YWCA lands right man for job for womenThe YWCA of Northeast Indiana could not have picked a better man to make history for the organization.Britain’s impressive list of royal rejects
John Lennon made news in 1969 when he returned for political reasons the Member of the British Empire award that had been bestowed on him and the three other Beatles four years earlier.
Turns out he wasn’t the only Brit – or British musician, for that matter – to reject honors the crown offered to bestow.
After years of trying to get the list of would-be recipients who had turned down various honors and titles, the BBC obtained the names of 227 people who said no.
They include filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, who rejected a Commander of the British Empire honor in 1962, only later to be named a Knight Commander of the British Empire, a more prestigious title. Actor Trevor Howard turned down a CBE, as did writer Evelyn Waugh, while writer Doris Lessing declined to be named a Dame.
While not everyone could explain their reasons for rejecting the honors, musician David Bowie was succinct in turning down a CBE in 2000: “I seriously don’t know what it’s for.”
