Maynard “Lee” Sinclair, Sr. joined the U.S. Marine Corps right out of high school. He fought two tours in Vietnam, survived the Beirut bombing in 1983 and trained troops for the Gulf War, even after retirement. Lee loved serving his country for 24 years, but his family feels like their country has let them down.
Last summer, Lee got ill and suffered more than a handful of heart attacks in a two-month span while hospitalized.
“When he was in the hospital, they couldn’t figure out why he was having so many heart attacks,” said Sam Via, Lee’s daughter.
Based on his military records, a cardiologist determined his heart was poisoned by Agent Orange from Vietnam and by the water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, where Sam and her family lived soon after she was born from 1976 to 1987.
Actor and director Alfonso Ribeiro announces three current or former USC student filmmakers as recipients of the 2020 Caucus Foundation to assist them in their upcoming projects. Photo courtesy of Carol Marshall Public Relations.
Many awards shows are virtually hosting their celebrations online due to the pandemic. Despite the circumstances, the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors, a pillar in the entertainment industry, held its 38th annual awards show Thursday. Throughout the evening, the award show highlighted young filmmakers and professionals as well as praised honorees for their cinematic achievements in 2020.
Planning the show looked different this year. Sharon Arnett, president of the Caucus Foundation, and Jim Hirsh, caucus co-chair and board member of the foundation, were able to put on a spectacular show using the limitations of a virtual ceremony to their advantage.
The parlour game that has bridged the generation gap
Once in genteel decline, thanks to the pandemic, the fiendish card game bridge is newly popular online and across the generations
Sixteen-year-old Bjorn Ahl is a keen bridge player
Credit: Clara Molden
Danielle Hollander has no kids to homeschool. Her diary is a blank page with none of the usual post-work drinks that used to dominate her social life. Like many, she’s taken up a new hobby to fill the down time.
Aged 28, she’s by far the youngest person in her class, but that doesn’t bother her. Her teacher is kind and patient, “Although she says I ask too many questions!” laughs Hollander.
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Walter Parks
Since moving to Webster Groves last spring, Walter Parks has spent much of his time writing and recording.
After Walter Parks began researching his musical and cultural roots in southeast Georgia, he found a treasure trove of material in the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center. The library had preserved early field recordings of homesteaders in the Okefenokee Swamp region, where Parks remembers camping and exploring as a kid.
“In 1945, somebody went up there [to the Okefenokee] with equipment borrowed from the Library of Congress, and they recorded them making the music that they make,” the writer, guitarist and vocalist told
Los Angeles: Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon and her banner Hello Sunshine’s president of TV and film, Lauren Neustadter, will be honoured as producers of the year at The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors’ 2021 Caucus Awards next month.