State Landau carriage after the royal wedding at Westminster Abbey, London, Friday.
Peter Jordan / AP
By Gloria Goodale, Staff writer / April 29, 2011
Los Angeles
William and Kate are wed. Half a world away, Americans from Washington to Los Angeles roused themselves to watch the hour-long ceremony broadcast live and in HD from Westminster Abbey. While denizens of the former colony sometimes carp about oppressive British traditions, those who breakfasted on the event showed a genuine sense of appreciation for the restrained elegance that ran through the moment.
“It was really beautiful,” says Nathalie DeWulf Miller, a naturalized US citizen born in France. She turned on the TV while her husband slept in their Southern California home. “I knew Kate would have long sleeves because every royal wedding dress has had them,” says Ms. Miller, “but it was so elegant and modern.” The choice of gown was decidedly not what Diana and Fergie chose, she adds, “not over the top at all.”
On the other coast, third-generation ex-Marine Robert Westover fired up his wide-screen, high-definition TV to enjoy what he calls a celebration of the best parts of royal traditions. “It encapsulated a thousand years of British history from William the Conqueror – who was crowned in the Abbey – all the way through Chaucer and Milton,” says the Washington, D.C., resident. “I am not a monarchist or even a royalist,” he says, but “this is the country that gave the world the Magna Carta, laying out the rights of man for the whole civilized western world.” Respect is due this heritage, he says, “even if I firmly believe in electing all my own leaders.”
Being of British descent, Mr. Westover says, it’s the least courtesy he can accord his mother country. Besides, he says, as a former Marine, respect is a professional courtesy. “When British Marines set fire to Washington in 1812,” he says with a laugh, “the one building they did not torch was the Marine commandant’s home.”
Watching from her Detroit-area home, author and social scientist Terri Orbuch says she was impressed with the lack of ostentation. “No big-name celebrity performers or modern vows written by the bride and groom,” she says, although she does concede that walking out of a church to see a crimson-lined carriage drawn by white horses “may just be every little girl’s wedding dream.”
She says she was struck by the obvious connection between William and Kate. “Their body language – small looks and glances between them – spoke volumes about how united they feel in this union,” says the author of "Five Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great."
While the Bible verses and traditional passages from church officials suffused the ceremony with a traditional hue, the relationship at the heart of the wedding is completely modern, “a paring of equals,” she says, very unlike the distant, somewhat tense relationship on display in the Prince Charles and Diana nuptials.
She hopes that watchers will absorb the importance of a calm and mature bond at the heart of the wedding. Nonetheless, she adds, a more likely take-away will be yet another upgrade for any self-respecting modern wedding: “No doubt, we will see some brides demanding their very own horse-drawn carriage complete with footmen,” she adds with a rueful laugh.

Royal wedding: Women see romance, men see history. Both like the story.

I'm quoted in the CS Monitor about the royal wedding...please don't tell Lord Westover!
Royal wedding: Women see romance, men see history. Both like the story.

Royal wedding: Women see romance, men see history. Both like the story.
Royal wedding pageantry around William and Kate's big day is here, and men and women are focusing on different aspects. But the appeal of the basic story line means both will be watching.
· Royal wedding: A flag showing a picture of Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton flutters in the wind. Men and Women in the US are both interested in the royal wedding, but their reasons are very different. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
By Gloria Goodale, Staff writer / April 28, 2011
Los Angeles
Will and Kate’s big day is almost here. But while Americans of all ages and professions have beenfeasting regularly and deeply on this banquet of public pageantry, one thing has become quite clear – men and women are sipping from decidedly different cups.
Women have a slight edge when it comes to celebrating the event. According to thehotlist.com, a “social decision engine” that tracks the activities of some 100 million users across social media such as Facebook and Twitter, women make up some 57 percent of those planning social events to watch the wedding broadcast.
For the men who are tuning in, their interest is more geared to the externals – historical details and symbolism – says Thomas Smith, an Atlanta-based public relations professional.
“I’ve been following the coverage in print and online,” he says, adding, “I’m very intrigued by the pageantry and processions and preparations.” Adds Robert Westover, a 40-something ex-Marine from Washington, D.C. “I’m very keen on the symbolism of who sits where and the remarkable history of the buildings and all the ceremonies.”
Head/heart split
There are powerful evolutionary and social reasons for this head/heart split between men and women, says Patrick Markey, director of Villanova University’s Interpersonal Research Laboratory.
Social learning reinforces the message. “Think about what we expose daughters to,” he says, adding every day “we read them a fairy tale about a prince or they hear a Disney story about Prince Charming or watch a movie about Cinderella.” These two combine for a very powerful influence both conscious and not, he says.
However, that said, many women are relieved to know that this time around Prince Charming isn’t looking for an aristocratic, pretty virgin 13 years his junior, says Stephanie Coontz, professor of history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., via email.
Rather, he is looking for an equally educated, same-age mate that he's known for 8 years, she says. “I am seeing more interest from these women this time around – they find it reassuring that the heir to the throne picked a real-life person with a mind of her own rather than a cartoon fairy-tale princess,” she adds.
Women from coast to coast are gathering in groups of girlfriends and multiple generations. From quiltmaker Roberta Levin, who watched Diana and Charles wed thirty years ago and wants to see her son come full circle, to public relations professional Elizabeth Anderson, who will watch surrounded by a bevy of female relatives, from her daughter to her mother and a slew of in-laws and nieces.
In the end, though, the story draws in both men and women, says Beth Amorosi, president of Ammo Communications.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Thanks for the memories...




March 28, 2010 – Dan Trachtenberg, Chairman of the SS United States Foundation, recently announced the organization would cease operations “in order to present the most unified, concise vision possible regarding the future of our beloved vessel…” The Foundation website will now direct visitors to the SS United States Conservancy site and will encourage its membership to support Conservancy efforts on behalf of the ship.


It’s safe to say that the Foundation re-introduced the American public to the history and plight of our great national flagship and for that, true believers in the SS United States should be deeply thankful.


“They really did a lot to kick-start the movement to save this irreplaceable national icon,” said Dan McSweeney, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Conservancy. “Dan Trachtenberg has been a part of the SS United States preservation movement for well over ten years and he’s never waivered in lending an encouraging word to those who share his vision for saving the ship at any and all costs.”


The Foundation scored major media placements in the late 1990s and early 2000s under the leadership of Robert Hudson Westover, who founded the organization.


“Robert’s efforts will not be forgotten. His enthusiasm attracted many supporters who went off to pursue their own efforts on behalf of the ship,” said McSweeney. “He was a resonant voice in support of a deep and strong vision to ensure this great ship is not lost.”


The Conservancy thanks the Foundation for its many years on behalf of the “Big Ship.” We are glad to be combining the different organizations that have worked to ”Save Our Ship” and understand the importance of unified effort, both in order to maximize impacts and minimize confusion about how members of the public can join the cause of ensuring the SS United States is not lost to future generations of Americans.


“This is a time for unity,” said Conservancy Board President Susan Gibbs. “There is much hard work to be done.”

Thursday, September 3, 2009

RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE S.S. UNITED STATES FOUNDATION

Whereas, Robert H. Westover has tirelessly dedicated himself to thepreservation of the S.S. United States for many years without pay;
Whereas, he has provided inspiring leadership for fellow supporters ofthe S.S. United States and exemplified the spirit of volunteerism at itsfinest;
Whereas, he deserves credit for being a public face for this worthycause in the national media and is responsible for stirring publicawareness and attention;
Whereas, he will be moving on from the leadership of the S.S. UnitedStates Foundation;
Be it resolved by the Board of Directors of the Foundation, that weexpress our deep and profound gratitude for his dedication and inspiredefforts on behalf of her preservation and express our determination tocontinue on the path that he has pioneered for us.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Chairman Westover Stepping Down

Effective upon the announcement by the board of directors of the SS United States Foundation of a new leader, I will no longer serve as Chairman of the SS United States Foundation. It’s been an incredible twelve years and I have been honored to lead and inspire those seeking to Save the United States. When news arrived that Norwegian Cruise Lines would no longer attempt to refit the Big U, I knew a tremendous effort would have to be launched to bring the type of attention needed to make an 11th hour and 59th minute rescue necessary.
However, after over a decade of countless hours working to save our great national flagship, I knew I didn’t have the stamina for another full throttled battle. Unfortunately, my doctor confirmed this and without getting into details, I need to ease my load somewhat—at least for now. But don’t think for a minute I’ve completely resigned my effort. I will continue to fight on through social marketing efforts and occasional visits to thought influencers when and where the board of directors deems it appropriate.
Our accomplishments over these twelve years have been tremendous. Some of the highlights include:
•Placement of the SS United States on the National Register of Historic Places •Two front page national sections stories in the New York Times (the first such national coverage in nearly fifty years) •Repeat national and international broadcast exposure on ABC World News Tonight, CNN Live and the World News Service of the BBC •The Addy award winning advertising campaign “Save the United States” •Yahoo.com’s 2003 “Website of the Day” for http://www.ssunitedstates.org/ •The book “SS United States Fastest Ship in the World” now in its third printing •And, most importantly, building a national movement from scrap with an active membership and supporters base of thousands!
If this ship is saved, it will not be because of any one person, or even an one organization, it will be because we as a group of dedicated enthusiasts inspired a nation to save one of it’s most unique and irreplaceable treasures. I will go down with this ship. I will not give up the fight. God bless all of you and God “Save the United States”!
Robert Hudson Westover Founding Chairman SS United States Foundation Washington, DC
Some of the latest stuff:
Turning Publish is reprinting the popular “SS United States Fastest Ship in the World”! To get a copy go to: http://www.turnerpublishing.com/detail.aspx?ID=528 This two-hundred page plus coffee table book contain more photos and color pictures than any other book ever printed about the SS United States. It’s considered a most have by maritime historians and a most read by ocean liner enthusiasts.
Recent Media on the effort to Save the United States:
The Examiner
Help save the SS United States tonight at IKEA South Philly The SS United States Conservancy and IKEA South Philadelphia will join together tonight for an Outreach Event and Campaign Update focusing on the preservation and restoration of the cruise liner/naval auxiliary ship, the SS United States. Beginning at 6 until 8 p.m., a buffet dinner and program discussing the vessel’s history and future will occur at IKEA South Philadelphia Restaurant and Café, 2206 South Columbus Boulevard, which provides a waterfront view of the ship and Pier 81 on the Delaware River where she is docked. For the full story go to: http://www.examiner.com/x-10357-Philadelphia-Cultural-Events-Examiner~y2009m7d31-Help-save-the-SS-United-States-tonight-at-IKEA-South-Philly
ABC News
PHILADELPHIA - July 30, 2009 -- Philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest has pledged a $300,000 matching grant to help a nonprofit buy a historic cruise ship that is rusting away on Philadelphia's waterfront. (The comment about the SS United States Foundation is incorrect. The event mentioned was hosted by the SS United States Conservancy) For the full story go to:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6940350
The Post and Courier Ship lovers fear fabled liner lost
Bill Wood has marveled at the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley. But the fate that likely awaits the cruise ship S.S. United States has left him and other ship enthusiasts from the Carolinas teetering on depression. For the full story go to:
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/feb/18/ship_lovers_fear_fabled_liner_lost72017/
South Philly Review Shipping out
Before the SS United States relocated to her current home of the last 13 years at Pier 82 across from IKEA, she was moored for about a week a bit farther south at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. For the full story go to:
http://www.southphillyreview.com/view_article.php?id=8519

Friday, October 26, 2007

A Silent Casualty -- Published in The Washington Post and The San Diego Union Tribune

My Grand Mother and Me

















Links to the story:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071104/news_lz1j04grace.html
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2007/11/the_daily_goodbye_1.html

My grandmother didn’t make it this time. The stress from the fires incinerating hundreds of thousands of acres in Southern California (power outages, false evacuation orders, fear of losing her home--again) was too much this time. She’d already come close to losing her home twice in the past, the flames literally lapping the deck of her home in Pine Valley, CA during the terrible fire there so many years ago. Then there was the Cedar Fire four years ago (the flames only made it as far as the property line this time.) Lucky? Invulnerable? Immortal, perchance?

I guess I figured she would easily make it through this time. I mean the fire was far enough away from Descanso this time and even though she had suffered a heart attack a month before she seemed to be improving and so I didn’t get the plane ticket for the requisite “last time” visit (even though I have plenty of frequent flyer miles).

At 93, grandma Grace had seen so much. Her childhood was haunted by the First World War, the Spanish Flu and then the Great Depression. Yet, as many of her generation did, she rose to the occasion and reinvented herself from a simple farm girl to the wife of a Marine Corps officer who would hold the rank of major and serve as the provost marshal for the island of Formosa (now Taiwan).

And then a heart attack some 40 odd years ago nearly killed her but as always she pulled through. Her only son, my father, died 12 years ago but grandma exhibited the stoic fortitude of another generation and comforted me more than I did her at Dad’s funeral.

So when grandpa called to tell me it was different this time, I found myself incredulous. “She’ll pull through—like always—she’ll make it. I know she will,” I kept convincing myself as more and more excuses here in Washington, DC kept from making that trip back home.

Then Wednesday evening I got the phone call from grandpa, the one that isn’t just the “how ya doin’” kind of chat. There it was. She was dead. The fires won this time--or so it seemed. She collapsed in my grandpa’s arms, never coming out of a coma, at the home she lived in for decades and was damned and determined to die in, with just she and grandpa. “I’m going first,” she would often kid with him—she wasn’t kidding after all. It was a fitting end to a 70 year love affair. 70 years.

Simple to say, the grief I feel is deep, like the throbbing pain of a terrible headache that won’t let up, but I can’t even begin to know how grandpa must feel. To lose a loved one is never easy, we all know it, those of us who have passed through death’s relentless emotional gauntlet, but to lose a loved one because of a terrible natural disaster (directly or indirectly) triggers emotions I’m not familiar with and hope never to have again--feelings of anger, confusion and hopelessness. I hear myself repeating the words of those I’ve seen express their grief after a loved one was murdered, “This shouldn’t have happened this way.”

My grandmother was recovering. I believe she could have lived another five, seven maybe ten more years. Or was it time to go? I’m certain I will be sorting this out for a long time and may never come to terms with the disaster that enveloped California and brought an end to my grand mother’s life.

Perhaps had she and grandpa opted to live in a retirement community in a safer urban area of San Diego County, and not at the edge of the Cleveland National Forest, she would be alive today, but that wouldn’t have been the woman I’ve came to call “Grandma Grace Under Fire”. Yes, the fires that still rage across Southern California took my grand mother’s life, but it didn’t take her soul. And that soul, her spirit, will live on through her family for many generations to come.

Robert Westover,
Washington, DC