Breeding Ground

Have you ever wondered about how several successful people can come from the same place?

Sometimes it's a household. Many parents of multiple children have one high achiever but when they all knock it out of the ball park - there must be something special going on.

Years ago when we lived in West Palm Beach, the old Palm Beach High School was right across the street from the church. Over a few years time this high school produced Burt Reynolds, George Hamilton, Peter Lawford, Monte Markham (whom you probably don't know but he was, and still is, a fine actor) and several other lesser known movie and TV stars.

A few blocks from my boyfriend's house is a little town called St. Louis Park. It's a first ring suburb of Minneapolis. There's nothing special about the way it looks, it's very middle class. It does have a high Jewish population. I've heard it referred to, in a very kind and proud way, as "St. Jewish Park."

St. Louis Park has produced, within a four block radius, the brilliant "Times" columnist Thomas Friedman, the political scientist Norm Orstein, and the movie makers Joel and Ethan Coen (who've produced "Fargo," "No Country for Old Men," "Raising Arizona," and many other smart, funny brutal, beautiful, thought provoking movies)

The St. Louis Park guy getting all the press right now is Senator Al Franken. No matter what you think of him politically, the guy is and always has been brilliant.

Thanks St. Louis Park - and all the other places and families that continue to breed these gifts to us.


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