Patch Whiz Kid
Last Words Brought to Life in Student-Written Play
Kelsey Pfeifer based her play 'Why Did God Make Sparrows?' on a family friend's diary from his last year of life.
‘Why Did God Make Sparrows?’, a student-written and directed play based on the real diary of a young man’s final year battling cancer, will run one night only on June 4 at 7 p.m. at Whitefish Bay High School. In 1975, 18-year-old C.J. Smith, Jr. passed away after a struggle with cancer, leaving behind family, friends and a journal he kept over his final year of life. Last summer, Drew Pfiefer, who had been Smith’s best friend, lent the journal to his daughter Kelsey, a junior at Whitefish Bay High School. He’d been given the journal by Smith’s family. Kelsey Pfiefer was inspired by Smith's last words that she decided to write a play based on the journal. “I was talking with my dad. My parents have the most interesting stories. We started …
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June Rubner
8:54 pm on Friday, May 27, 2011
I am fascinated by this storyline and will definitely come to see the play. I too went through a cancer diagnosis, however only seven years ago it was not something that was hidden and breast cancer really is now in the forefront of discussions. I am looking forward to seeing this play.   more ›