The other evening I attended a book Launch at The National Arts Club for the book Last Girl Before Freeway, a biography of Joan Rivers. The book was written by Leslie Bennetts, an award-winning journalist who spent ten years as a reporter at The New York Times prior to twenty-four years at Vanity Fair as a contributing editor where she wrote many of the magazine’s best-known cover stories.  The host of the event was Bill Boggs who is a correspondent  for the PBS television show My Generation, as well as a celebrated author and entertainment industry insider.

But I must admit that the real Star of the Event was Joan Rivers.  Watching her old Ed Sullivan tapes and Johnny Carson tapes and listening to stories of her Never Give Up Motto were so very, very inspiring.  That plus her gracious heart when it came to helping others in need.

So even though Ms. Rivers had a way of announcing herself…she was a woman who in my opinion overcame great, great odds and tragically left us way too soon.