Milestones Oct. 2, 2006

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DIED. Patricia Kennedy Lawford, 82, elegant member of the Kennedy political clan whose 1954 marriage to British actor Peter Lawford wedded her family to Hollywood; in New York City. Said to be the prettiest Kennedy sister, she was also the most independent--though her parents thought she lacked ambition. She worked in TV, wed the Rat Packer and settled into a California beach house later dubbed White House West because of J.F.K.'s regular visits. After moving back east--and divorcing Lawford in 1966--the mother of four published That Shining Hour, reminiscences of R.F.K., and later founded the National Committee for the Literary Arts.

The Lady Justice

UPDATE

"I need to retire from retirement," jokes SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, 76, who quit the U.S. Supreme Court in January to spend more time with her husband John, who has Alzheimer's. Her inclination to say yes to invitations means "he wonders if he's still married," she says. She has given speeches around the world. She keeps an office at the court and lunches occasionally with her ex-colleagues. Exercising her prerogative as a senior jurist, she will sit briefly on the Second and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal next month. She'll also co-chair a conference at Georgetown this week on judicial autonomy. The Founding Fathers "were so clear that ... an independent judiciary was critical to the success of the nation," she says. That independence is threatened by proposals to rein in the courts and cut budgets "to punish them for things legislators don't like," she says. "This is pretty scary stuff." O'Connor does plan to slow down--and say no more often: "That simple two-letter word would save me a lot of trouble."