New Perspectives

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Rev. Bob Johnston

James Arness, better known as Sheriff Matt Dillon of the long-running television Western drama, Gunsmoke, died in California last Friday, June 3. 

On that same day, Dr. Jack Kevorkian infamously referred to as "Dr. Death", passed away in New York.  Both men have touched my life, albeit in radically different ways.

I was a tall, gangly teenager in 1955 when Gunsmoke began its remarkable 20-year run on television.  When Is saw Sheriff Matt first stride boldly into Dodge City, he instantly became my role model. 

What insecure adolescent boy would not wish to be six foot seven inches tall and tip the scales at a muscular 235 pounds?  Moreover, he was constantly and gently being pursed by the lovely Miss Kitty.  I could only dream!

My adolescence soon blended into adulthood, life moved on and, with new responsibilities of marriage,  family and career, I left Matt Dillon behind ... on that dusty main street, shooting it out with the bad guys.

Now, as I approach the other end of my life, I think more often about Jack Kevorkian.  In the 1950s, he shocked the medical world by advocating for euthanasia in cases where a patient faced incurable illness and unrelenting pain. 

In fact, despite the notoriety and bad press he received for the next six decades, Dr. Jack was partly responsible for pushing physicians and drug companies to develop better pain management protocols for end-of-life patients, as an alternative to euthanasia or assisted suicide.

I long ago abandoned hopes of looking like Sheriff Matt Dillon however, I still hope to find a peaceful and dignified death when my time comes.  Should that hope be realized, I will be grateful to Dr. Kevorkian, who has helped make dying less frightening.

The 88 year-old Hollywood actor and the 83 year-old pathologist ... two men whose life journeys could not have been more different.  Yet, through the role each filled over the years, my own life ... growing up and now growing old ... has been significantly touched.

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Monday, June 06, 2011