Jirayr Zorthian |
Dabney Zorthian |
The Zorthians had many friends...so many friends. Jerry's most famous friendship was with Nobel Prize winning Cal Tech physicist, Richard Feynman. One of the most prominent members of the team that built the first atomic bomb at Los Alamos during World War Two, Feynman wrote about Zorthian in his very engaging biography, Surely You're Joking, Mister Feynman.
Check out this video clip of Feynman and Zorthian talking about their friendship. It's a hoot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkDJtsFd6Mg
Every year in May at the Zorthan ranch, there was a 'Primavera' birthday party for Jerry. It would attract something on the order of four hundred of his friends. Late in his life, the highlight was an annual staged production, in which Jerry basked in the spotlight as the lounging Zor-Bacchus, with a dozen young lovelies feeding him grapes, while they danced naked around him. It was joyful, not prurient. Jerry Zorthian loved being surrounded by his friends. He loved having fun.
I'm so glad I had the privilege of knowing Jerry and Dabney, and being one of their friends. I learned so much about enjoying life from them.
The link below is to the Zorthian webpage, still maintained by people who loved Jirayr and Dabney. It celebrates the art both of them created, while offering some insight into their extraordinary lives.
http://zorthian.com/
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