PEOPLE IN AMERICA - We Profile Five Special People Who Died

PEOPLE IN AMERICA - We Profile Five Special People Who Died This Year
By Katherine Gypson and Caty Weaver¹

Broadcast: Sunday, December 18, 2005

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about five special people who died during the past year. We start with Johnny Carson. For millions of Americans, Johnny Carson was the last voice they heard before going to sleep at night.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

That was the music of the popular late night television show called "The Tonight Show." Johnny Carson became host of the show in nineteen sixty-two.

 
Johnny Carson
Carson was almost thirty-seven years old when he took over the show. But he had been entertaining people since he was a child. He was born in Corning, Iowa in nineteen twenty-five.As a young boy, Johnny discovered he was good at telling stories. He also became interested in magic. He performed his first public magic show when he was fourteen. He called himself "The Great Carsoni."

Johnny Carson began his career in television in his twenties. He worked at local stations in Nebraska. Several years later, he moved to Los Angeles, California. He was the host on several comedy shows during the nineteen fifties.

VOICE TWO:

But it was "The Tonight Show" that made Johnny Carson famous for thirty years. He became the most popular star of American television. He was called "the king of late night." Critics said Americans from all parts of the country liked him and felt they knew him. Carson seemed to be more like the people who watched his show than the actors, singers and other famous people who appeared on it.

He did not take his fame seriously. For example, when asked how he became a "star," he answered: "I started in a gaseous² state and I cooled."

Carson's special skill was his sense of humor. Audiences laughed at the jokes he made at the beginning of his show. However, sometimes they laughed even harder at the jokes that failed. He was the most powerful performer on television. Many comedians³ and singers became successful after appearing on "The Tonight Show."

Johnny Carson retired⁴ in nineteen ninety-two. He received many awards during his life. Carson died in January at the age of seventy-nine.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

"The Last of the Mohicans" is a famous nineteenth century historical novel. It ends with the death of the last Native American from the Mohegan tribe⁵. Gladys Tantaquidgeon, the most honored member of the tribe, let people know that the book was just a story.

In fact, her tribe has about one thousand seven hundred members. No one did more to protect the traditions and beliefs of the Mohegans than Tantaquidgeon.

She was born in eighteen ninety-nine in Uncasville, Connecticut. Gladys was educated in traditional Native American ways. The oldest members of the tribe taught the young girl herbal medicine, crafts and stories about Mohegan history. Tantaquidgeon went on to study anthropology⁶ at the University of Pennsylvania. She wrote books about Native American medicine and traditional beliefs.

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen thirty-one she started the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum in Connecticut. Today, it is the oldest museum in the country operated by Native Americans. Many schoolchildren have learned about Native American history at the museum.

Gladys Tantaquidgeon collected the tribal⁷ documents that helped the Mohegan regain⁸ official recognition⁹ from the federal government in nineteen ninety-four. Tantaquidgeon also served as the tribe's medicine woman. She was only the third woman to do so since eighteen fifty-nine.

Gladys Tantaquidgeon died in November at the age of one hundred six. Leaders from many Native American tribes¹⁰ said she was a great woman who carried out her goal of making sure that the history and culture of the Mohegan tribe survived.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

John H. Johnson was born in nineteen eighteen to a poor family in the state of Arkansas. He later owned the world's largest black-owned publishing company. And he was one of the richest African-American businessmen in the country. He died in March at the age of eighty-seven. People of all races mourned the man who had given African-Americans a voice by creating several very successful magazines.

 
John H. Johnson
John Johnson's mother believed that her son would grow up to be a great man. She moved the family to Chicago, Illinois so he could get a better education. Johnson attended the University of Chicago and went to work at an insurance company.

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen forty-two when he was just twenty-four years old, Johnson had an idea for a new kind of magazine, the Negro Digest. It would give African-Americans news about political, business and social issues. He used a five hundred dollar loan to start the magazine and worked hard to make it popular. Johnson believed that African-Americans needed to see positive images of themselves in the American media.

He later started two other successful magazines, Ebony and Jet. Johnson published books, owned radio stations and other companies. He also operated an organization that raised millions of dollars to help African-American students attend college.

John Johnson believed that his life was proof that hard work could overcome almost any problem and open almost any door.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

That was "Missus Robinson" a song about a character from the popular nineteen sixty-seven movie "The Graduate." Anne Bancroft played Missus Robinson, a woman who starts a sexual¹¹ relationship with a young man. She often said she was surprised that people remembered that one role when she had acted in more than fifty movies and plays. Her Italian immigrant parents named her Anna Maria Louisa Italiano when she was born in the Bronx, New York in nineteen thirty-one. From an early age, Anna knew that she wanted to become an actress. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

VOICE TWO:

Anne Bancroft went to Hollywood, California in nineteen fifty. The head of a movie studio changed her last name to Bancroft. She starred in a series of low budget movies. She also appeared in plays on Broadway in New York City. One of them was "The Miracle Worker."She played the teacher of the famous writer Helen Keller. In nineteen sixty-three, Bancroft won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film of "The Miracle Worker."

Anne Bancroft was one of the most honored actresses of her time. She died in June at age seventy-three. The director Mike Nichols praised her intelligence, humor, honesty and sense.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Writer and historian¹² Shelby Foote wrote a series of best-selling books about the American Civil War. His storytelling skills brought the Civil War to life for millions of readers. He died in June at the age of eighty-eight. Foote had mixed feelings about the American South. He was troubled by discrimination against African-Americans but also felt a great loyalty¹³ to his Southern ancestry¹⁴.

Shelby Foote was born in Greenville, Mississippi in nineteen sixteen. He loved reading and listening to stories about his ancestors who fought in the Civil War. He served in the United States Army and worked as a reporter. Then Foote wrote several fiction novels about American Southern life.

In the nineteen fifties, Shelby Foote began writing a three-book history of the Civil War. He wrote quickly, using an old-fashioned pen dipped in ink. It took him twenty years to complete the books. Together, they had more than one million words.

VOICE TWO:

Readers loved his way of writing about famous historical American leaders and generals as though they were characters in a novel. He became even better known in nineteen-ninety when he appeared in Ken¹⁵ Burns's popular television series about the Civil War. Foote had a strong southern accent. He told stories about Civil War battles as though he himself had been there.

At the end of his life, Foote was one of the most famous historians¹⁶ in the United States. When asked if he liked being famous, Foote answered: "It's fun…but I'm dead set against all the hoo-rah."

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Katherine Gypson and Caty Weaver. It was produced by Dana Demange. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 gaseous   

adj.气体的，气态的

参考例句：

• Air whether in the gaseous or liquid state is a fluid.空气，无论是气态的或是液态的，都是一种流体。
• Freon exists both in liquid and gaseous states.氟利昂有液态和气态两种形态。

3 comedians   

n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The voice was rich, lordly, Harvardish, like all the boring radio comedians'imitations. 声音浑厚、威严，俨然是哈佛出身的气派，就跟无线电里所有的滑稽演员叫人已经听腻的模仿完全一样。 来自辞典例句
• He distracted them by joking and imitating movie and radio comedians. 他用开玩笑的方法或者模仿电影及广播中的滑稽演员来对付他们。 来自辞典例句

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

6 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。

7 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

8 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

9 recognition   

n.承认，认可，认出，认识

参考例句：

• The place has changed beyond recognition.这地方变得认不出来了。
• A sudden smile of recognition flashed across his face.他脸上掠过一丝笑意，表示认识对方。

10 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

12 historian   

n.历史学家，编史家

参考例句：

• As a historian,he was most typical of the times in which he lived.作为历史学家，他是他所处时代最有代表性的人物。
• He calls himself a historian,but his books are a mere journalism.他自称为历史学家，但是他的书都是些肤浅的通俗作品。

13 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

14 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

15 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

16 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。