Memories of Childhood...Deborah Raffin, Model and Actress, Dies at 59

An important part of my childhood died on November 21st. Deborah Raffin may not be a household name in 2012, but when I was a kid, she was a model, actress and someone I looked up to. She was only 12 years older than me. I never even knew that. It's kind of upsetting that it took me six days to hear of her death.

When I was ten, she starred in the film version of Jacqueline Suzanne's "Once is Not Enough." I was so intrigued by the idea of the movie that I got the book. The movie was rated R, and I was only ten, so it took a while for me to catch the movie on television. But it was Raffin as the star that got me interested. She was the face on my Teen and Seventeen magazines!

Thanks to Raffin, I also fell in love with reading, because the discovery that the movie was based on a book lead me to search out Suzanne's other books. Granted, not exactly literature, but after reading ghost stories and teen novels, starting somewhere was the point. In the history of great, juicy romantic and sexy story writing, Jackie Suzanne wasn't a bad start.

Deborah Raffin also went on to star in "Touched by Love" starring Diane Lane about a girl (Lane) with Cerebral Palsy who had a crush on Elvis Presley. Encouraging her to write to her favorite singer was emotional tug of the movie, and Raffin played her caregiver. I can still remember my sister and I sobbing, uncontrollably, at the end of that movie.

I never even knew she was the beginning of Dove Audiobooks, but it makes sense that she'd keep on doing interesting and exciting things as time went on. She had that spark that made girls want to be her, of course she was making changes.

As a model and actress, Raffin filled my world throughout the 80s, and I've never forgotten her. Death from leukemia at 59? She takes with her some of my childhood dreams.

Deborah Raffin, Actress and Audiobook Entrepreneur, Dies at 59 - The Hollywood Reporter:

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Is Morley Safer Still Breathing? Go Ahead, Curse My Name

The story with David McCullough wasn't bad. That Morley Safer was still in front of the camera should have been the real story. As he attempted to speak through what sounded like a mouthful of crab apples, about what had to be his compatriots in 1776, I wondered whether he was going to come to life and start chewing on poor Mr. McCullough. Sunday night. The Walking Dead. Right?

I'm sorry Mr. Safer has passed on, err, passed the age of what is considered appropriate for an on-air reporter. But, it's unpleasant to listen to him. His stories and interviewing capabilities are better left to the written word. Would a woman be accepted as an on air personality if her eyeballs were nearly falling out of their sockets? Highly doubtful.

Yes, the double standard bothers me, but if an otherwise capable woman was showing the same physical wear as Mr. Safer, I'd prefer she stay behind the desk, too. 

Seroiusly, if you're cursing my name and saying what a horrible person I am, watch some of the video first. Then remember that when I do interviews I stand behind the camera and take the fruit out of my mouth. Just sayin.

Journey through history with David McCullough - CBS News:

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