I grew up in a small rural town called Putnam Valley. There was nothing noteworthy about it, except for two things: Jason Fisher was in a Discovery Zone commercial and Dr. Ruth Westheimer allegedly lived on the lake.
But no one had ever seen her.
This rumor meant something to me as a kid. If someone famous sees something of value in my town, maybe there's something I don't see about this place. Maybe I could make something of myself too?
Years later, I moved to NYC and as fate would happen, I got asked by Youtube to meet with Dr. Ruth. She wanted help figuring out how to share her work with the next generation. She invited me to come to her house and we ended up spending the whole day together.
Celebrities often have two modes: inner circle + everyone else. I was welcomed in.
I got to spend a few years advising her on digital video things and learning more about her amazing life. (If you want to hear her story, "Ask Dr. Ruth" on Hulu is a great place to start)
It was easy to consider her a schticky character, but she changed how sex is perceived in America. She made it cool and accessible on television. We have so much shame about it that we needed a 4'7" German woman to make the word "orgasm" palatable.
She never resented being boxed into something. She understood the power of her character and she had great fun with it. She knew that it was the way she could make an impact. Any frank discourse about sex stands on her shoulders.
One day she called me to catch up and I mentioned I was doing an interactive exhibit in Times Square. "Send me the address," she said. I humored her, but I never expected her to come. She was like 85 years old.
But she took a cab down to the opening and even agreed to be in this video that TIME was shooting. She met my girlfriend and rightfully predicted I would marry her (Though I'm pretty sure she said that to any couple who seemed in love.)
To the doctor. Thank you. May you continue to help us be more whole in your next form.
And of course, I had to ask her if she ever lived in Putnam Valley:
"Oh yes! That was our family lakehouse. Have you ever been to that beautiful little town?"