October 6, 2012

Christy Cabrera Chirinos & Steve Gorten
The Sun Sentinel
500 Broward Boulevard
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33394

RE: Would I qualify for the next edition of “Profiles in Courage” if I were to object to your October 5, 2012 Page 1 article on the football team of Miramar High School wearing pink jerseys to show their steadfastness in the battle against breast cancer?

Ms. Chirinos & Mr. Gorten,

I have a legendary pink cashmere sweater that 3 generations of women have fought over. I had a pink tie that signaled the arrival of good times, particularly when I wore it with my world famous Lily Pulitzer pants. Pink, button down, monogrammed, pin point oxford shirts from Brooks Brothers were a staple of mine. I consider it, still, a point of ethnic honor to rescue smoked salmon from the clutches of Jewish delicatessens.

Pink, hot pink, dusty pink, salmon pink, rose pink…Crikey! I loooove pink!

For the entire month of October I will not wear a pink ribbon. I will not wear a pink shirt. If I had pink shoes I would not wear them. Ditto for pink knickers.

My reasons are simple and personal.

My wife, Amy, died on August 25, 2011 from uterine cancer.
What color is her ribbon?

My father died on Christmas Day, 1978 from pancreatic cancer.
What color is his ribbon?

More people did from prostate cancer than from breast cancer.
What color is their ribbon?

My Texas chainsaw skull scars from squamous cell carcinoma are always visible.
What color is that ribbon?

Lest you think I protest too much I point out that, despite being a devotee of corned beef, I never eat it in the month of March. My grandfather, Jack Smith, a veteran of the Ballyglass/Bayonne escape route, never saw corned beef until he got to this country. He recognized it as Bully Beef, a dish of Her Majesty’s Navy. Professional Irishmen, the ones who get teary eyed when the pipes skirl “Scotland the Brave”, gorge themselves on it on March 17th. It’s great in February and delicious in April.

The point of the above is to highlight the difference between feelings and ideas, between wish fulfillment and reasoning.

Let me add Barbie Doll Pink, the Energizer Bunny Pink, Pink Floyd, Pink Champagne, and the last half of the Pink Panther movies to my list of verboten Pink regardless of the month in which thehy appear

I must also add that Caroline Hanson, my 9 year old middle granddaughter, and one of my Texas ladies, raised $5,100.for St. Jude Children’s Hospital to honor her Grammy.

Which month has plaid as its color?




Kevin Smith