Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
The real Paul Newman
cult in others. When we were little, my parents had to be away a lot working but always tried to stay connected.
“When they were home, it was all about us. I always felt so grateful for my family and the upbringing I had. It wasn’t perfect, but whose is?”
Paul was not immune to heartache in hi s family
life. During his first marriage to Jackie Witte, he had three children: daughters Susan and Stephanie and his only son Scott.
In 1978, Scott died of an accidental drug-and-alcohol overdose aged 28.
Two years later, still in the painful grip of grief, Paul opened the Scott Newman Centre in California which provided drug-prevention in schools.
His main drive in life was to help people. And i n 1982, years after bottling his famous salad dressing for years to give away as Christmas gifts, Paul agreed to let Newman’s Own salad dressing go on sale.
In the first year it made almost $1million and all post-tax profits were gifted to charity. Six years later he opened his first children’s camp.
Clea says: “He was driven by giving back and, in my eyes, his gift was inspiring others to do the same. I think that is his real legacy.”
A list of things she misses about her dad would be endless. But Clea has no hesitation in saying what she misses most. “No question: asking his advice. I can’t get his perspective from anyone else. He understood me so well.”
Paul’s recent birthday was a reflective day for Clea, who tried to imagine the day had he still been here.
“I think about him all the time but his birthday is always a time to be thankful for all he gave of himself – to me, to our family and to others.
“Those days were not just a celebration of him but all the people he was lucky to have around him.”
While missing her dad, knowing he has done so much for so many is an immense comfort to Clea.
“It makes me feel overwhelmingly proud. I think dad wanted to make a real difference and we all see the proof of that with the families on the camps.
“What I hope i s that p eople remember all the good that can happen in the world if we just take a little more care of each other.”