Just WHO is this Larry Hagman guy anyway???

Alright, I am officially "mature." Not old, never old. Phi Sigs age gracefully, and we do so, in part, by acknowledging that today's new gen of sisters may have no clue what the cultural icons from "back in the day" are. And that's OK, because I never heard "Kissed a Girl" either (which, if you didn't know, is No. 1 on the Billboard charts today). So, as part of my job as a mentor to the youthful among you, here is the answer to a burning question many of you have this morning:

"Who IS Larry Hagman? Who is that guy who was standing up and talking at last night's opening ceremonies, and acting like he was some kind of celebrity?"

The short answer is, back in the day, the question wasn't "Who is Larry Hagman?" but rather, "Who shot JR?"

Larry Hagman as JR Ewing is one of the enduring cultural icons from the 1980s -- and the lead star of the long-running TV evening soap/drama, Dallas. OK, OK, I told a tall tale last night... he was not "officially" voted one of the world's sexiest men of all time back then.... But I personally knew many a housewife who believed it. He was, however, one of the all time villians on TV, and quite the ladies' man in the show. ... Years of "colorful living," shall we say, resulted in the need for a liver transplant. It changed his life, and his view on life, forever after. And he's been a friend to organ recipients and donors, and one of the strongest advocates of the NKF, ever since.

Here's what he looked like in his halcyon days - the dashing, dastardly JR:



Maybe later, I can drum up a photo of Larry when he was in I Dream of Jeannie. ... Larry's 77 years old - but to me, he'll always be the debonair Major Anthony Nelson.

Lisa R.