Dr. Linda Godwin

Linda Godwin, Ph.D., joined NASA in 1980, where she worked in the Payload Operations Division. 

Dr. Godwin became a NASA astronaut in 1986, and is among the very few female astronauts who have completed space walks. 

She has logged more than 38 days in space on four space flights. Two of those flights were aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, the other two on Space Shuttle Atlantis.


Photograph © 2012 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Cedric Hurtt

Cedric I. Hurtt's long-held secret caused him great anxiety: He could barely read or write. He was functionally illiterate. In his first year of college, he was finally diagnosed with dyslexia.

His teachers had worked with him, "but none of them got any good results out of me. Back in the 1960's, no one knew what dyslexia was, not in Kansas City, anyway." It was not until Cedric was in his late 20's that he found help at Literacy Kansas City.

Even then, it took 11 years of hard work. "I have dyslexia, it plays tricks on you. It really played tricks on my mind." One week he would be reading well, the next week, "horrible."
"For 35 years of my life, I did not feel a part of it. I was walking around hoping no one would find out my big secret."

Presently, Cedric has two sons in college, owns a thriving business, and has written and illustrated two books. The first book, “I Look Up To My Dad”, is about a journey through childhood with father and son. The second book is, “Our First Business Venture”, which centers around two brothers thinking about starting a business.

“Knowing how to read is the greatest thing that ever happened in my life. I am able to go into a restaurant, read the menu, and order what I want. Not just by looking at the pictures, but by reading the menu. When I’m grocery shopping, I can read the labels on the food. I can read and understand my own mail. Now I can read a book, the newspaper, and learn about the world, not just by seeing it or hearing it on television."

Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

John de Lancie

John de Lancie played the supreme being, "Q", one of a very few characters appearing in multiple episodes (12) of Star Trek:The Next Generation, Star Trek:Deep Space Nine and Star Trek:Voyager. He co-starred in Legend, had a recurring role as Colonel Frank Simmons in Stargate SG-1, and appeared in Breaking Bad, The Unit, Law & Order: LA, Touched by an Angel, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Get Smart Again!, The Fisher King, Bad Influence, and The Onion Field. There are many more credits.

Additionally, de Lancie has performed as narrator with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and the Montreal Symphony.

He and Leonard Nimoy are co-owners of Alien Voices, a company producing radio-style dramatization of classic science fiction.

Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Karole Armitage: Dancer, Choreographer

#WomenYouShouldKnow

Karole Armitage is based in New York City where she is Artistic Director of Armitage Gone! Dance.

She began her professional dance career as a member of Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland, which was directed by George Balanchine. Following this, she was a member of Merce Cunningham Dance Company where she danced in leading roles around the world.

In 1984, she was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to create a work for American Ballet Theatre. Three years later, Rudolph Nureyev commissioned one of her works for Paris Opéra Ballet.

She served as director and choreographer of the company MaggioDanza in Florence, Italy, was resident choreographer of Ballet de Lorraine in Nancy, France, and director of the International Festival of Contemporary Dance at the Venice Biennale.

Karole created dances for numerous companies including Paris Opera Ballet, White Oak Dance Project, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Lyon Opera Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Kansas City Ballet, Bern Ballet, Washington Ballet, and Rambert Dance Company. She directed operas for many of the prestigious houses of Europe, including Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Lyric Opera in Athens and Het Muzik Theater in Amsterdam.

She created choreography for Michael Jackson’s "In The Closet", and Madonna’s "Vogue."

Vanity Fair magazine once dubbed her the “punk ballerina”.  

She was nominated for a Tony Award for her choreography of the Broadway musical Hair.

In the spring of 2009, Karole was awarded France’s most prestigious award, "Commandeur dans L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres."

Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

#CelebratingWomen

#Dance

#Ballet

Cameron Richardson: Model, Actor, Associate Producer

#WomenYouShouldKnow

Cameron Richardson modeled for Mademoiselle, Interview, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, and other fashion magazines, and modeled clothing for American Eagle Outfitters, GAP, Lucky Brand Jeans, Chic Jeans, Roxy, and Forever 21. 

She has a long list of movie and television credits, including a series regular as Chloe Carter on Harper's Island (CBS), plus appearing on Entourage (HBO), and CSI: Las Vegas (CBS).

I remember well her as a guest star on House (Fox, Season 2, Episode 13).

Cameron has been named one of the "102 Sexiest Women in the World."

Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Update: The Television Academy's Primetime Emmy® Awards honored her as Associate Producer for an Emmy Award Winning Children's Program, 2019 - 2020.

Wrongfully Convicted

   

   Dennis Fritz, a high school science teacher and track coach, was convicted, and given a life sentence for murder.

   

   Several appeals of his conviction were denied, and he contacted Innocence Project. 

   After serving 11 years in prison for first-degree murder, Dennis was exonerated, his conviction overturned, and he was released.

   Dennis, and another wrongly-convicted man, were subjects of the best-selling, non-fiction book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, by John Grisham.  

   

   He published his account of the tragedy, Journey Toward Justice, where he writes of profound emotional harm.

   Please also visit Midwest Innocence Project for useful information.

Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

William Whitener With Ballet Company Dancers

Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director William Whitener with the company dancers. 

 
Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Mayor Sly James

Sly James is the 54th Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. In the late 1960's, he was the lead singer in a band, and it was the opening act when Jefferson Airplane performed in Kansas City.
 
Mayor James served in the Marine Corp, graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree, and was the first African-American partner in the large, prestigious Kansas City law firm for which he worked.
 

Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.