When Miriam Colón bid farewell on March 3rd, she did so as gracefully as she lived. The trail of tributes from around the world, and most especially from those whose lives she touched speak volumes of her life, her vision, her wisdom, her wit.
I will not attempt to match the thousands of messages received with one of my own. Fabulous, funny and dramatic Miriam stories have been surfacing from the moment we learned about her passing. Her husband of 40 years, Fred Valle, even in the depth of sadness, has shared stories that make him, and us, smile. Those of us who shared intimate and public moments with her have hundreds of photos, phone messages and handwritten notes.
Here are some of my favorite behind the scene moments with Miriam over the years. There are countless others, but those I’ll enjoy in private.
COLLAGE BELOW: Jorge, Alvan, Desmar and I with Miriam at the center; Arnaldo and I happy to see her enjoying a beautiful event announcing our merger at Time Warner; I tried to get a reaction after a show…hmmm…
COLLAGE BELOW: Miriam and husband Fred in Washington, DC, awaiting for the car to take them to the Presidential dinner the evening before receiving the National Medal of Arts; seeing actress Sally Fields some 20+ years after they worked together in a film; Miriam and her Medal–behind her, the Rose Garden at the White House; Miriam, Fred and I at the White House, right before walking into the room where she would meet President and Mrs. Obama.
COLLAGE BELOW: With actress Rita Moreno in Washington, DC as guests of Michael Kaiser at University of Maryland, where a group of legendary visionaries received recognition; in dressing room with Tina Ramirez, founder of Ballet Hispanic, at the DC event; in San Juan, Puerto Rico with husband Fred after unveiling the Walk of Fame Star in her honor; below right: at the White House, conducting a press interview in Spanish.
She loved selfies! And once she learned which way to look she was always game for one. Here – two of her favorites: with author Luis Rafael Sánchez after a working session at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater; with Congressman José E. Serrano at last year’s Pregones Block Party.
MIRIAM COLÓN
1936-2017
Founder of Puerto Rican Traveling Theater
¡¡¡GRACIAS!!!
GRACIAS MAESTRA QUERIDA,, TUS CONSEJOS , TUS SINCEROS CONSEJOS , ME HAN DADO LUZ EN ESTE CAMINO DEL ARTE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,GRACIAS ETERNAMENTE AGRADECIDO ,, AMADOR UIZ CISCO ,,,AKA GITANO CISCO ,, DESDE LARES PUERTO RICO,,,
Today, the PRTT sponsors the Raul Julia Training Unit, an after school program for low to moderate income Latino and other minority youths throughout New York City.