By now, you’ve probably read about the passing of Madeleine Albright, the first female to be appointed Secretary of State by President Bill Clinton.
Her long list of achievements and accolades are duly noted in her obituaries that can be found across the Internet, on every newscast, and in publications around the world. She was truly a legend in the world of global diplomacy and politics.
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I had the honor of working with The Real Madam Secretary one afternoon in May of 2012. Here’s how that all came about.
Secretary Albright had graciously agreed to appear at a speaking engagement at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. This was a big deal, facilitated by former WDIV Local 4 General Manager, Marla Drutz, and moderated, of course, by our longtime News Anchor Devin Scillian.
By then, Secretary Albright had retired from her illustrious diplomatic career. She’d recently written an autobiographical account of her childhood in Czechoslovakia during the rise of the Third Reich and the long, harrowing journey of escape and eventual immigration to the United States. The entire, fascinating account is chronicled in her book, “Prague Winter.”
The most astounding aspect of the story is that it wasn’t until she became Secretary of State that she even knew the real reason her family fled the expanding Nazi Empire. In fact, Madeleine Albright, born Marie Jana Kobelová and though she was raised Roman Catholic, was actually Jewish. Her parents never discussed her real heritage and it wasn’t until she became Secretary of State that she discovered the truth - via research and reporting from The Washington Post, which, at the time was owned by our station’s parent company, now known as Graham Media.
So, that’s the backstory and connection to WDIV Local 4 / ClickOnDetroit, but Madeleine Albright - respected and revered Scholar, Activist, Author, Ambassador, and Secretary of State also liked to punctuate her impressive efforts, with a little glam.
Enter Jon Jordan (that’s me), Stylist to The Stateswomen.
The rabbi had gratuitously offered his study for use as a makeshift makeup studio and I was positioned, prepped, and poised. I’d even read Prague Winter, cover-to-cover, so as to make relevant and witty banter. Marla entered, introduced me and I immediately responded with the proper greeting, “Madam Secretary.”
“Oh, you can just call me Madeleine”, she said with a casual, dismissive wave from her immaculately manicured hand.
As I quickly began applying makeup, assuring her that I wasn’t going to overdo it, she observed that a little drama for the eyes was okay, that she liked a healthy glow of blush “on the cheekbone, not under it,” and that lip color was “negotiable,” which figures, considering her skillset.
My plan to impress Madam Secretary with conversation about current events (anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I’m, like, way over-educated), somehow ended-up becoming an enthusiastic exchange about … accessories. It turns out that Madeleine Albright believed that accessories made the woman. I mean, along with a Ph.D, perseverance, patience, and persuasion. But seriously, she became quite well known for her ability to utilize costume jewelry as unspoken commentary in any given situation or encounter.
There are so many accounts and examples of this - with particular attention given to her brandishing of brooches, that The Smithsonian Museum actually mounted an exhibit based upon her unique fashion phenomenon and prompted by Author Albright penning a memoir titled, “Read My Pins.”
Madam Secretary’s moods and motives could actually be “pinned” by merely observing her choice of brooch. It might be a refection of her devout patriotism - something stars & stripe-ish or a refection of her ongoing efforts to bring about peace - there were many dove adornments.
Crab pins weren’t a good sign and turtles were an indication impatience. When she showed up wearing certain animal motifs - particularly carnivorous ones, caution was the correct reaction.
A serpent pin infuriated the Saddam Hussein regime and her hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no-evil monkey brooch was the choice for a contentious encounter with Vladimir Putin.
I’m pretty sure that the most important piece in the vast accessory collection of the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to her by President Barack Obama. She received it on May 29, 2012, just a couple of weeks after I had the pleasure of her working with her.
But on May 6, 2012, she graciously accepted and was genuinely thrilled … to accept what she observed to be “the perfect shade of rose” long-lasting lip gloss from me.
Related: Madeleine Albright, 1st female US secretary of state, dies