Wednesday Reads, Including Obituaries

 Obituary:  Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has died.  She was the first female secretary of state.  Albright was 87 and died of cancer.

She campaigned for John Kerry back in 2004.  I saw her in person when she was in Reno and took some pictures.

Snip from the obit:

Albright was born in 1937 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her family fled to Britain in 1939 to avoid the Nazis and then the United States nearly a decade later, in 1948, to escape the communists' grip on Czechoslovakia. 

She was first selected by Clinton to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations before being promoted to head the State Department.  

She was confirmed unanimously in 1997. 

Albright wasn't in the presidential line of succession, however, because she wasn't U.S.-born. 

Clinton called her 'one of the finest Secretaries of State, an outstanding U.N. Ambassador, a brilliant professor, and an extraordinary human being' in a statement Wednesday.  

'Because she knew firsthand that America's policy decisions had the power to make a difference in people's lives around the world, she saw her jobs as both an obligation and an opportunity,' Clinton said. 'And through it all, even until our last conversation just two weeks ago, she never lost her great sense of humor or her determination to go out with her boots on, supporting Ukraine in its fight to preserve freedom and democracy.' 

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Another obit to note:  1996 Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone, 29, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, has reportedly died.  He had been the oldest Kentucky Derby winner following the recent death of Go for Gin.  Grindstone died yesterday.

He spent years in Newberg, Oregon, of all places until he retired from stud duty in 2018.

Snip:

A homebred for the late W.T. Young's Overbrook Farm, Grindstone would go on to stand there for 13 years before being moved to Oakhurst, where he would be the first Derby winner to stand in the Northwest. He stood eight seasons in Oregon before being retired in 2018 where he would continue to receive the care of veterinarian Root, who loved showing off Grindstone to visitors.

Root's son, Ben, said in an email that Grindstone's passing had left a void at the farm.

"It breaks my heart to tell you, that last night Grindstone succumbed to infirmaries of old age. You can't outrun time, and unfortunately... it's just so sad around here this a.m.," Ben Root said. "Owning this horse was the greatest thrill in my father's lifetime."

1996 Kentucky Derby:

Silver Charm is now the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, while Editor's Note is the oldest American classic winner.

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