His wry and gentle way of speaking……

by Hazel Cross

From to Kill a Mockingbird, and I’m paraphasing poorly: Atticus: “Mz Dubois, you look a picture today”.  Jem to Scout: “He never says a picture of what.”  It became a catch-phrase in my family.  Atticus’ gentle way of being, seeing, understanding, and acknowledging, with graciousness and humor, humanity and our foibles. He was a man of integrity.  That wasn’t just an actor reading a script, it was Gregory Peck.  Gregory Peck lived it. He enriched every role he played (and, yeah, I’ve seen ’em all). To me he was an exemplar of what a man should be. He took risks, he stood up, with humor, intelligence, and understanding.  I was lucky, I had that example in my Dad, and I married my “Gregory Peck”.  To his family, thank you for sharing him with us. I will always be grateful.