On Tuesdays, we always do our "They Get It" segment: dedicated to those we consider style icons - those who are always appropriate, always impeccable.

Well this Tuesday is a bit different.  To select Paul Newman as a "style icon" would have had him howling with laughter.  In fact, I found this tidbit about his "style" in one of the obits: "He made an effort to appear grungy, wearing jeans and running shoes as well as a beer-can opener as a necklace."  HA!  Not exactly the polished to perfection image of a big time movie star.

No matter, because I have loved Paul for as long as I can remember.   I loved his movies (those he acted in and those he directed,)  admired his zest for life, and have been inspired by his hugely successful philanthropic endeavors.

Mr. Newman was of my parents' generation.  So while he was a lot older than me; I knew who he was from his early movies (which would play on TV) and the remarks made by my Mom and her friends about how good looking he was - his gorgeous eyes, etc. 

But I vividly remember the first time I ever saw him in a first-run movie: big theater, huge screen.  And the movie? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

Whoa!!  I was still just a kid; but I finally realized what the hoopla was about.  To this day,  that is one of my all-time favorite movies (and in my opinion, the BEST buddy movie ever.)   And to my young eyes, Paul Newman and Robert Redford were the most gorgeous men I had ever seen.  Actually, I still think that the two of them were never more gorgeous than they were in that movie.

So now, all I can say is thanks, Paul.  Thanks for a great time at the movies - thanks for a fine example of a strong marriage - and thanks for showing what a giving heart and a pasta sauce recipe can do!  You will be missed!