The BBC star finds it ‘heart-breaking’ that her great x3 grandfather had such a difficult start in life – and was later declared ‘destitute’.
Zoe Ball was stunned by the ‘devastating’ discoveries she made during Who Do You Are?(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / Wall to Wall Media Ltd / Stephen Perry)
Zoe Ball was famously the top-earning presenter at the BBC, earning a high of £1.4million a year as host of the Radio 2 Breakfast show back in 2021. But in the new series of Who Do You Think You Are?, the radio star discovers that her great x3 grandfather James Temby, a Cornish miner, was deported from Guernsey as a young father for being “destitute”.
He and other members of the family, who had travelled there to start a new life with the promise of work in the granite quarries, were ordered out after two years. And this came after he’d already had a particularly tough start in life – spending six weeks in Bodmin jail as an illegitimate two-year-old after his single mother Julia was locked up for six weeks in 1851 for an “assault” an another woman.
On hearing how the pair of them would have spent time in the pitch black at the Cornish reform prison, which restricted access to light in order to encourage better behaviour from inmates, Zoe is horrified. “It’s heart-breaking isn’t it?” she says.
Standing in the tiny, draughty cell – which could have been the very one where her ancestors were incarcerated – she also learns that the prison was silent, and so all speaking was banned, and that the inmates also had their heads shaved to prevent lice.
Zoe gasps: “That’s tough living isn’t it? It’s pretty devastating to think of a two-year old living in these conditions. Must have been terrifying for both of them.”
Jess Marlton, general manager of The Bodmin Jail which is now a hotel and museum, agrees: “Trying to keep a two-year-old quiet I should think was quite a challenge.” But she explained: “There was nowhere else for him to go and no other means to support him.”
Zoe stays the night in one of the converted cells and admits she had to “sleep with the light on”. Afterwards there is happier news when she discovers that James went on to marry her great x3 grandmother Mary Ann at the age of 19 and, despite the setback in Guernsey, he and his family fared better once they returned to England. They were initially sent to Plymouth in 1869 but by 1875 had moved 400 miles north to County Durham, which is where Zoe’s late mother Julia grew up.
James successfully secured work in the coal mines and they also ran a greengrocers shop. By the time he died 40 years later, at the age of 73, he was said to be held in the “highest esteem” by the local community. Shown a picture of the shop, based in Hunwick, Zoe says of Mary Ann: “There she is, she’s got her pinny on ready to work. It’s so wonderful to see their faces.” The couple had five children who all went on to marry.
Zoe – who’d speculated at the start of the film that she was descended from “a long line of wrong ’uns” – is thrilled to see that James was “respected in the end”. She admires the “strength and resilience” he showed in moving around to find work and support his family and feels she was actually “quite wrong” about the family history journey she’d expected to go on.
Zoe, 55, also tells the programme that she was brought up by her dad, former TV presenter Johnny Ball, from the age of two when her parents divorced, and didn’t have any contact with Julia for 14 years – which was “pretty tough”. Having fully reconciled with her mother in her later teenage years, she says that Julia’s death, in 2024, made her take a long hard look at her own life. “It really made me step back and reevaluate what’s important,” she explained. Speaking of her 15-year-old daughter, Nelly, she said “I really just want to be mum and be around for her, before she’s grown up and off into the big wide world like her brother.”
In the programme the former Radio 2 breakfast star also learns that her impoverished maternal grandmother was a serial fantasist who had “delusions of grandeur”and was sent to a mental hospital.
Margaret ‘Peggy’ Minto was committed for acute mania after being put on trial for shoplifting. Poor Peggy’s fantasies continued even while she was undergoing treatment, which included electroconvulsive therapy – an electric current passed through the brain.
Zoe’s only regret is that Julia did not live long enough to find out the fascinating details of their shared ancestry. “It’s been hard to do this without Mum,” she sighed. “I want to ring her up – I know she’d be really chuffed.”
– Zoe Ball’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? airs on BBC1, May 26 at 9pm.
The lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student targeted for deportation by the United States government over his pro-Palestine advocacy, have called on an immigration appeals court to reopen and terminate his case.
The latest legal appeal points to new evidence, some of which was documented in media reports, that Khalil’s lawyers said it “suggests that the Trump Administration secretly engineered the outcome of his immigration case to make an example of him”.
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It comes just over a month after the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a final order of removal for Khalil, who was first detained by immigration enforcement agents in March 2025, one of several students targeted for their participation in pro-Palestine campus protests that swept the US the previous year.
Khalil, a US permanent resident who is married to a US citizen, has long maintained that he has been unjustly targeted for his political views.
His legal team said on Friday that “apparent procedural abnormalities” support that view.
“It’s clear that the revelations of DOJ misconduct corroborate what we have known since Mahmoud was arrested–that the administration has reverse-engineered its desired outcome by weaponising a farcical proceeding littered with abnormalities,” Johnny Sinodis, a lawyer representing Khalil, said in a statement.
The new evidence includes a report by The New York Times that found that Khalil’s case had been flagged as high priority before it had arrived at the Board of Immigration Appeals, in what his lawyers say indicated the case was being “fast-tracked”.
The report, citing case documents, also found that the court had been instructed to treat Khalil’s case as if he were still in detention custody, which typically results in an expedited processing timeline.
Khalil was released from immigration detention in June 2025 following a federal judge’s order. An appeals court later ruled the judge did not have jurisdiction over the matter. He is also appealing that decision, during which time authorities are barred from re-detaining or deporting him.
The New York Times report also found that three judges at the Board of Immigration Appeals recused themselves from the case. While the reasons for the recusals were not made public, experts familiar with the board’s procedures have said the rate of recusals was extremely rare.
The Board of Immigration Appeals is meant to be independent. Like other immigration courts, it falls under the Department of Justice in the executive branch, which critics say makes it more vulnerable to interference.
Other federal courts fall under the independence of the judicial branch.
The Trump administration has framed Khalil’s deportation as part of a crackdown on anti-Semitism. They have presented no evidence to back the claims against him, and Khalil has never been charged with a crime.
This week, The Intercept news site reported that shortly after he was detained by immigration agents, the FBI had closed an investigation into a tip that Khalil had called for “violence on behalf of Hamas”, saying it did not warrant further investigation.
In targeting Khalil, US Secretary of State Marco had invoked a rarely used provision of the Immigration and National Act that allows the deportation of individuals deemed to be a national security threat based on “past, current or expected beliefs, statements, or associations that are otherwise lawful”.
The manoeuvre raised questions over freedom of speech and whether those protections extended to permanent residents like Khalil. The government later added the claim that Khalil had intentionally failed to disclose his past work for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on his immigration application.
Administration officials have repeatedly stood by the claims and maintained that Khalil received proper due process.
In a statement on Friday, Khalil said the administration “wants to arrest, detain, and deport me to intimidate everyone speaking out for Palestine across this country, and they are willing to violate longstanding US rules and procedures to do it”.
He added, “No lies, corruption, or ideological persecution will stop me from advocating for Palestine and for everyone’s right to free speech.”
May 4 (UPI) — A United Airlines flight hit a delivery truck and a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike on approach to Newark International Airport in New Jersey, where it landed safely and nobody was hurt.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the Sunday afternoon incident, which “has been classified as an accident due to the extent of the damage to the airplane.”
“An NTSB investigator arrived in Newark this morning to conduct interviews of the flight crew,” the agency said in a statement posted to X.
“The investigation will examine multiple factors, including flight operations, meteorological conditions, human performance, crew resource management, aircraft performance and air traffic traffic control,” it said.
The flight was on approach from Venice, Italy, into Newark but flew too close to traffic, clipping a delivery truck and then hitting a light pole that reportedly struck a Jeep on the highway, CBS Baltimore and WABC reported.
The flight, which was carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew, landed safely at the airport around 2 p.m., with officials from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to the bakery that owns the truck noting that they have no idea how the incident happened.
“Upon its final approach into Newark International Airport, United flight 169 came into contact with a light pole,” United said in a statement.
“The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured,” the airline said. “Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred.”
President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Trump signed an order to expand workers’ access to retirement accounts. Trump also signed legislation ending a 75-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security after the House voted in favor of funding. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
Travelers walk with a view of a United Airlines airplane at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 22, 2025. On Sunday, the airline said one of its flights struck a light pole on the New Jersey turnpike as it was landing at the airport. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
May 3 (UPI) — A United Airlines jet struck a light pole while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday afternoon, damaging a vehicle traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike, officials said.
United Airlines Flight 169 from Venice, Italy, was on final approach to Newark’s Runway 29 at about 2 p.m. EDT when “the aircraft struck an object over the southbound New Jersey Turnpike, causing damage to a light post and tractor-trailer traveling south on the NJ Turnpike,” the Port Authority Police Department told UPI in an emailed statement.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and has been released, the police department said, adding that “minor damage to the aircraft was observed.”
United told UPI that the aircraft, a Boeing 767-400 with 221 passengers and 10 crew onboard, “landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured.”
“Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft,” the carrier said, adding that it will conduct a “rigorous flight safety investigation” into the incident.
“Our crew has been removed from service as part of the process.”
The runway was back to normal operations following an inspection for debris, according to authorities.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the federal investigation into the incident, with one of its investigators expected to arrive in Newark on Monday, the agency said in a statement.
United Airlines has been directed to secure and provide both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to the NTSB as part of its investigation, with a preliminary report expected within 30 days.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she has been briefed on the incident.
“I’m grateful the aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew are unharmed,” she said in a social media statement.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The U.S. Marine Corps is set to test at least two new autonomous cargo helicopters, as it seeks to field platforms that can rapidly resupply Marines in contested environments. The service recently awarded contracts for two such platforms, one being the R66 Turbinetruck that inserts Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy system in the proven Robinson R66 airframe. The second is the Uncrewed 505, a development of the Bell 505 in a program led by Near Earth Autonomy, in collaboration with Bell Textron, Moog Inc., and XP Services.
The R66 Turbinetruck that combines the Robinson R66 airframe with Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy system. Robinson Unmanned
Lockheed Martin announced yesterday that its Sikorsky subsidiary and Robinson Unmanned had received a contract for the Turbinetruck from the Marine Corps. This comes under the Marines’ new-look Autonomous Aerial Logistics Program Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle — Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL). The contract is worth $15.5 million and covers Increment 2 of MARV-EL.
“As we expand the MATRIX family, we also extend the reach of uncrewed solutions for both civil and military customers,” said Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky. “The commercially developed R66 Turbinetruck is simple, economical, and re-configurable; ideal for high-risk, hard-to-reach environments, where keeping personnel out of harm’s way is essential.”
“Our partnership with Sikorsky brings the trusted performance and reliability of the R66 platform into the unmanned logistics arena,” added David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company. “The R66 Turbinetruck represents a significant step forward in expanding proven rotorcraft into scalable, autonomous cargo solutions for demanding operational environments. Together, we are delivering a game‑changing capability that will enhance warfighter readiness and open new opportunities for safe, reliable, and affordable autonomous transport.”
Robinson Unmanned | The Future of Autonomous Rotorcraft is Here
The R66 Turbinetruck puts together the R66 airframe from the Robinson Helicopter Company, a single-turbine engine design that is best known as a five-seat light rotorcraft on the commercial market. The R66 was selected for the Turbinetruck application primarily on account of its reliability, low maintenance demands, and high level of versatility. The aircraft is currently in widespread civilian service as a trainer, passenger, and utility helicopter.
Combining the R66 airframe with Sikorsky’s MATRIX system provides the ability to perform autonomous uncrewed operations. MATRIX has previously been proven in a U.S. Army UH-60M helicopter, giving it a ‘robotic brain,’ and the culmination of a series of tests stretching back years now that have been steadily working on ever-greater pilot-optional capabilities for the Black Hawk family. As we have noted in the past, the same technology could easily find its way onto other aircraft, as evidenced by the Turbinetruck.
Sikorsky and DARPA Autonomous Black Hawk Flies Logistics and Rescue Missions Without Pilots on Board
Lockheed Martin says the Turbinetruck is intended to give the Marines “flexible, affordable and rapid combat sustainment,” with its primary roles including the delivery of ammunition, medical supplies, and other essential equipment directly to the troops that need it. These critical loads need to be supplied “regardless of terrain, weather, or enemy threat,” the company adds.
According to Robinson Helicopter, the Turbinetruck can carry a load of 1,300 pounds internally, or external loads supported via a cargo hook. The internal cargo compartment is accessed via front clamshell doors and a right-hand baggage door. A total useful load of 1,500 pounds can be transported, and the aircraft has a range of more than 325 nautical miles.
The Turbinetruck features two clamshell doors in its nose, allowing a forklift truck to place loads directly in it. Robinson Unmanned
When it comes to MARV-EL, this now stipulates an uncrewed aircraft that can carry a logistic payload of between 1,300 and 2,500 pounds to a combat radius of 100 nautical miles, operating through a common digital handheld device.
In an operational scenario, the mission objectives would be entered into the Turbinetruck using a digital tablet. The system would then automatically create a flight plan, using sensors and algorithms to guide the helicopter safely to the target location.
The Turbinetruck would allow the Marines to conduct critical logistics missions without having to put any additional personnel at risk, as would be the case if crewed rotorcraft were employed at the tactical edge of the battlefield. Crewed rotorcraft also come with increased demands on maintenance and availability. Meanwhile, crew-rest cycles might mean that the aircraft have to stay on the ground during high-tempo operations, while these assets will inevitably be in heavy demand for all kinds of other missions in any kind of high-end fight.
A video outlining the Robinson R66 Army Trainer, a crewed version of the helicopter offered to the U.S. Army schoolhouse:
Robinson R66 Army Trainer Helicopter | Press Conference & Official Reveal | AAAA in Nashville
At the same time, the MARV-EL concept is especially tailored for the Indo-Pacific theater, in which Marines and other U.S. military forces would be expected to fight from and around austere forward operating bases — a concept known as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations — as well as unimproved landing zones, and from the decks of ships.
In this context, the Turbinetruck, and the MARV-EL program, more generally, hope to fill a notable capability gap between small tactical drones and larger crewed airlifters. This is something that Lockheed Martin describes as a “middleweight” uncrewed logistics platform capable.
Another view of the Turbinetruck with the nose cargo doors open. Robinson Unmanned
Robinson Unmanned will deliver the first R66 Turbinetruck to Sikorsky for integration, test and evaluation, and demonstration. At that point, the aircraft will undertake capability demonstrations to prove out the MATRIX system in the R66 airframe.
Since MATRIX is platform-agnostic and has an open architecture design, it is intended to be easily integrated into various airframes.
As for the rival Uncrewed 505, this takes the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter and combines it with Near Earth’s Captain autonomous system, and Moog’s Genesys avionics. The 505 is also a single-turbine helicopter that is in use in similar training, passenger, and utility roles as the R66.
A rendering of the Uncrewed 505. Near Earth Autonomy
The MARV-EL Increment 2 program will also see the Uncrewed 505 prototype developed for the Marine Corps. Near Earth says it will spend the next 36 months integrating and flight-testing the autonomous flight system in the Uncrewed 505, before progressing from early demonstrations to full mission capability.
“The program is to develop an uncrewed aerial logistics aircraft for where the risk and need are highest,” said Lyle Chamberlain, CTO of Near Earth. “We are combining our Captain autonomy architecture with a proven Bell 505 platform to move cargo without putting Marines in harm’s way. To be as intuitive as possible, we are designing the aircraft around existing Marine Corps workflows. Operators will be able to request, dispatch, and manage missions through familiar command-and-control pathways, including MAGTAB and MANGL integration. At the same time, cargo can be loaded with standard pallet jacks and forklifts. This approach reduces infrastructure burden and helps make autonomous resupply practical for expeditionary operations.”
A diagram shows the basic operating concept for the Uncrewed 505. Near Earth Autonomy
Near Earth says the Uncrewed 505 is optimized for efficient transportability, with two aircraft fitting inside a C-130 cargo aircraft with minimal disassembly.
Other aircraft have previously emerged out of the MARV-EL program.
These included the Kargo UAV, a rotary-wing drone from the Kaman Corporation, which previously developed an optionally crewed version of its K-Max helicopter.
KARGO UAV | Transforming Expeditionary Logistics
Notably, Kaman partnered with Near Earth Autonomy for the autonomy system for both the Kargo UAV and the optionally crewed K-Max.
Another competitor for MARV-EL was the SeaOnyx from Leidos. In 2023, it was announced that Leidos had won a Marine Corps contract to develop a prototype of this autonomous resupply vehicle under the Medium Unmanned Logistics Systems — Air (MULS-A) program, which later became MARV-EL.
The SeaOnyx from Leidos. Leidos
However, neither of these platforms met Marine Corps requirements, leading to MARV-EL being recompeted. At the same time, the previous requirements (including delivering a logistics payload of 300-600 pounds within a radius of 25 to 100 nautical miles to a combat area) were made more ambitious, increasing cargo payload and range.
A video outlining the Bell 505, as offered for the U.S. Army Flight School Next requirement:
Bell 505: Ideal Trainer
At the same time, the R66 already has a foothold with the U.S. military, with TH-66 Sage used to train U.S. Army and Navy helicopter operators, under contract. The Army is also now looking at both the R66 and the Bell 505 for its Flight School Next training helicopter program.
Whichever design or designs are ultimately selected for the MARV-EL requirement, the Marines can expect a new medium-weight logistics platform that bridges the gap between smaller drones and larger crewed aircraft currently in use. At the same time, it will help reduce risk by keeping more fixed-wing and helicopter crews out of harm’s way.
Finding a revolutionary artist during cocktail hour at the opening gala of Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Gaze over the rim of your glass to notice Jeff Koons and Ed Ruscha talking closely beside the DJ booth. Mark Bradford strides by with a beneficent smile — towering over everyone, including AI art maker Refik Anadol. Todd Gray, whose 27-foot-long photo sculpture “Octavia’s Gaze” graces the hallway near the building’s south entrance, chats with Wim Wenders, who is making a documentary about architect Peter Zumthor’s controversial new $724 million concrete behemoth. Zumthor is there too — in bright red sneakers — talking to LACMA director and chief executive Michael Govan before Govan turns to take a selfie with immersive installation artist Do Ho Suh.
Jeff Koons, left, talks with Ed Ruscha at the opening gala for LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries on Thursday.
(Jessica Gelt / Los Angeles Times)
Lauren Halsey walks by in her distinctive white shirt, long shorts and ball cap, beset on all sides by friends and admirers.
“It’s beautiful, it’s fantastic,” she said of Zumthor’s creation.
It’s an artist’s world on this breezy evening, as the sun sets golden over the looming gray concrete of the building, and the lights that gird the structure’s underbelly flicker on and twinkle like stars overhead. In this milieu, Hollywood A-listers like Will Ferrell and Sharon Stone, who occupy separate cliques nearby, pale in comparison to the mingling artistic luminaries.
Architect Peter Zumthor, left, and Michael Govan attend LACMA’s opening gala for the David Geffen Galleries. Govan said he hopes the building lasts 500 years.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s ready for us,” Bradford said of the building. “It’s ready for artists. I walked in and I was overwhelmed with a space that was made for us, and I can’t wait for everything I can do.”
“Snazzy. Does the job,” said Ruscha, looking bemused and speaking in short bursts of headline-style phrases like one of his famous paintings.
Gray said he was glad to see his art during “magic hour,” noting how the setting sun shone warm through the building’s glass windows — diffused by textile designer Reiko Sudo’s chromium spattered curtains — to imbue his photo installation with a distinctive warmth.
“I’ve never seen it at dusk,” Gray said with a smile. “It was a totally different experience to see it at that time of day. And [the light was] actually yellow, so the piece changed … and the concrete warmed up because of that warmer light. It was a lovely chromatic experience, which is wonderful because then you’re aware that you’re experiencing something in a very particular space and time.”
James Goldstein, the owner of architect John Lautner’s famed Sheats-Goldstein Residence, which he promised as a gift to LACMA in 2016, agreed with Gray that the gloaming light was lovely.
“If it were up to me the curtains wouldn’t be closed,” Goldstein said, noting that the curtains in his home — which is also made of concrete and glass — are never closed, and that the views from the Geffen Galleries are extraordinary and worth leaning into.
Koons said the building, and the moment in time that defines its unveiling, has the potential to bring the world together.
“It’s an amazing evening for all these people that love and believe in the value of art and humanity to be together and to celebrate architecture,” said Koons, noting that he looks forward to showing his art inside the new galleries. “LACMA is a place that’s here for future generations and Peter’s building is amazing.”
Will Ferrell and Viveca Paulin were among the major Hollywood stars at the gala.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Chatter about the building could be heard in every cluster of guests. One group talked about how striking it was to see ancient Greek sculptures juxtaposed against the rush of traffic along Wilshire Boulevard; another discussed their hope for more landscaping, noting that the concrete ground and concrete building begged for some lush greenery.
Govan basked in the limelight nearby, shaking hands and doling out hugs and back pats. His vision for the building has been 20 years in the making, and he’s faced an enormous amount of pushback, but the structure is here and his enthusiasm for it has not waned.
“I’ve just always imagined people in the building — it’s for people,” Govan said. “And I want it to last 500 years, I want those little drill marks to accumulate, I want change. I want this to be something that generations will care for.”
Zumthor also seemed deeply pleased with the moment, saying, “I’ve always been happy,” and emphasized that working in L.A. taught him to embrace a certain frontier-like lack of refinement.
LACMA’s staff was elated, especially those who have been watching the project develop for decades and absorbing the large amounts of criticism that have accompanied its manifestation.
Stephanie Barron, LACMA’s senior curator and modern art department head, said, “This is the first night with our art world colleagues and donors, and it’s thrilling to see how they are responding, and how they are a little confused, at first, about where to go. Then they realize, that’s the point of this — and they are just going with the flow and they are smiling and happy and looking at the art. It’s a game changer.”
“I’ve been here nearly 20 years and seeing this going from concept to reality has been the greatest thing,” said Tiffany August, associate vice president of LACMA’s people and culture department, which oversees human resources. “So much soul and heart and effort went into this.”
Arun Mathai, budget officer and head of finance, has also been with the museum for 20 years and said it’s exciting to finally be on the other side of the project. “To see it happen in such a beautiful way is very gratifying. The notion of no hierarchy, of wandering around and seeing art from all over the world, from all time periods beautifully juxtaposed, it’s just so enlightening,” Mathai said.
Michael Govan, left, Peter Zumthor, Holly J. Mitchell and Mayor Karen Bass attend the opening gala.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Later, during a four-course meal of broiled oysters, tuna tostadas, braised Wagyu short ribs and berry meringue, various LACMA supporters, including board co-chair Tony Ressler; life trustee and major donor Lynda Resnick; and L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, whose district houses LACMA, took to the stage in a tent set up west of the new building to sing the praises of the Geffen Galleries — and to note that the evening’s dinner raised a record-setting $11.5 million. (The Geffen Galleries’ ongoing fundraising campaign now stands at $869 million.)
“This is a great, great example of what can be achieved when government and philanthropy work hand in hand for the public good,” Ressler said before thanking Govan for “taking bold risks.” “Your legacy is now permanently etched in the stunning galleries that will open to the public very soon.”
Mitchell was full of praise for Govan and Zumthor.
“The Geffen Galleries didn’t come to fruition overnight. And frankly, nothing that changes the status quo ever does,” Mitchell said. “To Michael, Peter, David [Geffen] and our dear Elaine [Wynn], thank you for your patience, because visionaries like yourselves often have to wait for the rest of the world to catch up with you.”
Resnick got a big laugh when she described her first meeting with Govan and his wife 21 years ago.
“An exquisite couple walked into [vice chair of the board] Bobby Kotick’s house. There was Michael Govan, a true intellectual, Zen thinker, movie star handsome, and under consideration to run LACMA. By the end of the evening, I was sitting on his lap feeding him peeled grapes.”
She concluded on a more serious note, calling the Geffen Galleries a “masterpiece of public art.” “Only one person in the world could have done all this with the signature elegance and his provocative style,” she said of Govan. “Generations will cross that bridge and watch the cars stream below, and feel the power of being embraced by art above all the gorgeous chaos of our city.”
After a standing ovation, Govan introduced musicians Sean Watkins, Gabe Witcher and T Bone Burnett, who sang — quite fittingly — “The Times They Are A-Changin.’”
