Composed and posted on March 29, 2016
In what appears to be a rash of such occurrences, I note that Patty Duke passed away today. Many of us remember her from her remarkable role as Helen Keller in the movie The Miracle Worker. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in that role.
Others will remember her television show, The Patty Duke Show, wherein she played twin cousins. Others will be grateful for her for being the mother of Sean Astin, the inspirational Rudy from the movie Rudy, and the sturdy and stalwart Sam from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And still others will remember her as the second woman president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). You can read about her achievements at
However, what I will remember her for was her rather brave stand on mental health awareness. She was candid about her own battles with depression and encouraged others to seek treatment and therapy for their own battles. As such, I recommend the following as the obituary that everyone should read
And, for me, I will always remember the impact that one of her greatest acting triumphs had on me as a teenager. Her touching performance in the made for television movie My Sweet Charlie earned Duke her first Emmy Award and the images from that movie still resonate some 46 years later.
Rest in
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
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