George B Shaw

Looking back - Katharine Hepburn at home in Fenwick

&Ldquo;I’m like the girl who never grew up, you see. I just never left home, so to speak. I’ve always come back. I would never buy a house in California. I would go out there, make a picture then come right back. I’m a Connecticut person, and so I always come back to Connecticut. I’ve had the New York house since 1931 (and sold in 1996) but I don’t suppose I’ve spent 10 weekends there.” It was here at Fenwick that young Kattie played golf, tennis, and swam year-round in Long Island Sound. Here, too, with her Fenwick playmates, she explored the “spooky secret passages” in the third floor attic and staged her earliest acting efforts on family porches. Beauty and the Beast” and “Bluebeard” were favorites. On her dressing table she kept a quotation from George Bernard Shaw: “This is the true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, the being a force of Nature, instead of a…selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” “I’m like the girl who never grew up, you see. I just never left home, so to speak. I’ve always come back. I would never buy a house in California. I would go out there, make a picture then come right back. I’m a Connecticut person, and so I always come back to Connecticut. I’ve had the New York house since 1931 (and sold in 1996) but I don’t suppose I’ve spent 10 weekends there.” It was here at Fenwick that young Kattie played golf, tennis, and swam year-round in Long Island Sound. Here, too, with her Fenwick playmates, she explored the “spooky secret passages” in the third floor attic and staged her earliest acting efforts on family porches. Beauty and the Beast” and “Bluebeard” were favorites. On her dressing table she kept a quotation from George Bernard Shaw: “This is the true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, the being a force of Nature, instead of a…selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

10 Unusual Last Wills And Testaments » This Blog Rules | Why go ...

While most people create Wills and Testaments to put their final and financial affairs in order, there have been these certain other people in the world who have used these means to make a political point or program line; or well, just to make for a good old hearty laugh!

Following is a list of 10 strangest Last Wishes made by some famous and no so famous persons.

The great Roman poet, Virgil is known for his Aeneid, once famous as the National Poem of Rome. Before his death, Virgil had completed only 12 books as opposed to the 24 of the epic poems by Homer.

Since his work was left incomplete, he had ordered for it to be destroyed by fire after his death. However, when his friends found out about this strange bout of destructive death wish, they convinced him to remove this particular request from his will.

He consented and the poem was published to great acclaim. I am sure we all have something to be grateful for as far as Virgil’s tenacious friends are concerned.

William Shakespeare – Died in 1616

Last Wish: That his wife receive his ‘Second best bed.’

This strange wish made by Shakespeare caused much speculation among people about his relationship with his wife Anne Hathaway. Not only it was a strange request, it was put on the document as an after thought. In those times, leaving a bed to someone though was not an unusual thing as a good quality bed sans vermin or fleas was a highly prized and a very expensive thing.

However, adding fuel to the debate was the epitaph that Shakespeare left on his grave: ‘Blest be the man that spares these stones, /And cursed by he that moves my bones.’  While some conjecture that Shakespeare meant to scare off Grave Robbers, the wordings however were taken so seriously that when his wife died seven years later, her body was allowed to be placed with his.

Charles Dickens – Died in 1870

Last Wish: That mourners ‘who attend my funeral wear no scarf, cloak, black bow, long hatband, or other such revolting absurdity.’

Along with the above, Dickens also wrote that he was not to have a public funeral and the place and time of his funeral was not be made public. He also requested for an inexpensive funeral with only three plain ‘mourning coaches.’

Dickens’s request however were ignored – and on a grand scale! He was honored by a full funeral cortege, with all members present in full funeral regalia. His funeral aptly put was a national event.