Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — Farrah Fawcett’s closest friends marked the first anniversary of her death by dedicating a cancerresearch foundation in her name. Alana Stewart, Ryan O’Neal, Tatum O’Neal and Redmond O’Neal were among guests at an intimate gathering Friday at the new offices in Beverly Hills, Calif., of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, which funds alternative cancer research and treatment methods and aims to improve the quality of life of those with the disease. Fawcett, the Charlie’s Angels star who detailed her battle with anal cancer in the 2009 documentary Farrah’s Story, died at 62 on June 25, 2009. Stewart said Fawcett started her namesake foundation during her own struggle with cancer, and Stewart was determined to keep her friend’s efforts alive. Ryan O’Neal said the first anniversary of Fawcett’s death had been an emotional one for his family. Their 25-year-old son, Redmond, who has beendogged by drug problems and was jailed during his mother’s final days, visited Fawcett’s grave for the first time Friday. The soft-spoken redhead said he is now clean and sober.

Robert Redford says notions that the arts are trivial or worthless are driven by “small minds.” The 73-year-old actor spokeFriday to about 900 attendees at an Americans for the Arts summit in Baltimore. He called on them to dispel the “myths” holding back government arts funding. Recently, he founded the Redford Center in California to use the arts to push issues such as clean energy. Redford started the Sundance Film Festival with a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Now it generates $90 million over 10 days each year for Utah. He also has been raising money for the Gulf Coast’s recovery from the oil spill, a week after finishing his latest movie production. Redford said he hopes The Conspirator, about the trial of Mary Surratt after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, may be released this year.