ACQUANETTA ~~ BASIL ~~ Herb CAEN

ACQUANETTA ~ 1921 - 2004 ~ Phoenix's first TV diva; her husband, Jack Ross, Sr., and she moved to Phoenix in 1956 and Jack opened a Lincoln Mercury dealership; Acquanetta soon achieved fame for the glamorous TV ads she did with Jack for the dealership, and for Acqua's Corner, her own TV segment that accompanied Friday night movies. She had four sons whom she called her "greatest success" and she devoted herself to charitable causes like the Heard Museum and the Phoenix Indian School. Never shy, Acquanetta would swing her trademark braids and sport silver and turquoise Native American jewelry, which was no affectation. The B-movie actress died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 83. ~~ BASIL ~ 1992-2005 ~~ "I was told once that after God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He gathered all the animals around Him to explain the situation. He said that man and woman were going to be all alone now and that they had much suffering ahead of them. He asked one of the animals to please go with them to keep them company and give them a little taste of the Garden every now and again. It was the least He could do. None of the animals wanted to go, so God asked again. He said that this was really very serious, that one of them had a duty to Adam and Eve. Very slowly, a dog walked forward." Thank you, Basil, for keeping me company. A more duty-bound dog I'll never find. You did a great, great job, which is really what you always cared most about. ~~ HERB CAEN ~ 1916 - 1997 ~~ Herb Caen's 60-year journalism career was devoted to doting on San Francisco. Mr. Caen enjoyed the status of a beloved Boswell by the Bay. Part of his appeal seemed to lie in the endless bonhomie he projected, always nattily turned out in suit and fedora, often with a martini glass in hand. Mr. Caen exuded a whiff of elegance from a bygone era. Born in Sacramento, he often said he had been conceived while his parents were visiting San Francisco. He began writing his current column on July 5, 1938 and wrote it six days a week until 1991. He wrote in the morning, held court in bars or cafes in the afternoon and took the pulse of the city at A-list events in the evenings. On Herb Caen day, when a 3-mile stretch of waterfront sidewalk was named in his honor, he said, "One day if I do go to heaven, I'm going to do what every San Franciscan does who goes to heaven--he looks around and says, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco.'" Mr. Caen is survived by his wife and one son, from a previous marriage.