Shirley Temple Black (1928-2014), America's Little Sweetheart

Shirley Temple Black, the dimpled curly haired tap-dancing moppet who captured America’s heart during the mid-to-late 1930s, has passed away at the age of 85 at her home in Woodside, California.

Shirley Temple was born in 1928 and began her movie career at the age of three, starring in such films as Baby Take a Bow, Bright Eyes, Curly Top, The Little Colonel and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. In all, Shirley starred in 14 short films (Baby Burlesks) and 43 feature films until her retirement from show business in 1950.

In her later years, Shirley re-invented herself as a public servant. After an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1967, she was appointed to the United Nations General Assembly and in 1974, Shirley was appointed as United States Ambassador to Ghana. In 1976, Shirley was appointed the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States before her last position as United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia before retiring in 1992.

Shirley was also a pioneer in speaking openly about breast cancer to the public. After being diagnosed with breast cancer and her subsequent radical mastectomy, Shirley wrote an article for the now defunct McCall’s Magazine titled, “Don’t Sit Home and Be Afraid.”

Rest in Peace Mrs. Black.