2005 in Review: Those whom we mourned

WASHINGTON – As 2005 trickles to a close, it seems only natural to spend some time reflecting on the year that has been. Over the coming days, I will do just that – offering thoughts on the events that mattered most, the people who proved influential and the news that counted in Madison, Wisconsin.

But before such ruminations kick into high gear, it seems only fitting to somberly take note of some of the people who have left us this year and the legacies they have left behind. By no means an exhaustive list – and certainly one devoid of those private individuals who surely mattered most to so many of us – this is perhaps best understood as a brief remembrance of those whose presence will be the most universally remembered.

Pope John Paul II – History will one day adequately demonstrate that the Cold War was chiefly brought to an end through the efforts of four people in particular: Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope John Paul II. The Catholic leader found a way to draw youthful pride into the faith while fervently maintaining the orthodoxies of the religion with which he was entrusted. His legacy is as complex as the Vatican itself, one ripe with compassion, leadership, wisdom and, perhaps most notably, diplomacy. Pope John Paul II may have been charged with protecting a faith and its followers, but his service was to the entire world.

Arthur Miller – In a recent discussion with a fellow college student about McCarthyism, I made a passing reference to “The Crucible.” My colleague didn't connect the dots. And sometime thereafter is when it truly hit me: Mr. Miller's landmark play was so brilliantly crafted and dramatically written that it can stand on its own with no contextual support. Of course, if you care to consider the daring critique of the federal government inherent to the work – a tight analogy surely unmistakable at the time of the play's writing – “The Crucible” is easily elevated to a level of sheer brilliance. Yet it wasn't Mr. Miller's only shining success, as “Death of a Salesman” will almost certainly be taught by its side for years to come. Both are genuine installments in the 20th century American canon and both are reminders of Mr. Miller's genius.

Eugene McCarthy – It has become perhaps too easy to treat the Vietnam War with the 20/20 prescription of hindsight and offer simple condemnation. But the reality is that until 1968, it was not so easy to come out against the conflict, even for American liberals. Eugene McCarthy changed all of that. And while he never received the Democratic presidential nomination he probably deserved, a riot-torn convention in Chicago was almost certainly more about his politics than Hubert Humphrey's. Mr. McCarthy was a bold, unique politician who preached what he believed and fought vigorously to make America into what he imagined as a better place.

Peter Jennings – In the opening moments of Steven Spielberg's new film, “Munich,” archive audio of the news coverage of the 1972 Olympic massacre is used and Peter Jennings' voice suddenly owns the screen. It is a reminder of just one of the many historical moments – harrowing and cheerful alike – shared with America by Mr. Jennings and the suave, clean and professional manner with which he always delivered the news. His passing, coupled with the retirements of Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw, marks the veritable end of an era. And, the finest anchor of the trio by many standards, Mr. Jennings may well have been one of the last great faces of network news.

Hunter S. Thompson - “We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers,” writes Hunter S. Thompson in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” The book is labeled non-fiction. And yet somehow the quote is more endearing and intriguing – even to a sober audience – than frightful or disturbing. It was quintessential Gonzo journalism, coined by Mr. Thompson – Dr. Gonzo – himself and brought forth in the pages of Rolling Stone and various other publications. The word “I” suddenly ceased to be taboo in newsprint and became fashionable, election reports through stoned eyes were welcomed and Mr. Thompson somehow grew from the realms of cult stardom to outright legendary status.

William Rehnquist – Only the 16th Chief Justice of the United States and a member of the Supreme Court for more than a third of a century, William Rehnquist was one of the most distinguished members of the high court not just during his tenure but, indeed, in the grand realms of this nation's young history. He was dignified when in the minority and majority alike, always dedicated to his work, never in love with the allure of media sound bytes and fervently dedicated to upholding the laws of the country he loved so dearly. With time, the wisdom of his ways continues to become clearer and clearer – his dissents are slowly trickling into the law of the land; his remarks in such minority opinions the very foundation upon which much of the modern political movement bases its policy. And yet his legacy is far greater than his writings alone – he has been succeeded by one of his own clerks, a mind he helped mold into one of the nation's preeminent.

Johnny Carson – The thing that makes Johnny Carson's legacy so easy to decipher in a certain sense is that he never seemed to publicly exist outside of his work. Mr. Carson would host the Oscars, entertain the troops and take the NBC's airwaves every weeknight over the course of several decades, but that was it. When he retired, he retired – the gates to his estate closed and he was never really heard from again. And so it is his legacy of pure entertainment – making multiple generations smile even when times turned tough – that lives on. His charisma was unmistakable, his show has never truly been replicated (neither Jay Leno or David Letterman, impressive as they each may be, have found a way to match the sheer talent of Mr. Carson) and his mark on television is certainly unmistakable.

Of course, others passed away this year as well. Simon Weisenthal, Rosa Parks, Richard Pryor and panoply of other notable figures all left this world. And as is always the case, it is profoundly sad to reflect upon those who are no longer with us. But their memories live on and it is those legacies that will live well into 2006.