When a person of note dies, the history books will often dictate how the general public remembers that person.
Two giants of American history passed away in the last week: Henry Kissinger and Sandra Day O’Connor.
Kissinger emigrated to the United States as a young man escaping from Nazi Germany. Years later, he worked under the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. His reputation during those years was a complicated one. Though he opened the door to diplomatic relations with countries whose doors were previously closed, he made other decisions that created a ripple effect for decades to come.
Day O’Connor has the distinction of being the first woman to become a judge on the Supreme Court. Nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1981, the crack she created on the glass ceiling opened the door to women entering both government service and the legal field. She will forever be remembered for the path she forged and the barriers she broke.
RIP.
Writergurlny 