THE COMEBACK:

WHO KNEW?

WISH I COULD SAY “YOU DID!"

THE MESSAGE:

Can you forgive them?

Charlie

Johnnie

Billy

This is not an attempt to promote or endorse the many opinions regarding the lives and backgrounds of the following female celebrities. Rather it is my intention to present them in a way that concentrates on some of the reasons why I admire and respect them.

TONY TODAY:

JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS

In 1951 Jacqueline met John F. Kennedy and on September 12, 1953, the couple were married in Newport, Rhode Island. In the early years of their marriage, Jackie suffered a miscarriage and delivered a stillborn daughter. On November 27, 1957, she gave birth to a healthy daughter, Caroline Bouvier Kennedy. On November 8, 1960, John was elected president. Weeks later Jacqueline gave birth to John F. Kennedy Jr.

In November 1963 Jacqueline accompanied her husband to Texas. She had just returned from a vacation in Greece following the death of her newborn son, Patrick Bouvier. As the president’s motorcade moved through Dallas, he was assassinated as she sat beside him. As her husband lay dying, a puzzled look on his face, Jackie told him how much she loved him. His last words were “No, you certainly can't.”. This was, no doubt, a reflection on the reported rumours of JFK’s affairs with other women.

In 1968 she wed the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onass is. According to reports, the marriage soon became troubled, and she continued to spend considerable time in New York, where her children attended school.

She was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1994 and she died in her New York City apartment.

Throughout Jackie’s life she was recognized as an unfortunate soul but was always regarded as a fashion idol. From 1960 until her death in 1994, her style made headlines around the world. Today, she is looked upon as an extremely lovely and graceful role model of femininity. Her persona and style came to be associated with an effortless elegance that, in my opinion, most women would love to embody.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

Hillary grew up in a middle-class home in Park Ridge, a suburb of Chicago. Her dad, Hugh, was a World War II Navy veteran and a small-business owner who designed, printed, and sold drapes. She has served as secretary of state, senator from New York, first lady of the United States, first lady of Arkansas, a practicing lawyer and law professor, activist, and volunteer—but the first thing her friends and family will tell you is that she’s never forgotten where she came from or who she’s been fighting for.

After graduating high school, Hillary attended Wellesley College, where she became more involved with social justice activism. By the time she graduated, Hillary had become a prominent student leader—she was elected by her peers to be the first-ever student speaker at Wellesley’s commencement ceremony. After college, Hillary enrolled in Yale Law School, where she was one of just 27 women in her graduating class. While attending Yale, Hillary began dating one of her classmates, Bill Clinton.

On October 11, 1975, Hillary married Bill in a small ceremony in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As first lady of Arkansas, she was a forceful champion for improving educational standards and health care access. She and Bill started their own family when their daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980.

In 2000, Hillary was elected to the U.S. Senate. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Hillary pushed the Bush administration to secure $20 billion to rebuild New York and fought to provide health care for responders who were at Ground Zero. Hillary worked across the aisle to expand TRICARE, giving members of the Reserves and National Guard and their families better access to health care.

She launched an innovative partnership in New York with eBay and local colleges to provide small businesses with tech support, microloans, and training programs to sell their goods online. She helped expand broadband to remote areas of the state, and she launched Farm-to-Fork, an initiative to help New York farmers and producers sell their products to New York’s restaurants, schools, colleges, and universities.

And when President Obama asked Hillary to serve as his secretary of state, she put aside their hard-fought campaign and answered the call to public service once again. After eight years of Bush foreign policy, Hillary was instrumental in the effort to restore America’s standing in the world. Even former Republican Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said she “ran the State Department in the most effective way that I’ve ever seen.”

She built a coalition for tough new sanctions against Iran that brought them to the negotiating table and she brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended a war and protected Israel’s security. She was a forceful champion for human rights, internet freedom, and rights and opportunities for women and girls, LGBT people, and young people all around the globe

In 2014, Hillary took on a new role: grandmother to Chelsea’s daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky. In 2016, she welcomed her grandson, Aidan Clinton Mezvinsky, to the family, too. Nothing makes her prouder or happier than spending time with them.

Hillary ran for president in 2016, championing her belief that Americans are stronger together. In July 2016, she became the first woman to earn a major party’s nomination for president, and went on to earn 66 million votes.

In my opinion, Hillary Clinton is a person to be admired and endorsed by women around the world. She must not be criticized for her forgiveness of Bill’s chosen weaknesses.

DIANA PRINCESS OF WALES

It was early in the morning of 31 August 1997 that a tragedy of major proportions claimed the life of Diana. She died from the injuries she sustained in the notorious car crash in the Pont de L'Alma tunnel in Paris France. In 1999, a French investigation found that Henri Paul, the driver of the car, lost control of the vehicle at high speed while intoxicated by alcohol and under the effects of prescription drugs. He was found to be solely responsible for the crash. Diana was 36 years old when she died. Her death caused a myriad of public grief in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, the funeral was viewed by an estimated two billion people. Some media claimed that it was the erratic behaviour of paparazzi following the car that had contributed to the crash. The Royal Family received much criticism for their role in Diana’s life and suspicious death.

Prince Harry believes that his mother, Diana, was the victim of an overly intrusive media, specifically the British tabloids who set up a feeding frenzy for any images of Diana, particularly at times when she out and about. I believe that Diana was tormented by ‘Horseface Camilla' and Prince Charles, who obviously has a vision problem, and with public rumours and some realities.

Why and how did Diana became so popular around the world? There was generally an expectation that the public was waiting for Charles to get married and settle down. Diana’s popularity increased and endured despite the acrimonious breakdown of her marriage to Charles, which culminated in divorce in 1996.

THE MUSIC: