A tribute to Paul Newman

In case you had not heard, which might mean you are cut off from the world entirely, Paul Newman died last weekend of lung cancer, he was 83. Paul Newman was more than just a pretty face and a great actor. His co-owned food company Newman's Own donated over 220 million dollars to charity as of 2006, and in 1988 he co-founded The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a summer camp for seriously ill children. The camp serves 13,000 children a year, all free of charge. Newman was also a founder of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), an organization of over 175 CEOs and corporate chairpersons determined to raise the level and quality of global corporate philanthropy.

I have always admired Paul Newman, for many reasons, but one thing in particular will always stick in my mind. In an age of Hollywood hookups, scandals, and affairs, it was refreshing to read a quote from Newman from Playboy, when asked if he was ever tempted to stray from his wife Joanne Woodward he replied "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?". Paul Newman was many things, he was an actor, a humanitarian, a political activist, and an environmentalist, he was a man we should all strive to be more like. A man who cared for his fellow human beings, animals, and the environment and gave freely to their causes. He will be much missed and my heart goes out to his family and friends.