By Paula Lidy

In a personal interview with Roger prior to the memorial service, he reminisced about his uncle.

Roger Ives also told the story about the academy award that his uncle Burl received for best supporting actor in The Big Country. "Uncle Burl and his adopted son, Lex, came driving cross country," Roger said. "It was about 1957. He had just bought a new Corvette and we were living in Oklahoma at the time. "He came by and spent the night with us," Roger said. "He had just been nominated for best supporting for for The Big Country.

"The secret, which has never been let out, but which he told me, was that he wasn't nominated for The Big Country but he was nominated for the best supporting actor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Roger said. "He told them ‘no thank you’ because he said that the role of Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is not a supporting role, but is a main character. So the then nominated him for The Big Country and he did receive the Academy Award for it."

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