1001 People Who Made America - Alan Axelrod [95]
Noguchi, Isamu (1904–1988) Although born in Los Angeles, Noguchi grew up in Japan, then studied sculpture in New York and worked as Constantin Brancusi’s assistant in Paris. In that city, he fell under the influence of the great modern sculptors Alberto Giacometti and Alexander Calder as well as the painters Picasso and Miró. Propelled by these influences, he went on to develop a sculptural style all his own, abstractions built on organic shapes, suggesting a harmonious relation to nature. His work was often integrated into modern buildings, and he designed entire sculptural gardens, bringing nature into the often relentlessly mechanical modern scene.
Norris, Frank (1870–1902) A West Coast journalist, Norris created a new kind of American novel, which embodied a “naturalist” vision, suggesting that human events were driven by essentially natural forces, amoral and beyond the individual’s will or control. McTeague (1899) presented an almost surreal vision in this vein, telling the story of brutish dentist who kills his wife then dies as he flees through Death Valley. His subsequent work was more realistic, culminating in The Octopus (1901), which depicted the amoral forces of economics in society. Norris’s life was cut short by a failed appendicitis operation.
North, Oliver (1943– ) North was a U.S. Marine lieutenant colonel assigned as chief aide to Vice Admiral John M. Poindexter, national security advisor to President Ronald Reagan. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration wanted to support the “contras,” a right-wing military group opposed to the Marxist Sandinista government of Nicaragua. When Congress barred such aid, North, with Poindexter, formulated a secret plan by which the United States would sell arms to Iran (a terrorist nation and sworn enemy of America) in order to persuade it to help secure the liberation of U.S. hostages held in Lebanon. Additionally, the proceeds from the arms sale would be funneled to the contras, without the knowledge of Congress. Exposure of “Iran scam” or “Iran-gate”—as the press called the affair—in 1986 threatened to topple the Reagan administration and resulted in the prosecution of North (convictions were later dismissed).
Novak, Robert (1931– ) Novak built his journalistic career on political reporting and commentary with an insider’s view. He had access to so many highly placed sources that colleagues and politicians dubbed him the “Prince of Darkness.” In 2003, he “outed” in his column undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame, wife of an opponent of George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. The subsequent investigation of deliberate leaks from high-level Bush administration sources shook the administration and resulted in the prosecution of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. Novak’s motives and ethics came under sharp scrutiny, as did the political agendas of a number of journalists on the left as well as the right.
O’Connor, Flannery (1925–1964) Born and raised in Georgia, O’Connor wrote highly imaginative novels and short stories set in the rural South and peopled by dark characters who are both deeply alienated from humanity and obsessed with God and religion. Her fiction is idiosyncratic in the extreme, yet firmly based in southern regionalism and always philosophically provocative.
O’Connor, Sandra Day (1930– ) Raised on an Arizona ranch, O’Connor practiced as an attorney, served in the Arizona Senate, then as a superior court judge (1974–1979) and an appeals judge (1979–1981). Nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan, she was sworn in on September 25, 1981. O’Connor served until she retired in 2006 (when she was succeeded by Samuel Alito) and was known for her moderate conservative orientation.
Odets, Clifford (1906–1963)