Dolly Parton

[Dolly photographed with Arnold Schwarzenegger

by Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone, 1977]

Dolly Parton (1946 - 2026)

American singer-songwriter, actress,

philanthropist, and businesswoman.

Dolly Parton rose from childhood poverty to become 

one of the most successful country music superstars.

Her long list of hit songs included Coat of Many Colors,

Jolene, I Will Always Love You, and 9 to 5.

In her lifetime career, she won 11 Grammy Awards,

10 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards,

13 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards,

and 3 American Music Awards (AMAs)

Dolly Parton also starred in several major movies,

including 9 to 5 (1980), The Best Little

Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and

Steel Magnolias (1989).

She was a major philanthropist through her

non-profit Dollywood Foundation which

promoted education via scholarships and support,

and through The Imagination Library which

promoted childhood literacy via provision of

books to children throughout the world.

Dolly Parton also raised and donated much money

for healthcare and medical research in

areas such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and the

development of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.

Disaster relief, community aid, animal welfare,

and environmental conservation were other causes

she generously supported and advocated.

Jessie Buckley

Jessie Buckley (1989 -     )

Irish actor and singer.

On stage, her portrayal of Sally Bowles in a West End revival

of Cabaret won her the Laurence Olivier Award

for Best Actress in a Musical in 2021.

Jessie Buckley received Best Actor recognition for her movie portrayal

of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet (2025), including the Golden Globe,

BAFTA Award and Academy Award.

She Works Hard For The Money

Lunch Counter, Chicago

photo by Frank Paulin, 1952

Two Year Blogoversary Today!

This blog underwent a few changes this year

and is now on a reduced posting schedule

rather than being daily, but it's still here!

Thank you to everyone who takes the time

to follow, read, or comment!

I appreciate all of you!

Andrea Ghez

Andrea Ghez (1965 -     )

American astrophysicist, professor, researcher, and author.

Co-recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics

"for the discovery of a supermassive compact object

at the centre of our galaxy" (otherwise known as a black hole).

Only the fourth woman to be so recognized since

Marie Curie's Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903.

Member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American

Philosophical Society, and the American Physical Society.

"Becoming Something the World Hasn't Learned to Name"

 

Photo: Said Mhamad (2025)

3D-printed gown: Iris van Herpen

Model: Akuol Deng Atem

Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter (1866 - 1943)

English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist.

She is best known for her charmingly illustrated children's books

featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902).

Before her literary success, however, Beatrix Potter was keenly interested

in mycology, the scientific study of fungi, producing brilliantly observed

illustrations of many types. She wrote a learned paper on mycology that

was dismissed and ignored because of her gender. It was only on her death,

when she left hundreds of her mycological artworks to a museum, 

that her scientific talents were recognized.

Today, Potter’s precise and beautiful

paintings and drawings of fungi are helping

modern mycologists in their efforts to identify species.

Her best-selling books enabled Beatrix Potter to become

a prosperous farmer and a prize-winning sheep breeder.

She bought several farms in the Lake District to preserve

its unique hill country landscape. Much of that land

now constitutes the Lake District National Park.