F ross johnson children sing

Cameron Vanderscoff

2015

Interview History When Harry Berger, Jr. was young, his father ran a company called Kaylon Pajamas, from the Greek kalon, for beautiful. At the time of these sessions, one of the four books he was working on-each on a different topic, from Plato to Shakespeare-was about Socrates' ironic notion of Kallipolis, meaning 'beautiful city,' which draws on the same root term. Framed this way, this oral history is a narrative of Berger's formation from Kaylon to Kallipolis, stopping off at jazz clubs, Hawaiian radio shacks, New Critical Yale, and the UC Santa Cruz experiment along the way. At this last and most pivotal location, this telling is an account of his perspective as a professor of literature, founding faculty member, and literary critic. Throughout, he traces the parallel tracks of his pedagogy, campus engagement, and scholarship, considering points of intersection and core philosophies, addressing themes of change, conflict and continuity at UCSC. Berger defines himself as a critic above all else, and his training in New Criticism, with its trademark methodology of close reading, proves to be a consistent note both in his writing and in his approach to teaching and working at UCSC. After providing an overview of his early biography, discussing life in New York City and New Rochelle, and recounting, among other things, his hatred of superheterodyne radios as a WWII Marine, he turns to his two loci at UCSC, Cowell College and the literature department. At the former, he was a teacher and dedicated participant in the original UCSC collegiate experiment, and at the latter, he was a passionate advocate of close reading as a core value for the new program.

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Lot 2: MICHAEL ESCOFFERY, Portrait of Harry Belafonte, 2012 (acrylic on canvas). Signed by Escoffery. | Estimate $400-$600

CONCERT AND MOVIE POSTERS. Portraits of Harry Belafonte (1927-2023) by various artists. Signed “Belafonte at Carnegie Hall” album. Kennedy Center Honors award. Correspondence with President John F. Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, President Jean Bertrand-Aristede of Haiti, Grace Kelly, Liza Minelli, Gregory Peck, and Andrew Young. Substantial cache of Martin Luther King Jr., materials.

These items and hundreds more are available at Julien’s Auctions. In partnership with Turner Classic Movies, the auction house is selling an array of memorabilia and personal items from the Estate of Harry Belafonte that reflect the iconic life and legacy of the singer, actor, and activist who died in New York in 2023. The 378-lot sale includes art, awards, manuscripts, letters, photographs, posters, albums, international instruments, signed books, furniture, clothing, and jewelry. Bidding is now open online, culminating with a live auction in Los Angeles on March 6.

Julien’s, which describes itself as “the auction house to the stars,” has titled the sale Harry Belafonte: A Man of Action, an apt choice that references both Belafonte’s groundbreaking entertainment career and his storied dedication to civil rights. A singular cultural figure, he was affiliated with everyone from King, Kennedy, Paul Robeson, James Baldwin and Nelson Mandela to Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando, Lena Horne, and artist Charles White.

Lot 21: Harry Belafonte, Live double album “Belafonte at Carnegie Hall,” RCA Victor, 1959 (12.5 x 12.5 inches). Cover is signed in black marker “To Gabi- Peace Harry Belafonte.” | Estimate $200-4300

BELAFONTE WAS BORN in Harlem, the

Indian fraudster and businessman (died 1995)

Rajan Pillai (1947 – 7 July 1995) was an Indian businessman from Kerala, popularly known as the Biscuit Baron. He was to be sentenced to a possible 14-year imprisonment on 23 counts of breach of trust and one of cheating-by the Singapore courts, but died in custody four days after his arrest, largely because he was denied medical treatment while in custody; the subsequent investigations led to jail reforms.

Career

Rajan Pillai was born in Kerala, India in 1947, the son of a trader in cashews.

Early in his career, he invested in a five-star hotel project in Goa. In the mid-1970s, Rajan Pillai set up his base in Singapore with 20th Century Foods packaging potato chips and peanuts. He collaborated with Canadian businessman F. Ross Johnson, head of the giant American food corporation Standard Brands. In 1984, Johnson sent him to London to head the newly acquired Nabisco Commodities. Soon after, Johnson took over the Asian subsidiaries of Huntley & Palmer, the British biscuit manufacturing company which controlled Britannia Industries, India's largest bakery and biscuit-making concern, and handed its entire area of operation in Asia to Pillai. Pillai became known in India as the 'Biscuit King' or 'Biscuit Baron'.

He took over Nabisco's other Asian subsidiaries. Pillai then established links with Boussois-Souchon-Neuvesel (BSN), the French food company, and by 1989 controlled six Asian companies worth over US$400 million.

Even though he claimed to own Britannia Industries, he actually controlled only 3 per cent of its equity; the rest of his businesses were a complex interwoven and interdependent financial mesh. In 1993, owing to debt, Pillai began selling off his companies to financial institutions. The Wadia Group acquired a stake in Associated Biscuits International (ABIL), and became an equal partner with Gro

A visionary leader, activist pastor, and unwavering pillar of strength, the late Rev. Robert Ross Johnson left an indelible mark on his community. On April 27, 2024, more than 60 community members gathered to celebrate his enduring legacy with the official unveiling of Reverend Robert Ross Johnson Boulevard, located in front of St. Albans Congregational Church–United Church of Christ and the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center.  

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Johnson was one of six siblings and quickly gained recognition for his remarkable vocal talent in high school. In 1939, he enrolled at Whitworth College (now University), where he was one of only two African American students. He majored in social science, minored in biology, and pursued his passion for voice performance.  

After pastoring churches in New York and Chicago, Johnson founded St. Albans Congregational Church in Queens in 1953. Committed to both spiritual and social upliftment, he established the 

Family Life Center, later renamed in his honor, to provide educational and family services to the community.  His advocacy extended beyond the pulpit. In 1963, he organized a caravan of buses from St. Albans to Washington, D.C., ensuring his congregation witnessed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. He also spearheaded racial reconciliation efforts in Queens, organizing home exchanges between Black and white families to foster understanding and unity. His dedication to education led him to support six historically Black colleges and play a crucial role in securing York College’s status as a four-year institution.  

In recognition of his leadership, he was appointed to the New York City Board of Higher Education in 1969 and served for 23 years as a chaplain for the Department of Correction. His community efforts even earned praise from former President Jimmy Carter, who, in a 1980 letter, commended Johnson for his role in inspiring faith and comp