People - page 3

Johnnie Cochran was a prominent figure in the legal world, known for his fervent advocacy for justice and civil rights. His career spanned decades and was marked by groundbreaking cases that reshaped the landscape of American law. From humble beginnings, Cochran rose to prominence as a skilled attorney, eventually becoming a household name after his involvement in the infamous O.J. Simpson trial. Beyond his legal prowess, Cochran’s legacy extends into the realm of civil rights activism, leaving a lasting impact on both the legal profession and society as a whole. This biography delves into the life, career, and enduring legacy of Johnnie Cochran.

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. was born on October 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana. His great-grandparents were slaves, and his grandfather was a sharecropper. His father, Johnnie Cochran, Sr., and mother, Hattie B. Cochran, instilled in Johnnie a strong work ethic that propelled him from the Jim Crow Era South to the upper echelons of the American Legal System. Growing up alongside his sisters, Pearl and Martha Jean, in a time when Louisiana was still grappling with the aftermath of The Great Depression and deeply entrenched Jim Crow laws, Johnnie’s childhood in Shreveport was marked by fond memories of Sundays spent with his family and church.

In the fall of 1943, Johnnie’s father relocated to California and secured employment as a pipe fitter with Bethlehem Steel in the Alameda Naval Shipyards. At age six, Johnnie and his family embarked on a journey to California as part of the second wave of the Great Migration, during which 6 million African Americans moved to the Northeast, Midwest, and West. Initially residing with Aunt Lucinda, the family soon found their home near the shipyard, marking their first experience with an integrated neighborhood where individuals of various races and religions coexist harmoniously.

Johnnie Cochran’s upbringing in Shreveport and subsequent move to California not only shaped his perspective on racial dynamics but also laid the foundation for his future success in the legal field.

In 1949, a year after accepting a promotion and relocating to San Diego, Johnnie Cochran, Sr. was offered another opportunity for advancement. He was asked to move to Los Angeles, where Golden State Mutual, the company he worked for, was headquartered. The family packed their belongings once again and made the move to the city that would become the permanent residence of Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. for the remainder of his life.

Johnnie graduated from UCLA in 1959 and subsequently enrolled in Loyola Law School. Despite the demanding schedule at Loyola, Johnnie managed to balance his studies with work commitments, marriage in his first year, and the birth of his first child during his third year. Additionally, he secured a position in his desired field and made history as the first African American law clerk in the office of the Los Angeles city attorney.

Inspired by the legal triumph of Thurgood Marshall in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, Johnnie Cochran made the decision to commit his life to the practice of law. Viewing his career as a calling, Cochran saw it as a unique chance to fight for justice and confront injustice head-on; he believed that he could truly make a difference through the practice of law. In his book “A Lawyer’s Life,” Cochran reflected, “I devoured every piece of literature I could find on Thurgood Marshall, solidifying my belief that a single dedicated individual could utilize the law as a tool for societal change.” Cochran’s dedication and perseverance in the face of numerous challenges exemplify his unwavering commitment to success and breaking barriers in the legal profession.

On June 1, 1962, Johnnie graduated from law school and commenced his preparations to take the California bar exam. After completing the exam, he returned to his position at the city attorney’s office, where he began the month-long wait to receive his results. In the early hours of Monday, December 17th, Johnnie was abruptly awakened at 2:30 a.m. by a friend who called to deliver the exciting news that he had successfully passed the bar exam.

In 1965, Johnnie Cochran departed from the city attorney’s office and established his inaugural private practice alongside fellow former deputy district attorney, Gerald D. Lenoir. Throughout his career, Cochran’s clientele boasted notable figures such as Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, and Jim Brown. Additionally, he fervently advocated for victims of police brutality.

The O.J. Simpson trial captivated audiences worldwide and propelled Johnnie Cochran to international fame as one of the most renowned attorneys of his time. From June to October of 1995, a mesmerized nation followed the televised trial closely, culminating in the highly anticipated verdict on October 3rd at 10:07 A.M., when Simpson was acquitted on both murder charges. An estimated 100 million viewers tuned in to witness the verdict, causing a significant loss of productivity amounting to approximately $480 million as people across the globe paused to witness this historic moment.

Johnnie’s proudest moment of his career, however, was his work for Geronimo Pratt.  Johnnie Cochran dedicated himself to working alongside Black Panther leader Geronimo Pratt, who was unjustly serving a sentence for a crime he did not commit. It was revealed that crucial evidence, such as police wiretaps proving Pratt’s whereabouts at the time of the murder in Santa Monica, was withheld during his 1972 trial. Additionally, the key witness, Julius Butler, was discovered to be an informant for both the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department.

On June 10, 1997, Johnnie Cochran successfully completed his efforts on behalf of Geronimo Pratt, resulting in the vacating of Pratt’s conviction after 27 years of wrongful imprisonment. This monumental achievement stood as one of Johnnie’s proudest moments as an attorney. The bond between Cochran and Pratt remained strong until Mr. Cochran’s passing in 2005, solidifying their friendship as a testament to the power of justice and perseverance.

In December 2003, Cochran received the devastating news of a brain tumor diagnosis. Following surgery in April 2004, he chose to step away from the public eye to focus on his health. Despite this challenging time, he reassured the New York Post that he was feeling well and maintaining good health.

Tragically, Cochran lost his battle with the brain tumor on March 29, 2005, at his residence in Los Angeles. A public viewing of his casket was held on April 4 at the Angelus Funeral Home and on April 5 at Second Baptist Church, both in Los Angeles. A memorial service took place at West Angeles Cathedral on April 6, 2005.

Cochran’s final resting place is in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. His father, Johnnie Sr., attended the funeral, as well as many former friends and clients, including O. J. Simpson and Michael Jackson. Johnnie Cochran’s legacy continues to live on through his impactful work in the legal field.

Dr. Deepak Chopra is a renowned alternative medicine advocate, author, and public speaker who has made significant contributions to the field of mind-body healing. With a background in internal medicine and endocrinology, Dr. Chopra is known for blending Eastern philosophies with Western science to promote holistic well-being and self-healing practices. He has written over 90 books on topics such as meditation, spirituality, and personal transformation, many of which have become bestsellers.

Chopra founded the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, founded by renowned physician Deepak Chopra and his colleague David Simon in 1996. The center offers wellness retreats, workshops, and educational programs that blend the principles of Eastern philosophy with Western medicine. The center’s mission is to empower individuals to take control of their health and well-being through a holistic approach that encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects.

Chopra was born in New Delhi, British India to Krishan Lal Chopra and Pushpa Chopra. Dr. Chopra completed his primary education at St. Columba’s School in New Delhi and graduated from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1969. He began his medical career by serving in rural India, where he encountered unique challenges, such as working in a village where the lights would go out whenever it rained. It was during this formative period that Dr. Chopra developed a keen interest in endocrinology, with a focus on neuroendocrinology, to explore the biological underpinnings of the impact of thoughts and emotions on health.

The Indian government had prohibited its doctors from taking the necessary exam to practice medicine in the United States. As a result, Chopra was required to travel to Sri Lanka in order to complete the exam. Upon successfully passing, he made his way to the United States to begin a clinical internship at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield, New Jersey.

From 1971 to 1977, Chopra completed residencies in internal medicine at prestigious institutions such as the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts, the VA Medical Center, St. Elizabeths Medical Center, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. In 1973, he obtained his medical license in the state of Massachusetts and became board certified in internal medicine, with a specialization in endocrinology.

 He has taught at prestigious medical schools such as Tufts University, Boston University, and Harvard University. Additionally, he served as Chief of Staff at the New England Memorial Hospital (NEMH), which later became known as the Boston Regional Medical Center, located in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Following his time at NEMH, Dr. Chopra established a successful private practice in Boston specializing in endocrinology.

During his visit to New Delhi in 1981, he had the opportunity to meet with the esteemed Ayurvedic physician Brihaspati Dev Triguna, who was the head of the Indian Council for Ayurvedic Medicine. It was during this meeting that he received valuable advice that inspired him to delve deeper into the practices of Ayurveda. At the time, he was consuming copious amounts of black coffee and smoking a pack of cigarettes daily. In an effort to break these unhealthy habits, he turned to Transcendental Meditation for support. Since then, he has made meditation a daily practice, dedicating two hours every morning and thirty minutes every evening to this beneficial routine.

Dr. Chopra asserts that individuals have the potential to achieve optimal health, characterized by a state free from disease, pain, and the effects of aging. He views the human body as being supported by a quantum mechanical system made up of energy and information, rather than physical matter. According to Chopra, the process of aging is not fixed but rather fluid and malleable, capable of speeding up, slowing down, pausing, or even reversing based on one’s mental state. He maintains that his methods can effectively address chronic illnesses and promote overall well-being.

He was appointed as the inaugural president of the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine, a co-founder of Maharishi Ayur-Veda Products International, and served as the medical director of the Maharishi Ayur-Veda Health Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts.

In June 1993, he relocated to California to assume the role of executive director at Sharp HealthCare’s Institute for Human Potential and Mind/Body Medicine. Additionally, he led the Center for Mind/Body Medicine, a prestigious clinic located within an exclusive resort in Del Mar, California. Dr. Deepak Chopra’s groundbreaking book “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old” was also published in 1993

In 2004, Dr. Chopra obtained his California medical license and currently holds an affiliation with Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California. He serves as the owner and supervisor of the Mind-Body Medical Group within the Chopra Center, where he provides personalized guidance on nutrition, sleep-wake cycles, and stress management, integrating principles from mainstream medicine and Ayurveda. Dr. Chopra is a distinguished fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Dr. Chopra holds the position of adjunct professor in the marketing division at Columbia Business School and also serves as an adjunct professor of executive programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Additionally, he is a featured lecturer at the annual Update in Internal Medicine event sponsored by Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Deepak Chopra and his wife have two adult children, Gotham Chopra and Mallika Chopra, as well as three grandchildren. As of 2019, Chopra has resided in a health-centric condominium in Manhattan. In July 2006, the Carnegie Corporation of New York honored him as a member of the inaugural class of the Great Immigrants Award.

Jim Henson was an exceptional artist and visionary who created distinctive worlds and characters that still resonate with vibrancy, originality, and freshness today. As a trailblazer in television, a pioneer in puppetry, technology, and visual arts, and a talented performer who breathed life into some of the most iconic characters ever – including the beloved Kermit the frog – Jim Henson’s influence on entertainment, education, and culture endures to the present day.

Born on September 24, 1936, at King’s Daughters Hospital in Greenville, Mississippi, Jim was the second son of Paul and Betty Henson. As a child, he spent his early years in Leland, Mississippi, where his father worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Throughout his youth, Jim developed a strong interest in art and, later, television. He was particularly close to his maternal grandmother, an avid painter, quilter, and needleworker, and would often visit her. She was incredibly supportive of Jim’s artistic pursuits, encouraging him to use his imagination and find joy in the world around him.

In 1954, while still in high school, Jim began his television career performing puppets on a local Washington, D.C. Saturday morning program on WTOP-TV. The following year, as a freshman at the University of Maryland, he was given his own twice-daily, five-minute show, “Sam and Friends,” on the local NBC affiliate, WRC-TV.

On this program, Jim and his assistant, fellow University of Maryland student and future wife Jane Nebel, introduced many fun aspects that fans came to love about the Muppets, including music, snarky humor, and innovative technical tricks like eliminating the puppet stage and using the television itself as the proscenium. Most memorably, the show featured an early version of Kermit the Frog, who would go on to become the face of the Muppets.

After a series of projects, mostly national television appearances and humorous commercials, Henson was approached by public television producer Joan Ganz Cooney in 1966 to help with the creation of a groundbreaking new kid’s show called “Sesame Street.” Cooney recognized Henson’s amazingly, unique talent and enlisted Henson to help create a cast of beloved characters for this new show. Characters like Big Bird, Bert and Ernie and Oscar the Grouch all sprung from the wide and wonderful imagination of Jim Henson.

Working closely with the Children’s Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop) on Sesame Street, Jim also had the chance to further experiment with various film techniques. Alongside his talented team, Jim produced more than two dozen live-action and animated shorts that still teach children essential skills like counting, the alphabet, and other educational concepts.

Sesame Street showed the world the undeniable appeal of Henson’s creations and Henson wanted to create a show that would appeal to the whole family. He tried for years to sell the concept of The Muppet Show but it wasn’t until 1975 that the show would start to become a reality.

In 1975, production began at Grade’s ATV Studios, introducing the world to an unforgettable family of Muppet characters. This included fan favorites like Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Animal (performed by Frank Oz), as well as The Great Gonzo (Dave Goelz), Scooter (Richard Hunt), Lew Zealand (Jerry Nelson), and Rizzo the Rat (Steve Whitmire).

Hosted by Kermit the Frog and accompanied by the musical talents of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Band, the Muppets welcomed a pantheon of great guest stars each week – from Gene Kelly to Steve Martin and John Cleese.

The Muppet Show’s immense success soon led to Hollywood, where the beloved characters starred in six feature films: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and Muppets From Space.

His two other movies Dark Crystal and Labyrinth left an indelible mark on the world of fantasy cinema. In The Dark Crystal Henson and his team of skilled craftspeople constructed an intricate, visually stunning universe, populated by a diverse array of fantastical creatures. The film’s central narrative, which follows the journey of a young Gelfling named Jen as he seeks to restore the shattered Dark Crystal and restore balance to his world, is imbued with a sense of epic grandeur and mythic resonance.

Henson’s other landmark work, Labyrinth, showcased his ability to blend the whimsical and the profound. Featuring a memorable cast of fantastical characters, including the iconic Goblin King, portrayed with magnetic charisma by David Bowie, “Labyrinth” blended elements of fairy tale, coming-of-age drama, and musical fantasy to create a truly unique and captivating cinematic experience. Henson’s masterful puppetry and special effects work, combined with the film’s rich thematic underpinnings, have cemented “Labyrinth” as a beloved cult classic and a testament to the boundless creative vision of its legendary creator.

Henson went on to create other such memorable works as Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, and Jim Henson’s Greek Myths. Before his death in 1990, he was able to complete his last project, MuppetVision 3*D. The film, which he directed, currently runs at custom-made theaters located within Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, as well as at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, California. Jim Henson is remembered as a cultural icon in the world of fantasy. His innovative vision and boundless creativity shaping the way audiences experienced whimsical storytelling for generations. Henson breathed life into a menagerie of vibrant, endearing characters that effortlessly transcended the traditional boundaries of puppetry. With his uncanny ability to imbue even the most fantastical creatures with genuine emotion and personality, Henson pioneered a new medium that seamlessly blended the handcrafted charm of puppetry with the cinematic magic of film and television.