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.Since theCongressional Medal had been introduced in 1776, only eighty-seven people or groups had received it.On 23 May, Maureen O Haraand Elizabeth Taylor flew to Washington to attend the hearings.Many tributes were read out by Barry Goldwater; they had comefrom such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, Kirk Douglas,Gregory Peck, and Katharine Hepburn, who wrote,  I understandthat the United States Congress and our president are giving JohnWayne a gold medal.Asked for a comment, I can only say with aheart full of love for all concerned,  About time. The bill was passed unanimously, and it was decided that oneside would bear a portrait of Duke as Davy Crockett, and on theother side would be a landscape of Monument Valley.MaureenO Hara insisted that the inscription should read,  John Wayne,American.On 9 June, the archbishop of Panama arrived and Wayne wasbaptized into the Catholic Church.Michael declared that his fatherdid it for his family because all his wives were Catholics, althoughPilar had become a Christian Scientist.The tension that had always existed between the two sets ofWayne children really began to show over the matter of their father sbedside conversion to Catholicism.Aissa maintained her father wasso opposed to organized religion that she couldn t believe he would21184_ch01.qxd 12/18/03 1:43 PM Page 347THE ABSOLUTE ALL-TIME MOVIE STAR 347have gone through with the ceremony.She also said her father  wastoo drugged up to know a conversion was even being attempted.Claire Trevor said that it was a terrible time for the family. Notonly was their father dying, but rather than bringing his two sets ofchildren together, it only served to widen the gap between them.Idon t know what was behind it all, but Michael, as the senior son anda fine man, liaised with the doctors, and he made all the decisionswhich I think the younger ones Pilar s children took someexception to.Decisions were being made they didn t agree with.Guards were put outside his door and nobody but certain peopleapproved by Michael, I suppose were allowed to see him.Iunderstand Pilar was not on that list. Neither was Henry Fonda, but he turned up and refused toleave until he d seen Duke, so he was allowed in.But even MarySt.John wasn t permitted to see him.I couldn t see him.Very fewpeople were allowed to visit.I suppose Duke really wasn t up tovisitors.Ava Gardner told me,  Francis was on the so-called approved list,and he went with Barbara, I think and he told me that when hesaw Duke lying in bed with tubes running through him and lookingnothing like the man he d once squared up to, he just cried.He keptsaying,  I had no idea.I had no idea. On Friday, 11 June 1979, the doctors told Duke s children that theend was very near.Michael couldn t be there, having to deal withlawyers.But all the other children were around his bed.Aissa tookhold of her father s emaciated hand.He stopped breathing.Patricksaid,  Good-bye, Dad. The time was 5:23 P.M.Paul Fix told me,  A lot of his friends would have liked to haveattended the funeral to say good-bye.But we weren t invited.A lotof us were puzzled because Duke never made a secret of his finalwish that he be cremated and have his ashes scattered over theocean.He said,  For God s sake, don t bury me in a box and putme in the ground for the worms.Let me become a part of theocean. He also wanted something engraved somewhere that said,  Feo,fuerte, y formel, which was Spanish for  ugly, strong, and withdignity. He wanted that as his epitaph.But he never got it.21184_ch01.qxd 12/18/03 1:43 PM Page 348348 JOHN WAYNEDuke was buried on 15 June 1979, in an unmarked grave on ahilltop in Pacific View Memorial Park, overlooking the ocean.Onlyhis family know where their father s remains lie because, under-standably, they didn t want his grave to be desecrated.But the factthat he was buried instead of cremated further increased the tensionbetween the two sets of children.Michael said that his father had died a Catholic, and had receiveda Catholic funeral.Aissa said her father s wishes to be crematedwere ignored.I have no doubt that both sets of children had the best interests oftheir father at heart.I never met Aissa or Pilar, but their respectivememoirs seemed to expose the delights and the despair of beingdaughter and wife of John Wayne.Michael and Patrick I did meet,and despite Duke s lifelong belief that none of his children byJosephine had ever forgiven him for leaving them and their mother,all I saw and heard convinced me that Michael and Patrick lovedtheir father, respected him, and never had a bad word to say abouthim.In fact, I would say that their father was their role model, andeach of them had certain of their father s attributes.Michael is thetough man, making tough decisions.Firm, but gentle.Patrick hasthe humor of his father.He is the actor rather than the businessman.He developed a certain kind of grace in his movements, a trait helearned from his father.Somehow, combined, Michael and Patrickare the two sides of their father.But there is no other John Wayne.Among the many tributes I was able to acquire was one from a starwho never worked with Wayne, who barely knew him, and had noanecdotes to offer, only his heartfelt personal tribute [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]