This morning I was driving to visit my father and turned on NPR. I was shocked when they announced Ron Glass had passed away. He wasn’t that old.

Most of the news stories talk of his work on Barney Miller. Make no mistake, that work was good. Thankfully there are quite a few oldies channels re-running shows from the 70s and 80s so younger generations can get a taste of what “we” grew up with. I can still vividly recall one scene from Barney Miller when Ron Glass comes bouncing into the squad room wearing an expensive new suit.

“Hey hey hey”

dramatic pause, scrunching of nose and face it a show of utter repugnance

“DAMN! What’s that smell?”

Actors don’t get to choose the line people remember them for, or even the scene. That’s a privilege reserved for those who watch.

Fans of the movie Serenity or the far too short lived TV series Firefly will forever remember him as Shepherd Derrial Book. The Shepherd (preacher) who wasn’t really a preacher and now a story which will sadly remain untold even when the Brown Coat Nation rises again.