Remembering Cliff

The actor and author whose book I edited, Cliff Osmond, passed away on December 22, 2012. He had been ill for several years and fought a good battle with overwhelming odds against him. There will be a small family service this week, followed by a public event later in the month.

Although you may not recognize his name, you'll know his face and his body of work (cliffosmond.com). Although I talked with him often, I met him in person only once, sharing a nice dinner with Cliff and his wife, Gretchen. Cliff's smile was genuine and his charisma instant. He liked my "spunk," and laughed when he told me he "stole" my words to use on his blog. We had been talking about teaching, as Cliff's career as an actor, director, screenwriter, and acting coach provided him with a generous background for sharing his knowledge with others. I remarked that the difference between our careers as educators is that "teachers are actors with a captive audience." He roared with laughter and said he'd use that, and he did.

Hollywood also sent some of Cliff's contemporaries to heaven in the past several days, including Larry Hagman and Jack Klugman, so I'm sure "the boys" are telling some whoppers about "back in the day."