Film TV Star Attends MHS 50th Reunion

Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2014, 11:23 pm

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By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com

Film and TV actor John Getz has a 40-year acting resume, but he never forgets his roots. The 67-year-old Moline High School alum attended his 50th class reunion last weekend. "It was great, great to see a lot of people," Mr. Getz said by phone Monday, adding that he still has relatives in the Quad-Cities. The last reunion he attended was his 25th, and the last time he was in the Quad-Cities was in early 2012, for the funeral of his late uncle, Tom Getz, former owner of Moline Forge and a community volunteer. "I just thought it would be interesting to see people again," Mr. Getz said. "It was an excuse to come back and see Moline, the river and everything, to wander around town, drink it all in. I miss the place. I had a good time growing up there. I like to taste it every once in a while." The son of William and Kaye Getz, Mr. Getz's father was president of Williams White & Co. In high school, Mr. Getz was on the swim team, and didn't have a lot of time for theater, but emceed his senior year variety show. He went to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., where he did some acting. "I had a great English teacher there who was a Shakespeare fanatic. He just encouraged me," Mr. Getz said. He graduated from the University of Iowa and studied at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, later appearing on Broadway in "M. Butterfly" and "They're Playing Our Song." While known mainly for an extensive list of TV and film credits, Mr. Getz said he loves theater and wants to do more. "It's a delightful challenge to get in front of an audience every night, the gymnastics you get to do with other people." Mr. Getz's film roles include the Coen brothers' "Blood Simple," "The Fly," "The Fly II," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Curly Sue," and "Zodiac." In 2010, he portrayed the attorney to Mark Zuckerberg's character in the Oscar-winning film "The Social Network." He played the adoptive father of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the 2013 biopic "Jobs." "We shot in the house Steve Jobs lived in, in Los Gatos (Calif.), where he built the first (Apple) machine in the garage," Mr. Getz said. His TV roles include "NCIS," "The Ghost Whisperer," "Criminal Minds," "Mad Men," "How I Met Your Mother," and in the past year alone "Bones," "Castle," "CSI," and the AMC series "Halt and Catch Fire." Mr. Getz filmed one episode for new ABC legal thriller, "How to Get Away With Murder" from Shonda Rhimes, creator of "Scandal" and "Grey's Anatomy." Now he's appeared in all of her shows, including "Private Practice." "She just throws together good pot-boilers," he said. "She gets a lot going on, with interesting actors." In Mr. Getz's latest film, "Trumbo," which he'll shoot in October in New Orleans, he plays a director in the McCarthy-era biopic of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. It will co-star Louis C.K., Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren and John Goodman.

In Memory of Martha Getz Cogswell

This photo in the snow was taken at Kathy Wilcox's birthday party in 1963.
Left to right are: Jane Rosborough, Ann Paschall, and Marty Getz.

Jane Rosborough Jackson:

I am in Michigan and yesterday John and J were lucky enough to be able to drive 60 miles south to a celebration of Marty Getz Cogswell's life at her family's summer cottage.

Marty's sister Pam and brother John were there as were her three children, Sara, Katy and Tim. and so were Marty's grandchildren including 7 month old twins, whom she never got to meet.

Marty was quite the tennis player so the gathering was held next to the tennis courts. Tim Neally was one of the speakers as well as Pam, John and Marty's children.

It was very sad but also very uplifting. I am so glad that I happened to be at our family cottage and could attend this special service.

I also got to connect with Laurie Johnson Manis as her family has a cottage where the Getz family gathers every summer.

Such a tragic loss of life but Marty lived life to the fullest! It is just too bad her grandchildren won't be able to know her and to enjoy her lust for life.

RIP old friend!

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Martha Getz Cogswell 

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Martha Getz Cogswell passed away suddenly but peacefully on November 22, 2011, after a very brief bout with cancer. She was born June 16, 1948, in Davenport, Iowa - the youngest child of the late William A. and Kaye S. Getz. Marty grew up in Moline, Illinois. 

She attended St. Katharine's School in Davenport, Iowa, before heading to Pine Manor College in Massachusetts and then onto the University of Colorado in Boulder. She graduated in 1970 and remained a Buffs fan for life. Marty moved to Colorado Springs in 1974 and has lived here happily ever since. 

She is survived by her children and their spouses, Katharine (Michael) Courtney of Saratoga, California; Sara (Michael) Baker of Shawnee, Kansas; and Timothy (McKinzie) Cogswell of Las Vegas, Nevada, and by her beloved grandchildren, Madison and Chayse Courtney, Cohen Baker, Paizley Cogswell, and twin grandsons due this winter. 

Marty will also be deeply missed by her siblings, Stephanie Sandell, Pamela (Rob) Garton and John Getz; her aunts and an uncle; dozens of lucky cousins, nieces and nephews; many cherished friends, and her good and faithful golden retriever, Bailey. Marty devoted generous energy to causes she cared about, including the Junior League, Penrose Hospital, the YMCA, the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Pikes Peak Library, the Olympic Training Center and, nationally, the Alzheimer's Association . 

In 2008, Marty retired from Cheyenne Mountain School District 12, where she'd provided years of care and service to Cheyenne students, parents, teachers and administrators from her post at the district and high school administrative offices. An avid athlete, Marty walked vigorously, skied beautifully, and played tennis with disarming strength and grace. Many of those games were played at Cheyenne Mountain Country Club - a home-away-from-home where she made some of her closest friends. 

Marty spent all the summers of her life on the shores of Lake Michigan. Her days there - with extended family, beach walks, sailboats, lucky glass, sunsets and thunderstorms - were among her happiest. She relished other travel, too - jaunts to visit pretty places and life-long pals and, most especially, to be with her children and grandchildren. They were her highest priority and greatest joy, and she leaves them awash in love and gratitude. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 26 at 5:00pm at Chapel of our Savior, 8 Fourth Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Penrose Cancer Center, 2222 North Nevada, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907 or the Alzheimer's Association , Colorado Chapter, 455 Sherman Street, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80203.

John Getz - MHS 64 Graduate - A Major Star

Here is his Facebook page.

Search here for John and Martha Getz.

QC Times: 

 

John Getz, pictured here in the upcoming movie "Elevator," plays the attorney for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network." (Contributed Photo)

John Getz has dabbled only slightly in Facebook.

“I got on it a couple of years ago to look at photographs that a daughter who was going to school in Italy was posting,” the actor and Quad-City native said. “I occasionally check it — but very occasionally. I have more than enough correspondence with friends and family without Facebook.”

Getz, who turns 64 on Friday, plays the legal counsel for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network,” a docudrama about the creation of the popular website, which has been the nation’s No. 1 movie at the box office the past two weekends. Getz’s character, Sy, is a fictional composite of several attorneys.
Born in Davenport and raised in Moline, Getz’s father, William, was a Moline alderman and president of Williams, White & Co. His uncle, Tom Getz, is a longtime community volunteer in addition to his tenure as president of Moline Forge Inc.

John Getz said he may have had a role in one production at Moline High School — “I was on the swim team, and that was more interesting” — but he got interested in theater when he was an English major at the University of Iowa, where a professor encouraged him to try acting professionally. He still tries to do at least one theater project a year, Getz said.

John Getz, Ken Berry, - Say Hello

John Getz is known for Blood Simple, The Fly, and many other roles.
Dr. Pascall did his early dental work.

Ken Berry is known for F Troop, Mayberry RFD, and dancing.

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GJ - John and Ken, when you are Googling your names or "Moline" one night and land on this blog, send in a comment. I know someone from Hollywood is often reading Moline Memories.

It would be fun to hear from our celebrities.

Famous Moline High Alumni

Famous alumni

• Ken Berry: Actor
• Donald K. Sundquist: former governor of Tennessee
• Jim Jamieson: professional golfer
• Tom Railsback: U.S. Congressman from 1967–83
• Steve Kuberski: professional basketball player, Boston Celtics
• Bonnie Bartlett: television and film actress
• Louis Bellson: Jazz Drummer. His death is described here.
  
• Acie Earl: professional basketball player, Boston Celtics
• Brad Hopkins: professional football player, Tennessee Titans
• Paula Sands: Anchor of KWQC-TV 6
• Leon Roady: Inventor of Cobbin' Corn's mango popcorn.
• Jake Peterson: Reporter/ WEAR ABC Pensacola, Florida.
• John Baker, Jr. - Medal of Honor.
• Malcolm Bosse graduated from MHS as valedictorian and went to Yale. He was famous as a writer.
• Stephanie Sundine became a famous opera singer and director.
• Bonnie Bartlett is an Emmy award winning actress - St. Elsewhere.
• Jann Carl - TV journalist, Jerry Lewis Telethon, Entertainment Tonight.
  

  
  

"The Fly" and "Blood Simple"

Wikipedia is so reliable. What about John Getz? Martha was in our class.