Sad news on Paul Newman

I've been to Hole in the Wall Gang a total of nine times, the first seven as a camper and the last two as a counselor. Today my family and I are extremely sad. The first time I went to camp, I was a scared and sick eight-year old kid. When I returned home, my mother asked me if I had seen Paul Newman.

"Who?" I asked. Both my parents were floored. They made me sit down almost immediately and watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The next time I saw Newman, he and Mrs. Woodward sat and had dinner at my table. I was the only kid---of the ten at the table---to recognize him. That night I bothered the hell out of him with questions about Cool Hand, Butch, etc., but he answered every question and seemed to only want to talk about me. He had a rule with camp employees---they couldn't make a fuss about him when he showed up on campgrounds. You could nod, which I did when I worked there, but you couldn't tell the kids who he was. He didn't want to be hero-worshipped.

Here's something interesting---if you ever see a Newman character in a bar or drinking an alcoholic beverage in any movie he did past 1988-ish, he's drinking a Budweiser or sitting near a Budweiser sign. Why? Budweiser donated the beautiful mess hall that feeds 2,000 kids a year.

I could go on and on about camp, but tonight, I'm sad thinking about Paul Newman. If you're ever looking to volunteer somewhere and go to a magical place, spend a week at camp. Kids with cancer, HIV, sickle cell, hemophilia, diabetes and some of the worst medical conditions you've never heard of (except the Good Doc), and all of them are on top of the world for seven days. They even have an annual session for the siblings of the patients.

I'm not a religious man, but I'm coming close to saying a prayer for Paul Newman tonight.

 

Cool Hand Luke and the Hustler are among my top 20 all-time movies.
The final scene in Cool Hand Luke is extremely memorable.

 

"Sometimes a Great Notion." Underappreciated gem.