by Thomas Ullmann

Created on: April 06, 2008

I had occasion to have dinner with Charlton Heston 20 years ago in Denver, Colorado. The event was a Northwestern University alumni dinner meeting. He was magnanimous in his refusal to be anyone other than an alumni of Northwestern University. He spoke of his time at Northwestern as a drama student and his affection for the school and his time there. He said many of the valuable lessons he learned at Northwestern would stand him in good stead throughout his life. Although he never graduated from Northwestern he considered it his university. World War II interrupted his education but he said he probably would not have graduated anyway since he was focused on his drama. He spoke in glowing terms about the drama department at the school outlining many graduated and attendees that had made it into the entertainment industry as actors, actresses, producers,directors and a wide variety of entertainment professionals. When asked if he ever pledged for a fraternity, he said there was never any time and he was not asked; stating he was a GDI. Any one that has attended any university and is familiar with the Greek system (fraternities and sororities)will know that a GDI is a g_d damn independent. Since I too was a GDI we had an instant connection. We spoke of his illustrious career but he preferred to not be the focus of conversation at the dinner table; instead asking others questions about their careers and families. He just wanted the evening to be a celebration of the school. He did however delight in telling of his project to read the bible on tapes as only a man with his booming voice could do justice to such an excellent project. He was a patriot with a deep affection for the United States and all that it stands for and it was apparent in our discussion that evening. His belief in the American values was staunch and he felt that much of our historical past was being negated by a lessening of our collective values. The second amendment of the constitution was very important to him as he saw this as one of the values that indicated an overall decline in the respect due to the founding fathers and their vision for the country. He spoke passionately about the need to stand firm when standing in defense of the Constitution of the United States. He was and is a man for all times; he will be truly missed.

Learn more about this author, Thomas Ullmann.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.