RIP Sagan Lewis
The recent death of Sagan Lewis on August 7th, didn't rock the internet, but I'd like to take a moment to remember her since I actually named a character in my books after her.
Ms. Lewis was most well known as part of the amazing ensemble of the TV show St. Elsewhere. If you've never heard of the show, or seen any of it, you should definitely correct that. Boasting a cast that included the likes of Denzel Washington, Howie Mandel, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Furst, Ed Begley Jr, William Daniels, Mark Harmon, and David Morse it was way ahead of it's time.
I wanted to come up with a pair of cops, one of whom would be a young, untested detective. St. Elsewhere was running on UK television at the time and I was a huge fan, so immediately, I thought of the character of Dr. Wade, played by Sagan Lewis. Smart, naive, quiet-spoken, thoughtful, but never a weasely ass-kisser like Dr Ehrlich (Ed Begley Jr), she became the starting point for the character of Detective Munroe. It seemed only fitting then, when I was coming up with a first name for the character that I borrow Ms Lewis' unusual first name: Sagan.
The internet might not have noticed her passing, but I feel it's only right that I take a moment to acknowledge her. Thanks to her, Sagan Munroe was born and now lives on in the Dynamo City novels.
Sad, and one of those actors who could make an impression with the most non-attention grabbing roles - the straight man. That show had the wacky guys, the funny ones, the imperious god complex surgeons, the salt of the earth fighting for their hospital guys. She was sort of audience identification but had to be noticed in this jungle of characters through being decent and normal.
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