My dad passed away last night. He was 85. He was a sharpshooter in the military. A professional athlete. A scientist. Here he is with my mom (and me) in 1966: pic.twitter.com/QElLQBzMyI
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 7, 2019
He was a generous and kind human being—and a quiet force fighting for civil rights. His marriage to my mom in ‘58 was illegal (she’s black). They were married 59 years. Here he is walking me down the aisle in ‘95. (His twin brother said our wedding mass). pic.twitter.com/MFpQOo0ibp
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 7, 2019
He was brilliant—a star rugby player in his youth (in Australia) he came to the US on a Fullbright and ended up focusing on fluid dynamics and fractals. But mostly he was an awesome dad. Here we are a few months ago, going out to get lunch in nyc. pic.twitter.com/CD6jOCJi9G
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 7, 2019
I already miss him terribly. And I’m grateful for all the folks who moved heaven and earth so I could fly home last night and be there as he took his last breath (looking at all the awesome people at MOSAIC and the @ATLHawks!❤️❤️).
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 7, 2019
Mostly I feel sorry for people who didn’t get to know my dad. He was a great human being. Love you, Dad. Rest In Power. ❤️❤️
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 7, 2019
Fun fact: he and my mom were asked by the @ACLU to be the couple that would test the ban on interracial marriage (they lived in Baltimore at the time). They declined. He was working on his PhD. Worried he wouldn’t be able to finish. Here he is with my mom: pic.twitter.com/UjcY7DonLP
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 7, 2019