Friends, I’m very sad to report the death of one of the people I’ve idolized since I was old enough to idolize anyone: Dolly Parton. To me, Dolly Parton represented the very best in America. Her kindness, compassion, laughter, love of life, hardscrabble beginnings, humanity, ambition, and extraordinary talent were what this country is —... Continue Reading →
The Guardian, Jan 14, 2026 [The Guardian/Reuters] US civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin, arrested at age 15 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks’s similar but more famous act of defiance, died on Tuesday at age 86. Although she remained a largely... Continue Reading →
Photo credit: APTN news Tributes continue to pour in for Judge Murray Sinclair Mazina Giizhik, Judge, Senator and a Chair of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission who died in a Winnipeg hospital aged 73 on Monday, November 4, 2024 after a long illness. Described by the BBC as “a national leaderin Indigenous justice and... Continue Reading →
From the United Church of Canada, Friday Oct 13, 2024with thanks to Jennifer Henry for both the title and the share With great sadness, The United Church of Canada announces the death of The Very Rev., The Honourable Dr. Lois M. Wilson, the denomination’s 28th Moderator, and the first woman to fill the role. She... Continue Reading →
Herb O’Driscoll was a treasured mentor, colleague and friend when we served together in the Diocese of Islands and Inlets (British Columbia). He wrote two hymns for my installation as Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Kamloops in 2016. We worked together a number of times during summer programs at the Sorrento Centre. He gave... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 