Mr. Paul was 94 when he died this week near his home in New Jersey.
But he didn't just play the guitar. He did that, and in fine style too, notching a series of million-selling number one records in the 1950s with his wife, Mary Ford.
But he was also an amazing innovator and inventor. When he was a child of 10 he was turning his Sears acoustic guitar into an electric model by using salvaged parts to create an electric pickup.
That was a preview of his biggest invention, which would literally change the world of music. In 1940 or '41 (the exact date is unclear), he invented the solid body electric guitar, which allowed players to sustain notes far longer than an acoustic version.
To say the electric guitar caught on would be an understatement. It provided the spark that ignited jazz, country, blues and rock bands from then until now.
Mr. Paul went to work for Gibson, which put out its famous Les Paul guitars, wielded by many famous players. Mr. Paul himself was still playing his invention in clubs until this June.
n The world will also miss another remarkable innovator who died this week at age 88, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
She was a member of what was once America's royal political family -- sister to President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy, and mother of journalist and California first lady Maria Shriver.
But she had a passion to help mentally disabled people, fueled by her experience with her sister, Rosemary. Coupled with her interest in sports, she created the Special Olympics, which gave mentally disabled people the chance to have fun and participate in sporting events.
She grew the Special Olympics from 1,000 participants in 1968 to 3 million today. It was ranked as "the most credible charity/nonprofit in the nation" by Philanthropy Magazine.
The Special Olympics has not only provided an opportunity for mentally disabled people to participate in sports, but has also helped remove their stigma and opened pathways to the workplace and to greater acceptance by society.
Mrs. Kennedy Shriver used her famous name to change the world for tens of thousands of disabled individuals, and for that she will be fondly remembered.
n A person with a similar spirit to help others is Decembre Montague, who created the LOVE Center at 3509 N. Duke St. in March.
As reported in an article this week by The Herald-Sun's Keith Upchurch, Montague saw a need to provide children a place to go. The LOVE Center is a safe place where kids can play games, watch TV or work on a computer. There is no charge, but she asked parents to give what they could.
It's not surprising that in the current economy, donations have slowed to a trickle, and the LOVE Center is in danger of closing.
It's a big idea -- Montague has a staff of five people who work for next to nothing. The center is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. five days a week.
We have a strong feeling that Montague will continue to make a difference in young people's lives in Durham. For her passion for helping others, she is the winner of this week's Durham Grit Award.
If you want to help the LOVE Center, check out the Web site at www.thelovecentersite.org or send a check to the address above.
