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Katharine Hepburn, Vern Gosdin, Anthony Newley

Where is the late Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn buried?
—Chris W., Arizona

Hepburn, who died last year at age 96, specified in her will that she be cremated and her ashes interred in her family plot at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Conn. She was interred during a private, invitation-only service in the "very plain, Yankee" family plot, says Irene McHugh, the cemetery’s education and marketing associate. The cemetery, which contains the graves of tycoon J.P. Morgan, poet Wallace Stevens and other notables, provides regular tours. Known for playing smart, independent women, Hepburn bought the rights to a comedy about a spoiled heiress and took it to the New York stage. The 1940 film version of that play was The Philadelphia Story, co-starring James Stewart and Cary Grant. The four-time Oscar winner was married briefly to Ludlow Ogden Smith, but the love of her life was actor Spencer Tracy, with whom she made nine films, including Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Adam’s Rib. Her 1991 autobiography, Me, was a bestseller. She also cooperated with biographer A. Scott Berg on Kate Remembered, which was published 13 days after her death.

I was wondering who among our recent presidents are left-handed.
—Marcia M., South Carolina

Presidents Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Ford are left-handed. Presidents George W. Bush and Carter are right-handed. And while many left-handers claimed President Reagan as one of their own, an archivist at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library says that he used his right hand for most tasks. In his autobiography, An American Life, Reagan wrote, "I’ve always been a right hander, but sometimes I think I was intended to be a southpaw because there are some things I just do automatically with my left hand—like shooting a gun."

What has happened to my favorite singer, Vern Gosdin?
—Marie H., Oklahoma

Vern Gosdin, nicknamed "The Voice," cut back on performing after suffering a second stroke in 1999. "I’m sort of taking it easy. If I think I’ll have fun doing a show, I’ll do it," says Gosdin, 70. The singer, whose hits include Set ‘em Up Joe and Chiseled in Stone, recently performed with Merle Haggard at the Alabama Country Music Hall of Fame in Muscle Shoals, Ala. (pop. 11,924). Gosdin says he’s writing, but doesn’t pitch his songs to other artists. The native of Woodland, Ala. (pop. 192), recently released a self-titled three-CD box set that includes 10 new songs. It costs $35 and can be ordered through The Vern Gosdin Fan Club, 7904 Stallion Dr., Nashville, Tenn., 37221, or via e-mail at vgosdin@yahoo.com. He’s also re-released The Voice album as Back in the Swing of Things. Gosdin, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., says he has recovered completely from his stroke.

I would like to know what happened to Anthony Newley, who was a singer and did some acting years ago.
—Ron B., Indiana

Sadly, the British actor, singer and composer died of cancer in 1999 at age 67. Newley became famous at age 17 for his role as the Artful Dodger in the 1948 film version of Oliver Twist. He was best known for the stage hit Stop the World: I Want to Get Off and the 1967 film version of Doctor Doolittle. He had a series of hit records, including What Kind of Fool Am I, Why and Do You Mind. Newley co-wrote the score for the hit musicals Stop the World: I Want to Get Off, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd. He also wrote The Candy Man and Goldfinger. He was married three times (his second wife was actress Joan Collins) and had four children.

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