Red Grandy ©Stars and Stripes

Wiesbaden, Germany, May, 1951: Lecturer and author Fulton J. Sheen, recently elevated by the Catholic Church from monsignor to bishop, poses during a tour of Germany that also took him to Heidelberg, Berlin and Munich. At Wiesbaden, he expressed fears that "completely uncontrolled" Soviet nuclear experimentation may inadvertently crack the planet. "An atom bomb in the hands of a St. Francis of Assisi would be no problem," he said, "but put an atom bomb in the hands of a Joseph Stalin and a terrible worldwide problem is created."

Bishop Sheen was one of the first religious figures to take advantage of television, going on the air on the DuMont network in the late 1940s and winning an Emmy award in 1952. Among his lasting, unintended legacies: Aspiring actor Ramon Estevez, an admirer of the bishop, changed his stage name to Martin Sheen ... and went on to father the decidedly non-saintly Charlie Sheen.

Photo of the day From the Stripes archives

October 1, 2011