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Catherine was assigned The Friendship Bench.
And the two had publicly demonstrated a warm relationship over many years.
That combination gives the gift an emotional resonance even without inventing a private explanation.
Sometimes the title is enough to make people pause.
Other Family Members Received Symbols of Achievement
Joel received an Oscar.
Cameron received a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Michael received Chagall lithographs and sculptures.
Other grandchildren received awards.
Those objects naturally recall Kirk Douglas the public figure.
The actor.
The Hollywood legend.
The nationally honored celebrity.
Catherine’s bronze speaks in a quieter language.
Two figures.
A bench.
A title about friendship.
That is why the gift stands apart.
Kirk’s Life Was Much Larger Than His Film Career
Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch in 1916.
He grew up in a poor immigrant family in Amsterdam, New York.
His rise to Hollywood stardom was extraordinary.
He became one of cinema’s most recognizable leading men.
His performance as Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life became one of his most celebrated.
Paths of Glory became a landmark antiwar film.
Spartacus became inseparable from his screen legacy.
Douglas also played a significant role as a producer.
And famously, his decision to publicly credit blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo on Spartacus became part of the history surrounding Hollywood’s blacklist.
But Kirk’s later years increasingly involved philanthropy.
Much of the Douglas Wealth Was Directed Toward Charity
Kirk and Anne became major philanthropists.
Their Douglas Foundation supported a wide range of causes.
That charitable record helps explain why focusing only on who received which valuable household object gives an incomplete picture of their estate planning.