>> reporter: nearly 5 years ago, he took his life >> for me, the journey has been as if i'm in a fog. >> tonight is tony night. anthony mason >> have you written 2000 songs. >> he wrote that, too. later on "sunday morning" at the keys with john kanter. >> ben has a lot to say he bout many roles as we'll be hearing. >> the lapped mark 1977 series "roots" made ben vereen. >> it was unbelievable. >> affect your life? >> why his phone stopped ringing. >> a huge california earthquake really unfold like in the movies? >> in the earthquake much of california is destroyed. >> the movie has been telling california is fiction but some of it is real? >> we expect collapse of 1500 buildings. >> separating what could happen to what can happen only in the move rees. >> >> the conjoined twins in haiti. walks us through the artwork. >> an office that is a the cat's meow. here are the headlines for the 7th 6 june, 2015. before the start for a beer and sausage fest in the village. germany is proof ma conflicts can end and great progress. for the funeral of bea,u biden son of vice president joe biden. before leaving far germany president obama praise dollars the younger biden for living life to the fullest. >> in 46 we couldn't do in 146. he left nothing in the tank. >> he died a week ago after a two-year battle with brain cancer. >> a positives ton hospital but is expected to offer. she was wheeled off the wheeled on a stretcher the red sox game was halted. kin singing to physical has the month old princess charlotte in the arms of her brother prince george who is about 0 two turn. 90,000 fans saw american pharaoh become first winner of the believed right from the start as they say the rest is his tore row. michelle miller has more on the big race. right now the weather of. the threat of thunderstorms in the nation's mid section. the warm temperatures as will much of northeast. hot in the southwest. in the week ahead warmer in the east. but stormy weather returns to the plain states. next -- a real. woman: i was tired of my chronic constipation and the way it made me feel the discomfort the bloating the straining. i'd just felt this way for too long. so i finally talked to my doctor about my symptoms. i'd tried laxatives before. he prescribed amitiza (lubiprostone) for my chronic constipation. it works differently than laxatives. man: amitiza is clinically shown to help relieve common symptoms like bloating abdominal discomfort hard stools, and straining and help people with chronic constipation go more often. don't take amitiza, if you have a bowel blockage or severe diarrhea. tell your doctor, if your nausea or diarrhea, becomes severe, or if you experience chest tightness or shortness of breath. the most common side effects are nausea diarrhea, and headache. woman: amitiza helped me find relief from my chronic constipation. ask your doctor if amitiza is right for you. >> american pharaoh. first triple crown winner in 36 years. sellout crowd shared the thrill yesterday along with our michelle miller. >> american pharaoh! has won the triple crown! >> for racing fan this victory comes in time. now they can believe again. >> yes clam american pharaoh took early leave never gave it up that's exactly what justin has predicted. his family owns the course. >> that's signature win. looking around. ocean having fun. >> not nearly as fun as the jockey and hall of fame trainer. >> autos a great horse. >> he's been chasing the dream for decades. this was his fourth attempt. having won two of the legs of the triple crown. and california chrome in 2014 the third time was the charm. >> unbelieve unbelievably. >> watching from the grandstands the fan stood on the tips of his toes the in tear race. >> he proofed if you're a great horse you win. if you're a good horse. >> he says he was counting on his stamina in the final quarterfinal which is the longest of the races. as with the owners of american pharaoh the win is especially sweet after years of money problems and problems of money problems. >> i can't believe it. oh my, god. >> while he may be the newest flames on the roaster 1972 sectiate is biggest marge in of victory. >> ahead. fighting back. >> i didn't know this. >> in tyler clemennti's name. wrap nefiber healthy shape. this, i can do. this allergy season, will you be a sound sleeper, or a mouth breather. well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38% more than allergy medicines alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. enamel is your teeth's first line of defense. but daily eating and drinking can make it weak. try colgate enamel health. it replenishes weak spots with natural calcium to strengthen enamel four times better. colgate enamel health. stronger, healthy enamel. out of 42 vehicles based on 6 different criteria, why did a panel of 11 automotive experts name the volkswagen golf motor trend's 2015 car of the year? we'll give you four good reasons. the volkswagen golf. starting at $19,295, there's an award-winning golf for everyone. >> five years after a headline making suicide his family foundation this week is launching a new campaign in his name. a campaign aimed at bullying a stop to bullying before it can start. erin moriarty of 48 hours. >> on september 22, 2010, the phone rang at the northern new jersey home of joe and jane clementi. >> port authority police had called and said, we have your son's wallet and cell phone. >> what were you thinking? >> a crank call. >> it was real. it was likely their 18-year-old son tiler a freshman at rutgers university hat jumped from the george washington bridge. >> they were wrong. i knew they were wrong. i knew they were i don't think. >> but tyler's body was found in the mud son river seven days later. >> what happened next turned their private tragedy into a public issue. during the investigation days before tyler committed suicide his college roommate had used a webcam to secretly live stream tyler's date with a man. they were charged with invasion of privacy. >> how do you react when someone says that is boys being boys. >> tyler was the youngers of three boys. james, now 29, brian 26 and tyler. my baby who will be forever 18. >> owe has a great passion. he loved music. and accomplished violinist. >> i was six years older than him. >> james clementi. >> we had protect him. >> the family always close regularly attended an evangelical christian church. only later did jane and her husband realize that the church's message was causing anguish at home what was that message? >> that being gay is a sin. i felt there was something wrong with me. >> did you talk to your parents? did you feel that you could? >> i wanted to talk to my parents. that was the safiest conversation. >> in the summer ever 2010, right before tyler went to rutgers, james did reach out to his younger brother. and they both came out to each other. >> he seemed very relieved to finally have it be out in the open. felt like this huge weight. >> just three days before he left for college tyler decided to come out to his mother. she felt the conversation went well. >> we were both crying. we were both hugging each other. we even talked about being safe? >> what did you mean? >> i had this seps heart. it's hard to understand. >> we had talked about suicide. i could understand how anyone could be so sad to harm themselves. i've since learned how -- how you can be that sad. >> after his death jane learned that tyler thought she had rejected him. >> that was a terrible moment to know that's how tyler thought our encounter was because it was so far from the truth or my truth. and yet it was probably his truth. >> and jane didn't know what tyler then went through at school until nearly two years later when in february 2012, dharun went on trial. >> the defendant made sure that the camera was angled. >> they watched the few seconds of tyler kissing his date. ravi then announced on twitter there would be a viewing party. when tyler learned he had been spied on he complained to the university and asked poria automate change but he never said anything to his family. >> he wouldn't let me help him. and a mom is supposed to know everything aren't they? i didn't know this. i couldn't help him. >> would do you think he didn't reach out to you? >> i think about that question every day. i don't have an answer. he just go on twitter feed. he didn't see beyond it. >> at 8:42 on the night of september 2 tyler posted a simple message jumping offer the gw bridge, sorry. >> last thing on his computer before he left. were these posts of people making fun and jokes about him about a private moment that should have remained that way. >> what was the defendant at reaction? >> just shocked. >> molly entered a preagreement avoided prosecution. in march 012. ravi, was never charged was convicted on 15 counts including bias intimidation. >> he will report to the correction center to serve auto 30 day jail term. >> the case is still on appeal by both sides. >> his roommate ever reach out to either one of you? >> no. >> how would you describe what your family has been through? >> the journey has been as if i've been in a fog. really deep fog. i would say it only started lifting last year in the spring of 2014. and it's been in that time, that i needed to try to pull my life back together because it was shattered into a million pieces. >> and the clementi are viewing that. we may not be able to go back change but we can move forward to make sure no other youth. >> they are speaking out against cyber-bullying raising awareness and money. >> there are not a lot of resources of people being targeted online. >> they have the foundation let by sean. >> we're trying to end online and off line bullying in school, workplaces and faith communities. >> this week the foundation will roll out a new campaign called day one. >> on the idea that if you stand up on the first day of school, first day of work op sports team say, you will never treat anyone here differently because of who they love, how they dress or what their body looks like. there will be consequences for that. they do not hear a person and authority make a clear statement about what is expected of what. >> they're not just focusing on bullies but also on the witnesses. asking bystanders to become upstappedders. jane herself she was a bystander at the church she once loved. >> we were going to schools and workplaces and telling people to be up standers and not be passive. i was going and sitting in the pew and being passive. when tyler told me he was gay what i wanted was no one in my faith community never talked about having a gay child. or a gay relative. until families come out and can be found. >> what do you tell patients? >> don't under estimate what your child is going through. you may not think it's a big deal. they may think it's the end of the world. >> will this be a particular tough september 2nd? >> everyone is tough. >> i can't think that far ahead. whenever i start thinking too far ahead like that i get to a deep, sad plagues i try to stay present in the moment. >> not completely healed? i don't know what healed could be like. i don't know if there is a word for healed. it's learning to live with pain. >> pauley: next. child's play. >> pauley: and now a page from our "sunday morning" almanac. june 7th 1843. 172 years ago today. was born to a wealthy family in st. louis. on a trip to europe in 1872, susan blow got a look at the german kindergarten movement which helped to plan the seeds of learning in very young children using play. hence the name, kinder, the german word for children and garten the word for garden. she opened the first public school kick door dart enin 1873. widely warded for the model of a nation. over time, kindergarten became a rite of passage for most american 5-year-old. robert fulghuma's 1989 book "all i really need to know i learned in kindergarten." was a huge best seller. >> put things back. clean your own mess. don't take things that aren't yours. >> somewhat less benign view was in the offer 1990 film "kindergarten." >> it's like the ocean you don't want to turn your back on it. >> don't worry. severing under control. >> these days there is growing emphasis on prekindergarten. >> even so he a recent report from the department of education shows that with roughly six in ten 4-year-old's still not enrolled. early nurturing is a much in progress. ♪ coming up a different sort of walk in ther. r parks. >> pauley: an artist of great versatility turned over a new leave in one of the most public of spaces. martha teichner met up with her. >> it looked like, what in the world, new york things. as the strange metal cut out slow low rose over madison square park. before it was even finished. >> that's one of the amazing things about public art you put it out there. >> on this artist tereesita named after a mirage. >> what am r am i seeing? >> you're seeing the daily commute of people in the park reflected hundreds ever times above your head and distorted too. >> it's art meant to be walked through. >> what is thrilling to me to see it with people underneath it. because that needs fob activated by that motion of urban activity. >> 50,000 people cross madison square park every day. such visibility is a break through for her. with is cuban-american. >> i feel a huge responsibility to use my visibility for amplifying how people see latinnos. >> especially given what else you've done. >> and the title is reference to a myth where reappears to the underworld. >> the massachusetts museum of contemp pear art showcased her work for nearly a year. >> one of the first things i asked myself when i'm about to embark on a new exhibition is, where am i. i tried to ask myself, culturally historically. >> her pieces are huge. bring outside inside. and she is fascinated by gold. >> even though it's a subterranean material. it's throughout every culture. >> at 47 she has had more than three dozen solo shows in nine countries. in 00 she received a so-called mccarer this genius grant. >> you start to see that changing. >> in almost all of her work. she's redefining landscape. >> it's made out of over 27,000 small pieces of mined raw graphite so this is what is in your pencil. >> it catches the light a certain way. this is raw graphite. i use it from a fine provided tore big chunks that i made very large sculptures with. >> there is a kind of wizardry that goes on in her brooklyn studio. >> i'm fascinated with this idea of making landscapes with materials that are part of a real landscapes. >> and here what looks like a golden fun house mirror is a blank canvas. >> this is what the panels look like before i start working on them. >> but you can't not react to seeing yourself. >> very seduced by your own image. >> watch in madison square park. look at the shadows. >> as the sun goes overhead the piece starts to cast these shadows. >> before fafa morgana comes down, more than 10 million people will have experienced i. bit then she is likely to be much more famous. >> pauley: come here the music play. >> somewhere over 2,000 songs. >> i have no idea. >> pauley: john kanter is next. later -- getting to know ben veer rebound. attention. did you or anyone in your household work around asbestos-containing gaskets and packing? the garlock bankruptcy may affect your rights even if you do not presently have an asbestos-related disease. garlock's products were used in industrial and maritime settings, where steam, hot liquid or acid moved in pipes. certain personal injury claims must be filed by october 6, 2015. you may have a right to vote on garlock's plan to reorganize and pay claims. call 844-garlock or go to garlocknotice.com why are all these people so asleep yet i'm so awake? did you know your brain has two systems? one helps keep you awake- the other helps you sleep. science suggests when you have insomnia, the wake system in your brain may be too strong and your neurotransmitters remain too active as you try to sleep, which could be leading to your insomnia. ohh...maybe that's what's preventing me from getting the sleep i need! talk to your doctor about ways to manage your insomnia. discover brookside and discover an exciting combination of tastes. rich, dark chocolate covering soft centers. flavored with exotic fruit juices. it's chocolate and fruit flavors like you've never experienced before. discover brookside. ♪ >> the 1972 film "cabaret. and broad shay show both featured music by john kander. all these years later he's in the running at tonight he's tony's. anthony play son takes us behind the mu sick. >> at new york's lyceum theater "the visit. is a hot ticket. the man who is quietly here as one of those nominations. 88-year-old composer john kander he. wrote the music for "the visit." ♪ one of more than 20 broadway shows he scored over the past half century. ♪ did i read right that you've written over 2,000 songs? >> i have no idea. >> does that sound right? >> yeah, that doesn't mean that they're any good. >> but they are. kander wrote the music for "cabaret" ♪ for "chicago." ♪ for "kiss of the spider woman." ♪ which like the visit starred the theater legend chita rivera. kanderer who started playing piano at age 4 grew up in kansas city. do you remember how you responded to it? >> yeah, i was in lover. >> he started working on broadway. playing rehearsals for "west side story." in 1962 his publisher paired him with another client a lyricist named fred ebb. >> when fred and i started working that was the real thing. we both knew it right away. we were pregnant all the time. it was true. we couldn't not write. >> must have been pretty exhilarating. >> it was beginning ever 42 year partnership. would introduce a young liza minelle ♪ their next musical -- set in a berlin nightclub. would literally change broadway. and win eight tonys and eight oscars when it became a film. were you surprised at cabaret's success? >> i was surprised at any success. truly. >> really? >> absolutely. >> when "chicago" hoped in 1975 many critics dismissed it but the revival launched in 1996 receipt to another oscar winning film and the show is still running. >> sometimes the same people who didn't like it before that was satisfying. >> that's got to be enjoyable. yes. it makes up. >> for what they said? >> yes. >> they wrote quickly together. >> mostly it would be instant with both of us. i might have a vamp. or fred would have a first line. and we would take it from there. ♪ >> ebb was the city kid with the quick wit. kander the quiet one with the more romantic spirit. >> that is a pretty remarkable working relationship. >> we were very different people. we weren't socially necessarily involved with each other all that much. but one thing that was constant was that writing was always a good time. even when we wrote badly. i think that's something that we both appreciated. >> their best known song was not written for broadway. >> we wrote some songs for movie called "new york new york" one was the song was the title kong stalled "new york new york." >> i haven't. >> all the songs boesched well except that one. >> during policemanning for the movie. robert deniro said he didn't like the title song. he wanted something wrong. >> we went off and called "new york, new york" in about 45 minutes that's the song that you know. >> really? >> ♪ liza minelli sang it in the song. sinatra would make it a classic. ♪ . >> do you like the song? >> yeah. it's a strange version. he made up some lyrics and changed some things. how could i not like the version it probably bought me this house? perfect weather. >> kander's sanctuary is this 300 acre property in upstate new york. >> of all the productions i've done this is the most success. we have three families of geese. >> he shares it with partner alpert stevenson. a dancer and choreographer he met during a show. they have been together ever since. >> this is the studio. >> the studio tucked in the woods is cappedder's favorite place to work. >> huge amount of the visit was written. >> he got the call in 23004 that fred ebb died. >> what is it like to lose a writing partner after all that time? >> it's shocking. it's like some attachment to your body that you're used to having. >> was it difficult sitting down at the piano without him? >> no. it wasn't difficult to sit there. it was difficult to know why i was. >> commander wept back to work to complete one of their unfinnished musicals. >> he where a song for the character of composer sprayed from his writing partner. called "i miss the music" it was sung by jason danely in the 2007 broadway production. ♪ >> i found every time in performance when jason would sing this song i would suddenly out of no where get teary. i think to this day that's sort of my song about fred. >> the visit was another of the unfinished collaborations. it will be their last to play broadway. but the 88-year-old composer has three more musicals in the works with new collaborator greg peer. you keep writing john says, because that's what you do. >> in this whole process of writing a song where do you get the biggest thrill? >> i think the moment when the musical is finished. something says that's true. that's the big one for me. >> that's so hard to get to. >> it is. it doesn't happen all that often. >> but it's what you live for. >> yeah, it is. really is. >> pauley: ahead. the cat's meow. >> can an office building really be the cat's meow? steve hartman says, yes. >> in las cruces, north carolina, there's a library with no books but a great story. >> auto library with nothing to read. a library for people who just want to take a few minutes and get lost in a good kitten. >> becky garcia is the kitten librarian. actually what she is receptionist here at the dona nan aa county office building where a couple years ago they installed this kitty condo in the lobby. they're available to any employee looking for a moment of purr business. >> some kitly love. >> she's a community planner and regular. >> oh, you're typing for me. >> she admitser this productivity goes down. but says her job satisfaction goes way up. >> it releaves stress. how could it not. i think it shows that the county does care. >> and cares not gist for the well fire of its workers but for the homeless animals. officials knew if people just took a few minutes to hold these animals that a bond might form. and in fact, to date, 100 kittens have been adopted from the library. >> the joy the smiles. they would like to spread to other communities. >> i am ma'am in a nation of libraries catering to those who just want to curl up with a good person. >> pauley: one. becoming two. >> >> pauley: holding on to each other is what newborn twins choose to do. chance to an operation two infant girls are now finally free to hold or not old each other. here is dr. john lapook. >> there's something especially poignant about twins holding hands. but six month old marian and michelle bernard aren't just any twins. borne in haiti they were also born join ld at the on dough men. just minutes away from one of the rarest and riskiest operations to separate temp. the 010 earthquake that killed than estimated 300,000 people in haiti has also helped bring them a shot at a normal life. because that earthquake brought back dr. henry ford, the haitian born surgeon who will be leading this operation. he was a teenager when his family moved to new york in 1972. >> this is where you grew up? >> this is the home where i grew up. >> become ivy leagued trained pediatric surgeon. >> you left at what age? from then did you return? >> had returned a few times. like two or three times. >> then a january 12, 2010, the earthquake hit and shook ford's record 3,000 miles away in los angeles. >> i arrived the second day that the airport opened and pretty much went to work spent two absolutely grueling weeks toughest ones of my life. i couldn't just say that i did my share it's over. it wasn't a one and done thing. >> ford has returned more than 20 times since. in november when michelle and marian were born their doctors knew who to turn to for help. did you think when you got that e-mail, are you kidding? >> it was a challenge. but by nature surgeons love challenges. >> dr. ford decided to attempt the first ever separation of conjoined twins in haiti. the girls' parents are no strangers to beating the odds. after the earthquake david was badly injured and buried under rubble for sech days before being rescued. after that just having any children was a kind of miracle. then it was a healthy girl and her two sisters. tell me about their personalities. >> that's extraordinary. because even though they are stuck together they each have a different personality. for example, marian is always happy. always playing always gay. especially when she sees people. mush sell more introverted. >> there was a moment that it crossed. we need to give them that chance to separate them so they can live a full life. >> the operation would require sophisticated medical care in country where it is severely lacking. three months after the earthquake, we visited a clinic that has just one oxygen tank. it was taken away from a premature baby to help save a woman and her unborn child. they survived. the premature baby did not. spurred on by the earthquake, the government teamed up with partners in health, brings modern medical care. in 2013 their efforts led to the opening of a teaching hospital in mirebalais, central haiti. dr. ford was the perfect bridge. >> the holy father -- >> dr. ford put together a team of more than two dozen volunteer health professionals from the united states they trained for months with haitians for the procedure they are about to attempt. >> to avoid confusion everyone is color coded. red for marian's team. yellow for michelle's. a line is drawn to show where the surgeons will cut. >> we found pretty much -- things go smoothly until michelle's blood pressure suddenly dropped. given a transfusion and iv fluids but because the twins still share a liver those fluids go from michelle's bloodstream to marian. seconds count. finally -- >> bee now have two babies. two independent living organisms. there is no satisfaction for excellence! >> nearly seven hours after marian and michelle bernard enter the operating room together they leave in separate cribs. their parents are overwhelmed. >> it's extraordinary to see them lying on their backs. because it's been six months that they have only slept like this. >> by the next morning she is experiencing motherhood in a brand new way. >> what does it mean to you to come back and do operation like this? >> something special. coming to haiti to operate on haitian children because i feel that i'm contributing to the future of this country. >> >> just this friday two weeks after the operation the healthy girls are discharged from the hospital. homecoming made possible by a native son came home. >> pauley: still to come. the movie and the reality. our bodies react by over-producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. most allergy pills only control one substance, flonase controls six. and 6 is greater than 1. so go ahead, inhale life, excite your senses, seize the day and the night. new flonase. 6 is greater than 1. this changes everything. how much protein does your dog food have? 18%? 20? introducing nutrient-dense purina one true instinct with real salmon and tuna and 30% protein. support your active dog's whole body health with purina one. i try hard to get a great shape. this... i can do easily. new benefiber healthy shape helps curb cravings. it's a clear, taste-free daily supplement that's clinically proven to help keep me fuller longer. new benefiber healthy shape. this, i can do. sometimes the present looked bright. sometimes romantic. there were tears in my eyes. and tears in my eyes. and so many little things that we learned were really the biggest things. through it all, we saved and had a retirement plan. and someone who listened and helped us along the way. because we always knew that someday the future would be the present. every someday needs a plan. talk with us about your retirement today. >> what's wrong? >> it's "sunday morning" on cbs here again is jane pauley. >> "san andreasism is shaking things up at the box office but would a real earthquake flatten california. john blackstone talked to the experts. >> in the movie. >> san andreas" hollywood envisions the destruction of hollywood along with much of the west of california. >> whole chunk of land. >> in this disaster movie the disasters are blockbusters and the powerful 9.1 earthquake triggers even bigger quake. >> that's exactly what i'm saying. >> since the movie came out u.s. geological survey seismologist has been reassuring much of what they see can't happen here. >> this is looking bad. >> real bad. >> some is real. >> there are pieces ever it the idea that we could trigger an earthquake have a bigger earthquake that triggers one in san francisco are that is real. magnitude nine are not real. >> reporters call on jones for the facts. that has made her a bit of celebrity in los angeles and plains why she was on the red carpet. seismologists on the red carpet is ground breaking. >> very los angeles, isn't it? >> as she watched the movie she tweeted to her followers who could happen and who couldn't happen. >> fact or fiction the earth divides. >> there would be no friction and be no earthquake. >> most of the highslizes in l.a. fall down. >> most coming down, fiction. a few potentially fact. >> huge tsunami hits san francisco. >> here where we are entering. they can't be bigger than the ocean is deep. >> it happens in california, you will feel it on the east coast. >> feel it on the east coast? >> sorry it ain't going to high pressure. the great 1906 earthquake that devastated san francisco was felt into neff. >> that was 2.2. our models predict. >> a seismologist who is hero of the movies. >> busy predicting the earthquake. that is absolute fiction. at this point we have no way to tell you the time of an individual event. there goes the dam. that sort of complete collapse of the dam extremely unlikely, people have worked very hard to prevent that. >> jones made it her mission to urge californians to prepare for big earthquakes. >> get down! >> part of the message that i like of the movie is that competent young woman. knowing what to do made every safer. one of the guys, competence became sexy. >> drop, cover hold on, ordering people. >> scaring people too much could be counter productive. >> stopped at everything that happened in this movie would happen for heal what's the point of getting ready. >> still if "san andreas" vines people to get ready for the big one then the movie won't be a complete disaster. for more than 30 million patients? or that our software helps over 20 million smartphone users remotely configure e-mail every month? or how about processing nearly $5 billion in electronic toll payments a year? in fact, today's xerox is working in surprising ways to help companies simplify the way work gets done and life gets lived. with xerox, you're ready for real business. ♪ every auto insurance policy has a number. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. ♪ those who have served our nation have earned the very best service in return. ♪ usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. >> pauley: that's ben vereen making it look easy in "sweet charity." a star of stage as well as film he's a past tony winner. but as most inspiring role may be his own come back from adversity. mo roccoa has our sunday profile. ♪ >> ben vereen is embodiment of the show must go on. ♪ what he's been through would have undone most mortals. 23 years ago vereen almost lost his career, and his life. but here he is today at the age of 68. warm can up with his daughter just before show time at 54 below. >> give me the shoulders. >> ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our stage. mr. ben vereen. snow snow his nightclub secretary reminder that in the 1907s. ben vereen was everywhere. in movies like "all that jazz." >> humanitarian this cat was nobody's never friend. >> star can in "pippen." and on tv where he sang danced his way on to just about every variety show. here he is with the muppets. ♪ the consummate entertainer. but upbringing in brooklyn might as well have been a thousand miles from times scare. >> i had never been to a broadway show. it wasn't in our vocabulary. my background did not want me to be on the stage. we didn't talk about theater. we watched television. we didn't talk in my home about broadway. >> not the only thing they didn't talk about. when did you find out that you were adopted. >> i was 24 56r7b8g9s. >> vereen would never meet his fort worth mother. >> that takes the rug out from under your life. the question becomes what was wrong with me. the actor who spent decades searching from his own roots became household name when he started in the 1977tv mini series "roots." >> did you have any idea that it would be the phenomenon that it became? >> no. >> vereen played chicken george. led his family from slavery into freedom. >> series broke ratings records. rifted the nation. >> you have no idea the chord that would hit nut the universe. >> did it immediately affect your life? >> really off the hook. >> the all-star gala. >> one came from the producer of the inaugural celebration. entertain the president which he meant as commentary on difficulty faced. >> i was a young kid. this is my one shot to say we have got to change this. it was a huge stage. for television audience ever millions. played homage to burt williams. an african american who could only perform in demeaning black face for audiences. >> do you remember while you were on that stage performing did it seem like things were going well? >> it seemed like it. but whatever point he intended was over shadowed by the image of ben vereen in black face. >> exactly. that's all the country saw. the world saw. headlines in chicago was vereen disgraced the race. >> was this the beginning of a difficult period? >> yes. yes, it it was: it was fantastic. it was taking off. then, bam. knocked me down. >> things only got worse. six years later vereen's daughter naja, just 16 years old was killed in a car accident of vereen spiraled into substance abuse. >> because of the stars because of the pain. because of all the stuff. >> ben vereen remains in critical condition. >> then in 1992, vereen was stumbling along a dark road near his malibu home says he suffered a stroke behind the wheel of his own car when he was struck by suffer. >> when had your accident were you pronounced dead. >> that's what they tell me. >> there you go. >> physical therapist m.j. was working with him since 1993. >> i first met venae had series of injuries. >> this is going to be tough. i just could tell he was a fighter. >> can't let the pain stop you. he pushed through it. >> dr. told vereen it would be three years before he could walk forget about dancing or singing ever again. >> but vocal coach helped him find his voice. >> he lifted me. he said i was -- he said, okay. you will sing again. but differently. be like driving a new car. get used to it. he put me back together. he was back on stage just ten months after the accident. why are you doing all of this? >> because i love what i do. >> to vereen, performing isn't just an artistic pursuit it's a sacred one. >> i believe that art can heal anything. and everything. ♪ oh, and he's been working on a broadway musical based on his own life. in the role of ben vereen, who else. >> we've all gone through ups and downs we've all gone through tragedies and joys and disappointments. >> ben vereen will turn 69 this october. and make no mistake, he's still here. >> let's make it a 79, 89, 109 let's go. and give and give. it comes back to you. >> you're 69 you're already over the speed limit might as well just floor it. >> that's right. that's right clam! why did a panel of 11 automotive experts name the volkswagen golf motor trend's 2015 car of the year? we'll give you four good reasons. the volkswagen golf. starting at $19,295, there's an award-winning golf for everyone. the pursuit of healthier. it begins from the second we're born. after all, healthier doesn't happen all by itself. it needs to be earned... every day... using wellness to keep away illness... and believing that a single life can be made better by millions of others. healthier takes somebody who can power modern health care... by connecting every single part of it. for as the world keeps on searching for healthier... we're here to make healthier happen. optum. healthier is here. jane here a look at the week ahead. bill murray joins leading american poet in the poetry walk across the brooklyn bridge. tuesday is the 100th anniversary of the birth of les paul the inventor of the solid body electric guitar who died in 2009. russian president vladimir putin meets with pope francis apt the vatican. thursday is the day for the annual congressional baseball game which pits democrats against republicans to raise money for charity. friday is the 100th birthday of david rockefeller. the retired banker and sole surviving grandchild of standard oil tycoon john d. rockefeller. vat day is the knit in public day. featuring to endorse better living through stitching together. >> in arlington, virginia, at the home of colonel john glenn. >> pauley: just outside milwaukee she tried her and at teaching before moving to washington. soon she turned her attention to the press not politics, as a career. despite having no experience the aspiring journalist landed a job at cbs first as a radio producer. then as associate producer for well, "face the nation," when it debuted in 1954. she had earned a shot on the radio. >> and then on camera. >> would you repeat for our television cameras who you just said outside? >> yes. >> assigned to cover the presidential campaign. a rising star among other idols including edward r. murrow, nancy dickerson as she was now known as marrying businessman c. wyatt dickerson had a front row seat for president kennedy's inaugural. >> congratulations. >> and his presidency. growing close to both first lady jacqueline kennedy and lady bird johnson. on that dark day in november 1963 dickerson having just left cbs for nbc managed to keep calm as president kennedy's body returned home from dallas. >> behindment compass set is mrs. jacqueline ken bee. >> after president lyndon johnson took office, nancy dickerson had a direct line to the white house. >> how are you doing? >> in fact she had the ear of many powerful folks in bash wash, often hosting glamorous social gatherings. merrywood where john grew up. wasn't all smiles, mother and son battled through some teenage years. nancy dickerson died in 1997 after suffering a stroke just as john was making his own name as political journalist in washington with "time" magazine. >> bottom line is, there's not going to be -- >> today on "face the nation." chairman of the choice chiefs. >> a familiar presence on "face the nation" for the past sech years, john dickerson now takes over for one pioneer at cbs news. >> thank you all presiding over my last. john, you're going to love this job. >> while another keeps a close eye on him. and here is the man now. john dickerson joins us in washington for look what's ahead on "face the nation." good morning, and good luck, john. what's coming up. >> dickerson: thank you, jane. we'll have chris christie, new york mayor bill de blasio. mike mccaul and also talk to governor rick perry of texas. >> john dickerson in washington. thank you, next week here on "sunday morning." talk about moving day. aily supplement that's clinically proven to help keep me fuller longer. new benefiber healthy shape. this, i can do. >> pauley: we leave you this morning at high falls state park in georgia. i'm jane pauley we'll hope you join charles osgood here again next sunday morning. soil is the foundation for healthy plants just like gums are the foundation for healthy teeth. new colgate total mouthwash for gum health. it kills germs and forms a protective shield for 45% stronger gums. for stronger, healthier gums colgate total mouthwash. when cigarette cravings hit, all i can think about is getting relief. only nicorette mini has a patented fast-dissolving formula. it starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. i never know when i'll need relief. that's why i only choose nicorette mini. captioning made possible by johnson & johnson where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations >> dickerson: ted on "face the nation." the field gets bigger. the terror threats at home continue to grow. with the number of republican candidates now in double digits we caught up with chris christie in new hampshire. >> in my heart something that i really absolutely want to do. >> form foretexas governor is in we'll talk to him too. new york city will talk about his machines to move democrats to the left hand a r r after new terror and security. we'll talk to michael mccaul about challenges we face at home. wrap it up with panel of political reporters it's all ahead on "face the nation." captioning sponsored by cbs good morning i'm john dickerson welcome to "face the nation." we have a lot of news we'll