Every once in a while, I like to do a spotlight on someone special who has either made it against all odds or taught us something about reaching our goals. Today’s post isn’t exactly a “Spotlight” post, but I did want to do a tribute to someone important. (Please excuse the delay – I haven’t been able to write about this until now.)
On December 31, 2021, the world lost one of the most influential people in modern entertainment. Born on January 17, 1922, Betty White spent almost 80 years entertaining us, working in radio and television since the 1940s. She shared her gift on her own TV shows, appearing on shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and hosting the NBC show Just Men! in 1983.
One of her most iconic roles was Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. Along with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, White gave us laughs, along with a little controversy. She was known for hitting uncomfortable topics on television, such as covering sexism on The Golden Girls, and outright defying racism by having Arthur Duncan (a Black tap dancer) as a regular performer on The Betty White Show in 1952. Because of her support, Duncan became the first Black regular on a variety show.
We can all learn a lot of great life lessons from Betty White. She was a caring individual, particularly loving animals, with an attitude toward social injustices that often caught attention. Here are some quotes from Mrs. White that we should continue to carry with us:
“You know people who are already saying, ‘I’m going to be 30 – oh, what am I going to do?’ Well, use that decade! Use all of them!”
“Don’t try to be young. Just open your mind. Stay interested in stuff.”
“You’re never too old for anything.”
“If one has no sense of humor, one is in trouble.”
“I just care what kind of a decent human being you are.”
“I know unless I’m true to myself I couldn’t be happy. Too much emphasis is placed today on externals and too little on character.”
“My philosophy for staying young is [to] act bubbly every day, drink bubbly every birthday!”
