Two Legacies for Tuesday

“To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die”

  –Clyde Campbell

Each and every day people work towards the legacies they will inevitably leave– legacies which allow people to transcend death and permit them, at least in memories, to become immortal. Everyone—from average Joe’s to household names— has a legacy to leave. Last week, Roger Ebert passed away, but he will be forever remembered for his contributions to both cinema and journalism; like his former colleague, Gene Siskel, Ebert’s work—his legacy—will live on. As Roger Ebert was laid to rest in Chicago yesterday, the world mourned the loss of two other popular figures: Margaret Thatcher and Annette Funicello. On this Two for Tuesday, we’ll be highlighting and celebrating the legacies these two women left behind.

Margaret Thatcher

Known throughout the world as The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher’s legacy spans the entire world. As the first woman (and only, thus far) British Prime Minister, Thatcher inspired women to voice their commanding opinions in government.

Although her reformations were widely unpopular in the beginning of her first term, she won the favor of the people and led the United Kingdom out of a recession and crippling national policies. Thatcher served as the Prime Minister for 11 years (longer than any other 20th century Prime Minister) before resigning in 1990. Despite her unpopular policies at the end of her run as Prime Minister, Thatcher was named the most competent Prime Minister in the last thirty years in a 2011 Ipsos MROI poll.

In her later years, Thatcher suffered from dementia and altogether declining health. She died on April 8 from a stroke. The world will forever remember Thatcher’s contributions to Great Britain, government, foreign policy and gender equality, and The Iron Lady will, thus, live on.

Annette Funicello

Blazing the trail for future Disney stars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake, Annette Funicello bridged the gap from Mouseketeer to Hollywood star. Discovered by Walt Disney himself in 1955, Funicello quickly rose to fame. After leaving the “Mickey Mouse Club,” she accomplished both successful singing and acting careers.

Funicello’s legacy far exceeds her role as the first modest Disney star to springboard to edgier Hollywood mega stardom. In 1992, Funicello publically announced she suffered from multiple sclerosis (MS)—while she battled through the disease, the MS ultimately helped Funicello fulfill a greater legacy. Funicello opened the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders the following year. Even though she was absent from the public eye for much of her illness, she bravely let CTV’s W5 program profile her living with MS—allowing others to gain a greater understanding about the disease.

In the words of Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger “Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends and fans around the world to celebrate her extraordinary life.”

Cover Photo Source: Chris Collins of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation (Margaret Thatcher Foundation) via Wikimedia Commons

Cassandra is a Content Manager and Developer at SJG. She earned her BA from Fontbonne University in 2011. Outside the office, she enjoys an active, healthy and well-rounded lifestyle including reading, writing, running, golfing, watching films, listening to music, taking photographs, and consuming media and social media.