It’s customary in the media for end-of-year reflections to include stories about well-known people who passed away in the preceding months. Among those in Atlanta was Gail O’Neill, an enthusiastic supporter of WABE and a good friend of “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes.
You may have known Gail as a writer and later an editor at Arts ATL. She hosted the Felipe Barral-produced program “Collective Knowledge,” a series of web interviews with thought leaders, and the tagline, “Spreading knowledge is the most altruistic thing we can do as human beings.” That sentence speaks volumes about Gail herself. Her intellect and curiosity sparked interest in a wide range of subjects, and her humanity was central to it all.
The other quality important to Gail was beauty, though NOT in terms of facial appearance or physical traits. Nature, art, music, dance, literature and examples of human dignity – were the things where Gail found beauty. Ironically, her physical beauty launched a successful international career that Gail never imagined for herself.
Reitzes’ tall and beautiful friend was spotted at JFK Airport by a photographer who asked if she had ever modeled. Despite having no previous experience, she was signed immediately by Click Models in New York. Within a few months, readers worldwide saw rising star Gail O’Neill on the cover of British Vogue.
Many more magazine covers and high-profile modeling assignments in fashion capitals of the world followed. When Vogue posted her obituary online in October, the article mentioned that she was often heard on WABE, where she reflected on topics such as the legacy of journalist and Vogue’s first African American creative director André Leon Talley, a discussion that was featured on “City Lights” after Talley died last year.
