My mother calls to tell me that I am famous. It must be true, because my name appeared in the Appleton [Wisconsin] "Post-Crescent" newspaper. On the same page as Willem Dafoe.
Mom tells me, “Here I was reading about Billy Dafoe on the front page of the paper, and then I turn to page 2, and there YOU are!” Side note: that would be Billy Dáfoe, pronounced, “DAY-foe”, who grew up and went to high school with my older sisters in Appleton, and then became an actor with a slightly modified name: Willem Dafóe, pronounced “duh-FOE”.
Yes, folks, it’s true. I shared a page with Billy Dafoe, er, Willem Dafoe; OK, so he got the front and I got the back.
It seems the story of my good deeds with Chuck has hit the newsprint media. In case you don’t know the events surrounding it, you may refer back to this blog entry: "We All Do Better". In a nutshell, I met Chuck, our neighborhood do-gooder, at the vet. His cat had just died, he was beside himself with grief, and couldn’t afford a new cat, so I started a GoFundMe account. We raised almost $3000 for the adopting and care of this cat. Which really proves that I merely started the good deed, and the neighborhood expanded on it exponentially.
Anyway, the St. Paul Pioneer Press published a story about this. And truth be told, the story was really about Chuck, as it should have been, but my name was mentioned. And that was enough to catch my adoring mother’s eye. Here’s a link to the story: "Chuck and His New Kitty".
The story must have been put in the AP vault of “feel-good stories”, which other AP newspapers could access for fillers. Thus, the Appleton "Post-Crescent". And the “Seattle Times” and the “Idaho State Journal” and the “Globe Gazette” in Mason City, Iowa. It appeared in an astonishing number of newspapers.
Which is all proof that good news travels far and wide. Which, in this age, is a very reassuring thing to know. Because heaven knows, we are bombarded daily with the bad stuff.
So, Willem and I actually have many things in common. We both grew up in Appleton. We both knew my big sisters. We both appeared in our hometown newspaper, and we both help spread good news. Actually, Willem’s news is a mixed bag – always good acting, and almost always a good movie, but not always uplifting news, (have you seen The English Patient?). Oh, and at least for one brief shining moment, in my case, we were both celebrities in our little hometown, at least according to my mother.
I was proud to share a page with him. I'm sure he wishes his mother was around to share the good news with him too.