Kris Kristofferson r i p

[Honda]

He was a great songwriter and performer. I met him once when he had a concert in Birmingham. I was in uniform and he called me up after the sound check and sat on the edge of stage drinking a beer and chatting with me. Really nice guy.

[Truckman]

Always one of my favorites - singer, songwriter, actor, US veteran - RIP......Ben

[UTAH]

When he was with the Highwaymen was his peak for me. Alone he was excellent - with other pros he performed in the stratosphere. Men wanted to be like him and women wanted to be with him.

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

RIP Sir

[Dave Grubb]

Who knew---not me

I was more than a bit surprised this morning to read in the NYT that he was a Rhodes Scholar, which sent me off to learn more, this from Wikipedia:

Pomona College
Kristofferson attended Pomona College and experienced his first national exposure in 1958, appearing in the March 31 issue of Sports Illustrated for his achievements in collegiate rugby union, American football, and track and field.[6] He and his classmates revived the Claremont Colleges Rugby Club in 1958, and it remains a Southern California rugby institution. Kristofferson graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in literature. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year. In a 2004 interview with Pomona College Magazine, Kristofferson mentioned philosophy professor Frederick Sontag as an important influence in his life.[7]

In 1973, Kristofferson received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Pomona College during Alumni Weekend, accompanied by fellow performers Johnny Cash and Rita Coolidge. His award was presented to him by his aforementioned mentor, Professor Sontag.[8]

University of Oxford
In 1958, Kristofferson was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford,[9] studying at Merton College.[10] While at Oxford, he was awarded a Blue for boxing,[10] played rugby for his college, and began writing songs. At Oxford, he became acquainted with fellow Rhodes scholar, art critic, and poet Michael Fried. With the help of his manager, Larry Parnes, Kristofferson recorded for Top Rank Records under the name Kris Carson. Parnes was working to sell Kristofferson as "a Yank at Oxford" to the British public; Kristofferson was willing to accept that promotional approach if it helped his singing career, which he hoped would enable him to progress toward his goal of becoming a novelist

WOW!

[UTAH]

A good friend of mine was a Rhodes Scholar. It was fascinating to be in college with him at the U of U. I worked my butt off to get a A- GPA, while he was a straight 4.0 in what seemed like a natural move for him. It really is a designation that separates the intellectually gifted from the rest of us.

Kristofferson was one of "those people" who was successful at a wide variety of achievements in our society. It's nice you pointed that out, Dave. It adds additional color to his life, and to others like him.

Hunter

[FredK]

I liked him more for some of the movies he was in. He seemed like that guy who was your buddy playing the part.

RIP