LifeTimeline
Kukula Kapoor Glastris
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Kukula Kapoor Arrives
Kukula Kapoor was born in Tibet, where her father was stationed as a diplomat. Her Tibetan name is Pema Lamo. As a baby she was blessed by the Dalai Lama. Kuku''s parents helped the Dalai Lama escape from Tibet to India. Her father chose the name Kukula after seeing a Cookoo bird outside the window. She went Welhams Girls School in Dehradun (UK). -
On to Delhi
India
Her father was Randhir Singh Kapoor, a diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. Her mother was Raj Kumari Kapoor. Family lore has it that it was Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhii who suggested to Raj that she start her own business, and she then created a bakery, Chocolate Wheel, that thrived in New Delhi for 32 years. It closed Feb 11, 2011. -
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Moves to Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Moves to Evanston and works for Let Us Entertain You -- and then worked as associate producer for Irv Kupcinet, a beloved Chicago talk-show host. Among the many highlight was sipping Dom Perignon from styrofoam cups with Jill Lucas, Kup and Essie for the 25th Anniversary special. There she met: Muhammad Ali, George H.W. Bush, Walter Payton, and Norman Mailer. ("He walks like a pugilist, on the balls of his feet," she said of Mailer). On the side, she worked at Hooligans in Skokie, where she served Payton but didn't know who he was. ("Oh what do you do?" "I play a little football") -
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Becomes Book Editor & Collections Thug for The Washington Monthly
When Paul took over the management of the struggling Washington Monthly, Kukula, as was her custom, volunteered to the jobs that no one else wanted to do. In this case, that meant trying to collect thousands of dollars in bills due to the magazine. After her success as a collection agent, she became Book Editor of the magazine. In that role she both selected the books worthy of coverage, and worked with the writers to craft insightful essays. On the side, she served as the unofficial mom of all the young editors who came through their doors. -
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Yells At TV Set When She Hears Obama Thinks He Can Get GOP Buy In on Health Care
A fierce progressive, Kuku worked and volunteered for Democratic candidates local and national through the years. She tolerated her husband's neoliberalism but regularly attempted to awaken him to GOP treachery. She was particularly disappointed that President Obama spent many months attempting to forge a bipartisan compromise with the Republicans when it seemed clear to her that the GOP was just playing with him and would never go along. Although she yelled this point at the TV set with increasing vigor, Obama did not listen. He regretted that. -
Finds Magnificent Spiritual Community
Bethesda, Maryland
In 2010 she converted to Episcopalianism -- the culmination of her long-term love and appreciation of Christianity and Jesus, who she described as her Guru. She became a hugely important volunteer at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Bethesda. -
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Passes Away
Washington, District of Columbia
Paul's note to friends: "It is hard for me to write these words, and I know hard for you to read them, but Kukula Kapoor Glastris, love of my life, mother of our children, sister, cousin, friend, colleague to all of you, passed away last night at 10:31 PM from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She went peacefully, without pain, surrounded by family and friends." -