The recent passing of 85-year-old Jack Larson, a.k.a Jimmy Olsen from the 1950s hit television series “The Adventures of Superman,” and New York Yankees great Lawrence Peter “Yogi Berra, at age 90, hit home for Baby Boomers everywhere.
Larson played the fictional character Jimmy Olsen, a cub reporter who along with Lois Lane, week after week, managed to get themselves into a mess that required being rescued by Superman. Larson went on to work as a screenwriter and producer until 2011.
Diehard and fair-weather baseball fans mourned the loss of Yogi Berra, who died on Sept. 22, 2015, at age 90.
Berra’s accomplishments as a player include being an 18-time All-Star, and a 10-time World Series champion. As far as individual player accolades go, Yogi is one of only five players named the American League’s Most Valuable Player three times.
Still, for many, the most endearing thing about Yogi was his authentic persona and legendary ability to turn a phrase. In fact, one of his Yogi-isms, “It’s like deja vu all over again,” made him a fan favorite.
Often, before people talk about Yogi’s phenomenal baseball career, one that spanned more than four decades, they’re likely to mention his refreshing boy-like spirit and love of the game.
Digging deeper, it’s not surprising that Yogi had been an early civil rights supporter in favor of diversity in baseball. This, I think, aptly relates to my all-time favorite Yogi-ism, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
Anthony Stanford is an Aurora resident and Beacon-News columnist
