January 23, 2010

Claudelle Bazemore Changed Perceptions

  tcwaters   4 Comments

Sue Kerr of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents, posting this link to Facebook where I saw it. I didn’t know Claudelle  at all, didn’t even know she existed, and today I’m left pondering  how much amazing beauty there is out there in the world I miss.

I’ll leave it to people who knew her well, to write more eloquently about Claudelle’s life, but I’d just like to comment on the quote I’ve posted here. I thought as I read it, what a gift Max received by coming in contact with her, and what a great compliment he shares here.  So, often within the LGBT community, all the focus revolves around our sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. but here is Claudelle, simply understood as a model human being. Understood, accepted and celebrated for the whole of her being. Pittsburgh was a better place because of Claudelle.

Max Nickel, vice president of RNC Real Estate in North Oakland, which rented Claudelle her apartment, said she was a model tenant. More important, he said, she was a model human being, one who had profoundly affected his view of homelessness.

via Obituary: Claudelle Bazemore / Friendly, flamboyant Downtown fixture dies at age 60.

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  • Beth

    Yes, Thomas, Claudelle was a beautiful person. She was a friend of mine.

    She was an incredible soul and a champion chess player with a beautiful singing voice. Truly brilliant.

    Even though life handed her a hard lot, she always had time to listen to others. Multiple times, she certainly made my day better! I only hope that I, during the time I spent with her, even did close.

    Thank you for posting about her. She would have loved it. :)

    I am lucky to have known her.

    • http://thomascwaters.com tcwaters

      Thanks for posting this! I’m glad you feel she would have loved it.

      There are so many extraordinary people that many of never know or know about. Maybe they pass before us and we are too blind or distracted to notice. Ordinary, real people around us, who are so much re than ordinary, who are exceptional.

  • tcwaters

    Thx for posting this.

  • Robert Smith

    WHEN I THINK OF CLAUDELLE, I THINK OF A SONG AND A MOVIE. THE SONG WOULD BE “WIND BENEATH MY WINGS ” BECAUSE CLAUDELLE WAS DEFINITELY MY “HERO” . ALL THOSE YEARS I KEPT ASKING MYSELF WHAT GIVES ONE HUMAN BEING THE WILLPOWER TO KEEP ON KEEPING ON ” AGAINST ALL ODDS ” (THE MOVIE) THERE WERENT A LOT OF TIMES THAT I COULD DRIVE BY CLAUDELLE WITHOUT GIVING SOMETHING, WETHER IT BE A HOT CUP OF COFFEE OR A HAND FULL OF POCKET CHANGE. WHAT IS REALLY IRONIC IS HOW A PERSON THAT SPENT SOOOO MUCH TIME IN THE COLD ” WARMED ” SOOO MANY HEARTS IN THE PROCESS…..CLAUDELLE AT LEAST YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WARM NOW IN GODS LOVING ARMS…..GOTTA GO NOW…TYPING THROUGHT TEARS SUCKS BIGG TIME….TWO TOURS IN VIET NAM WAS PROBALY A CAKEWALK COMPARED TO WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH…..YOU DEFINITELY EARNED MORE THAN THE 2 PURPLE HEARTS THAT I HAVE…..” YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY HERO “….REST IN PEACE MY FRIEND UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN !!!!!