The Legend of Lowell

I was fortunate to meet Olympia Dukakis once in my life. While in graduate school, she agreed to be interviewed for a project I was researching. I flew to LAX, rented a car, and made my way to a small bungalow in a nondescript part of West Hollywood. I was so excited I could scarcely breathe.

Olympia grew up in a gritty, largely Greek, former mill town in Massachusetts. Her cousin Michael was our governor for a time. She was one of our own.

I loved her for other reasons besides our shared geography. I loved her beautiful thick hair, her gravelly voice, and her no nonsense demeanor. I loved Tales of the City, Steel Magnolias, and of course, her rough and tumble Rose in Moonstruck. True to form, when I rang the doorbell the day of my visit she was just as I imagined. She hollered from the back to come on in and after making my way to the small kitchen I found her sitting at the table in her pajamas, hair wet from a quick dash through the shower, eating some scrambled eggs. "Want some, darlin'?" she purred. 

The legend of Lowell. I miss you already.

Olympia Dukakis 

June 20, 1931 - May 1, 2021 

"Most of us are not real eager to grow, myself included. We try to be happy by staying in the status quo. But if we're not willing to be honest with ourselves about what we feel, we don't evolve." – Olympia Dukakis