An underground walk

Gregory Peck C.2011

I'm not a do-gooder. It embarrassed me to be classified as a humanitarian. I simply take part in activities that I believe in. ~ Gregory Peck

I became a big fan of Gregory Peck when I saw Roman Holiday years and years ago. By fan I mean I simply thought he was devastatingly handsome. My fandom grew when I watched films like The Gentleman's agreement and To Kill a Mockingbird, two very gutsy roles in very admirable films. The latter is the well known role, but I HIGHLY recommend The Gentleman's Agreement if you haven't seen it yet. When I read he made former president Richard Nixon's enemies list because of his political views, well I think I may have fallen in love. I read various things about what a wonderful man he was on and off camera and how amazing he was to his fans, well into his last days. He was quite the L.A. enthusiast too and love that he was a huge supporter of the L.A. Central Library. 

I remember hearing about his death in the news towards the end of my junior year in college. I was genuinely saddened! Perhaps because I thought there was a little hope that I would find an opportunity to meet him, the last of my silverscreen heroes. That may sound silly but I'd read stories about such encounters and therefore it was technically possible, so I thought. One thing I didn't know was where he was put to rest. You could imagine my pleasant surprise a couple of years ago when I stumbled across his tomb at the mausoleum in the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels in Downtown L.A. Right in my backyard so to speak.

I visited the church and the mausoleum again just after Christmas this past year. It was so quiet and peaceful, which was hard to wrap my head around since the cathedral is not only in downtown, but it also borders the 101 freeway. Not the most secluded of places.

As I stood in front of Peck's vault, it made me think about what kind of legacy each of us hope to leave once our run on this earth is done. No, I never got to meet Gregory Peck, but reading so many positive stories about him along with a collection of great quotes, I find my admiration continues to grow. Just as his good character and his name became (and remain) synonymous, I can only hope that will be the case for me one day...preferably in the distant future.