Chris Nguyen
Features Editor

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” Those lines, from the movie Dirty Dancing, already had the potential to be placed in catchphrase hall of fame. But it was the way Patrick Swayze said them with such ease, such cool that made them forever immortal, one of the greatest moments in pop culture history.

I cannot say with truth that I am a fan of Swayze. The only other thing besides Dirty Dancing that comes to mind is his Chippendale skit during Saturday Night Live.

However, Dirty Dancing was enough. I remembered my sister watching it everyday for a week while I was doing my homework. At first, I was annoyed. Then, entranced. Swayze’s Johnny Castle had pure charisma. I chuckled when I found out he sang “She’s Like a Wind” in the film. It’s classic ’80s ballad. But looking back at the song and the film, he was what is becoming a rare breed in movies today: the unabashed movie star. Nothing was at artistic risk for him. Swayze just did what he felt was right.

Nobody put him in a corner.

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Hubert Adjei-Kontoh
Staff Writer

My limited exposure to Patrick Swayze comes from two different sources. The first comes from a time where I would watch the A.E. channel almost constantly . During this period I watched bits and pieces of a little film called Point Break wherein Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves rob a bank in Nixon masks. And though it might have been Reeves’ always-atrocious acting, Swayze seemed to be the bright spot of the film as the surfer with an edge. His cool pleasant demeanor seemed to breeze through out and make the movie much more enjoyable then any film starring Keanu Reeves deserves to be. 

The other element of my Swayze exposure is his role as Darrel Curtis in The Outsiders, based on the book written by S.E. Hinton about street toughs called “greasers” and their conflicts with the rich preppy “socs”. Swayze plays the main character’s older brother who is dedicated to keeping his younger brothers fed and clothed, but who also deals with his own problems as a young adult who has been hardened by the world he lives in. Yet through it all, he still keeps a fighting spirit. And it seems Swayze kept that fighting spirit throughout his struggle with pancreatic cancer. He will be missed.

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Maddie Walters
Staff Writer

When I was a little girl, there was one qualification that I knew my future husband had to fulfill. He had to be able to dance like Patrick Swayze.

Dirty Dancing was my first exposure to the talent of Swayze, especially in the field of dance. His control and grace mesmerized my young and awkward self and I vowed to become as awesome as “Baby” so that I could capture my own Swayze when the time was right.

While I have yet to become a Lariette, Swayze’s legacy as an actor and dancer have lasted his tragically short lifetime, and his recent passing is hard for everyone who was able to experience one of his films. I’ll miss Patrick Swayze, but I will always remember: “No one puts Baby in a corner.”

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Melissa Brisco
Copy Editor

My fondest memory of Patrick Swayze would have to be the final scene of the classic movie Dirty Dancing when Frances “Baby” Houseman (played by Jennifer Grey) and Johnny Castle (played by Swayze) dance their hearts out after a summer of falling in love. In that moment, Swayze stole my heart, along with those of countless other girls, with the way he danced, his timeless good looks and the suave way he played Castle.

Swayze’s story and strength has moved me and I was deeply saddened to hear of his passing. He fought for over a year and a half against the monster that is pancreatic cancer. He was optimistic for recovery before ultimately loosing the battle to his disease. He was a talented actor and his heart showed through in each part he played. And ultimately, he will be immensely missed.