50 years ago or 600 moons as the Native Americans would say, I had just finished my freshman year at the University of Mass. in Amherst. It was the Summer of 1965! A half century ago. Yikes! I had a tough time adapting to freshman year. Big classes-300 students. Trying to figure out the best way to study! I got C's and D's and a few F's. I barely made it to sophomore year. And back then if you flunked out of college, you stood a good chance of getting drafted and going to Vietnam.
The previous few summers I had worked at Wequasset Inn in East Harwich, right on Pleasant Bay. I took care of the grounds along with a couple of other guys. It was a great job. We were outdoors all day and had views of the water no matter where we were. I mowed the lawns, landscaped, trimmed, smoothed the clay tennis court with the roller each day, raked around the new pool daily. On one side of me was Round Cove and on the other Pleasant Bay.
But I think I got tired of the long drive there every day so I got a job at the Harwich Laundry in Harwichport, right at the corner of Route 28 and Road, right across from Handler's Junk Yard. It probably paid more and was a much shorter ride I manned the large, commercial dryers. Boy, was that hot. The drivers would bring back the dirty laundry from the hotels and motels and all the napkins and tablecloths from the restaurants, they would go through the washers, and then were wheeled over to me. I put them in the dryers and when they were done, I wheeled them over to the large, commercial iron, where they would get pressed flat, then wrapped and then get delivered. One day it was so hot I drank 12 sodas and didn't have to go to the men's room once. I just sweated it all out. There were a lot of summer kids there and it was a lot of fun working there. The Cashen family ran the laundry and they were wonderful people.
When I wasn't working it sure was the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. I played a lot of tennis with my friends Joe, Jackie and Johnny. We played on the courts at Brooks Park and over at the Dennis-Yarmouth high school. We played pick up basketball games next to the old high school under the lights that we installed. And we went swimming at Bank St beach, the same beach my parents, grandparents and great grandparents swam.
After we played tennis, we used to go to the A&W in West Harwich and I would get a quart of root beer in those containers shaped like a megaphone. And sometimes a small clam order to hold me over! The Wednesday night dances at the Congregational Church in Harwichport was the place to go. Hundreds of kids there listening to the DJ. We were always hoping to meet one of those "summer girls' and have a summer romance but it never happened to me. I don't think they were too excited to see "locals".
When I wasn't going out nights, I listened to a lot of Rolling Stones records in my room on my hi fi set. No stereo then and a lot of the records were Mono. I also read the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. It was over 1000 pages so it took me most of the summer. I also played tabletop baseball games.
On the national scene, the Viet Nam war was escalating, there were a lot of Civil Rights activities in the South, the Voting Rights Act and Medicare were passed. But we didn't play too much attention to that. We were too busy working and having fun and being 18 years old and having our entire futures ahead of us, 18,250 days ago.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
COMMENCEMENT
What an exciting time for all the graduates. The papers are filled with pictures, quotes from the speakers and the graduates throwing their caps in the air. I wonder how many will remember who the speakers were and more importantly, what they said? I graduated from high school 51 years ago and don't remember any of the speakers or what they said. And when I graduated from college, the same thing. But its a time honored tradition and adds a great touch to the graduation ceremony.
A few summers ago I did a book signing at Where the Sidewalk Ends in Chatham on Cape Cod. A young college student worked there for the summer and she introduced me to the crowd. Then she stood off to the side and listened to what I said. I basically talked about the book-5 Words and Then Some ( a great graduation present by the way), how it came about and what the key messages were. After I was done and had signed a bunch of books, she came up to me and said what a nice talk that was and I should do commencement speeches! Boy, that was a nice complement! No one has called though. But if I was contacted here is what I would say.
First of all I would congratulate them all. And I would mention that the bay has been crossed and now that great, big ocean lies before you and its called Life. And that ocean contains a lot of reefs and sandbars. And you are going to need a strong moral compass to navigate your way through. Hopefully the values you have learned here at this wonderful school and from your family and that you have developed on your own, will guide you through on this challenging journey.
And what is your Vision-your dream? Do it, no matter what and write the goals that will help get you there, Studies have shown if you write your goals down, you are 10 times more likely to achieve them. Put them on the medicine cabinet and every time you are brushing your teeth/flossing, they will keep you focused and those goals will stay in your sub-conscious and help make your Vision come alive.
And no matter what you do, where you go, WORK HARD It will pay off in the long run. Get to work early, stay a little late, but make sure you don't neglect your family, when that time comes. And have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. You will be amazed at how this works and what it can accomplish. Emerson said "Nothing great can be accomplished without ENTHUSIASM. And I found that to be true in my 35 year career at IBM. I started out at a low level job at IBM, but by the end of my career, I had the highest level job you could have without being an executive and there were not too many executives at IBM. Every task I had, every job I had, I rolled up my sleeves and did it with Enthusiasm. Not too many could keep up.
And things always aren't going to work out the way we hoped. We are going to get knocked down, hopefully not literally! We may not get that promotion at first. But we always have to PERSEVERE. We can't give up. We have to focus on our dreams and goals. I went for 26 interviews after college before I got a job. But it wasn't the job I interviewed for. It was a lower level job, at a lower salary. But I took it and away I went! It took me 3 years to get that original job I interviewed for. I didn't get a management job until several others had passed me by. But I persevered, kept at it and it all worked out. And no matter where you go, what you do, have FUN! I know you all are young and you think you are going to live forever. But in case no one has told you, we are all going to be dead a long time! So enjoy the ride. Take your job seriously and your family, but not yourself.
In conclusion, I only had B grades in high school and C's college. I come from humble beginnings and overcame personal challenges. I used to stutter but here I am today. I was shy with the girls, I didn't have any self confidence, I didn't believe in myself and we didn't have a lot of money. But once I got out of college, I did all the things I just talked about and guess what? Today I have been married for over 45 years to the most beautiful and wonderful lady on God's Green Earth. We have 3 wonderful children and now 3 grandchildren I had a great career at IBM for 35 years, we have a nice house and yard and lots of friends. What more could you ask for? I hope this all happens to each and everyone of you.
In the wonderful movie Field of Dreams, there is a great quote. " There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what's possible." I hope in the last 10 minutes I have done that for you.
Thanks for listening. Congratulations again and Godspeed to each and everyone of you..
A few summers ago I did a book signing at Where the Sidewalk Ends in Chatham on Cape Cod. A young college student worked there for the summer and she introduced me to the crowd. Then she stood off to the side and listened to what I said. I basically talked about the book-5 Words and Then Some ( a great graduation present by the way), how it came about and what the key messages were. After I was done and had signed a bunch of books, she came up to me and said what a nice talk that was and I should do commencement speeches! Boy, that was a nice complement! No one has called though. But if I was contacted here is what I would say.
First of all I would congratulate them all. And I would mention that the bay has been crossed and now that great, big ocean lies before you and its called Life. And that ocean contains a lot of reefs and sandbars. And you are going to need a strong moral compass to navigate your way through. Hopefully the values you have learned here at this wonderful school and from your family and that you have developed on your own, will guide you through on this challenging journey.
And what is your Vision-your dream? Do it, no matter what and write the goals that will help get you there, Studies have shown if you write your goals down, you are 10 times more likely to achieve them. Put them on the medicine cabinet and every time you are brushing your teeth/flossing, they will keep you focused and those goals will stay in your sub-conscious and help make your Vision come alive.
And no matter what you do, where you go, WORK HARD It will pay off in the long run. Get to work early, stay a little late, but make sure you don't neglect your family, when that time comes. And have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. You will be amazed at how this works and what it can accomplish. Emerson said "Nothing great can be accomplished without ENTHUSIASM. And I found that to be true in my 35 year career at IBM. I started out at a low level job at IBM, but by the end of my career, I had the highest level job you could have without being an executive and there were not too many executives at IBM. Every task I had, every job I had, I rolled up my sleeves and did it with Enthusiasm. Not too many could keep up.
And things always aren't going to work out the way we hoped. We are going to get knocked down, hopefully not literally! We may not get that promotion at first. But we always have to PERSEVERE. We can't give up. We have to focus on our dreams and goals. I went for 26 interviews after college before I got a job. But it wasn't the job I interviewed for. It was a lower level job, at a lower salary. But I took it and away I went! It took me 3 years to get that original job I interviewed for. I didn't get a management job until several others had passed me by. But I persevered, kept at it and it all worked out. And no matter where you go, what you do, have FUN! I know you all are young and you think you are going to live forever. But in case no one has told you, we are all going to be dead a long time! So enjoy the ride. Take your job seriously and your family, but not yourself.
In conclusion, I only had B grades in high school and C's college. I come from humble beginnings and overcame personal challenges. I used to stutter but here I am today. I was shy with the girls, I didn't have any self confidence, I didn't believe in myself and we didn't have a lot of money. But once I got out of college, I did all the things I just talked about and guess what? Today I have been married for over 45 years to the most beautiful and wonderful lady on God's Green Earth. We have 3 wonderful children and now 3 grandchildren I had a great career at IBM for 35 years, we have a nice house and yard and lots of friends. What more could you ask for? I hope this all happens to each and everyone of you.
In the wonderful movie Field of Dreams, there is a great quote. " There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what's possible." I hope in the last 10 minutes I have done that for you.
Thanks for listening. Congratulations again and Godspeed to each and everyone of you..
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
MY FRIEND ROB
My best friend Rob MacLennan died last September from complications of Parkinson's and dementia. I have been reluctant to write about it since then. Maybe I somehow think if I don't write about it, he really didn't pass on. His wife is in Scotland this week and will be spreading some of his ashes there. Last fall one of his friends spread some of his ashes in the White Mountains where he used to love to hike in the fall. And this summer his wife is going to spread the rest of his ashes in their favorite beachside town in Maine.
Rob was my best friend. I knew him longer than anyone in his family except for his brother. When I joined IBM on January 26, 1970, Rob was the first one to welcome me. I can still see his smiling face and his hand reaching out for mine. We hit it off right away. Rob lived in the Back Bay as Kathy and I did. The IBM office was in Copley Square and we used to walk to work. We didn't own cars until a few years later. We used to go to the Y after work and we would also run on the Esplanade. And we all used to get together for cookouts on the Esplanade. I had a hibachi and we would carry it over Storrow Drive to a beautiful point overlooking the Charles, and watch the sun set.
Times were simpler then. The original Hawaii 5.0 with Jack Lord was on in the middle of the week. Rob had a color tv so I would pick up a bag of Wise potato chips and a quart of Pepsi and walk over to his apartment. From that time on we always called each other Robo and Frano!
In 1974 my job moved to Waltham and then in 1978 we moved to Danbury Ct. We would talk on the phone and when we visited Kathy's mother in Topsfield, I would try to drop in and see Rob, who lived a few miles away. And of course, we always called ourselves Robo and Frano!
We retired to Newburyport in 2008 and Rob and Fran had moved here a few years before. We used to joke that we were going to grow old together. Shortly after Rob was diagnosed with Parkinsons and he gradually declined. He also had dementia. He couldn't drive anymore so I had the privilege of driving my best friend all around town a couple of times a week. We went to therapy, did errands, went out to lunch and breakfast, went for walks, got haircuts and drove around and looked at the new houses being built and all the renovations being done. These were some of the happiest times of my life. We talked about the old days, and wondered where the people we worked with in Boston were. And when you get to our age, you also learn where all the public restrooms are! Rob loved the lobster rolls at Bob and the breakfasts at Nancy's Marshside and the Agawam Diner. I can still see Rob eating French toast at Nancy's with apple crisp and whipped cream piles on top. And he ate it all!
And during all these rides, Rob never complained, not once. One time he did say he was tired of being sick, but that was it. And this was after he was diagnosed with melanoma and had to have surgery on his groin area. And on top of all this he fell at the Y and broke his hip. He was determined to exercise several days a week. I found a miniature pair of ice skates in a store in Newburyport and gave them to Rob. And I said to Rob, " you have had some tough breaks. But we are going to keep fighting until hell freezes over, and when it does, we are going to get the skates out and keep fighting."
Rob kept these skates on the bathroom sink and looked at them every day. And he certainly did fight the good fight.
After Rob left IBM he became the facility manager at the beautiful Trinity Church in Copley Square in Boston. Not only was Spaceship Earth a better place because Rob was here, the town of Topsfield was a better place because of the all the committees Rob was on and the Trinity Church was a better place because of his efforts there. His memorial service was held at the Trinity Church in November. I was honored to be one of the two eulogists. Its pretty tough to compress someone's life into 5 minutes. A lot of what I wrote here is what I said.
I closed with the Roman poet Catullus's poem to his dead brother. And to my best friend Rob, frater, ave atque vale!
Rob was my best friend. I knew him longer than anyone in his family except for his brother. When I joined IBM on January 26, 1970, Rob was the first one to welcome me. I can still see his smiling face and his hand reaching out for mine. We hit it off right away. Rob lived in the Back Bay as Kathy and I did. The IBM office was in Copley Square and we used to walk to work. We didn't own cars until a few years later. We used to go to the Y after work and we would also run on the Esplanade. And we all used to get together for cookouts on the Esplanade. I had a hibachi and we would carry it over Storrow Drive to a beautiful point overlooking the Charles, and watch the sun set.
Times were simpler then. The original Hawaii 5.0 with Jack Lord was on in the middle of the week. Rob had a color tv so I would pick up a bag of Wise potato chips and a quart of Pepsi and walk over to his apartment. From that time on we always called each other Robo and Frano!
In 1974 my job moved to Waltham and then in 1978 we moved to Danbury Ct. We would talk on the phone and when we visited Kathy's mother in Topsfield, I would try to drop in and see Rob, who lived a few miles away. And of course, we always called ourselves Robo and Frano!
We retired to Newburyport in 2008 and Rob and Fran had moved here a few years before. We used to joke that we were going to grow old together. Shortly after Rob was diagnosed with Parkinsons and he gradually declined. He also had dementia. He couldn't drive anymore so I had the privilege of driving my best friend all around town a couple of times a week. We went to therapy, did errands, went out to lunch and breakfast, went for walks, got haircuts and drove around and looked at the new houses being built and all the renovations being done. These were some of the happiest times of my life. We talked about the old days, and wondered where the people we worked with in Boston were. And when you get to our age, you also learn where all the public restrooms are! Rob loved the lobster rolls at Bob and the breakfasts at Nancy's Marshside and the Agawam Diner. I can still see Rob eating French toast at Nancy's with apple crisp and whipped cream piles on top. And he ate it all!
And during all these rides, Rob never complained, not once. One time he did say he was tired of being sick, but that was it. And this was after he was diagnosed with melanoma and had to have surgery on his groin area. And on top of all this he fell at the Y and broke his hip. He was determined to exercise several days a week. I found a miniature pair of ice skates in a store in Newburyport and gave them to Rob. And I said to Rob, " you have had some tough breaks. But we are going to keep fighting until hell freezes over, and when it does, we are going to get the skates out and keep fighting."
Rob kept these skates on the bathroom sink and looked at them every day. And he certainly did fight the good fight.
After Rob left IBM he became the facility manager at the beautiful Trinity Church in Copley Square in Boston. Not only was Spaceship Earth a better place because Rob was here, the town of Topsfield was a better place because of the all the committees Rob was on and the Trinity Church was a better place because of his efforts there. His memorial service was held at the Trinity Church in November. I was honored to be one of the two eulogists. Its pretty tough to compress someone's life into 5 minutes. A lot of what I wrote here is what I said.
I closed with the Roman poet Catullus's poem to his dead brother. And to my best friend Rob, frater, ave atque vale!
TURNING OVER THE GARDEN
Last week I tilled the vegetable garden. Every fall, right after Thanksgiving, I spread the bale of hay that we used for the fall decorations-pumpkin, gourds, and corn stalks, on top of the vegetable garden and let the hay rest for the winter. Then in the spring I take the hay off, after the snow melts and it dries up, and keep it on the side and will use it for mulch during the season.
As I till the garden, and sometimes I use a Mantis Tiller and sometimes I do it by hand with a shovel, I think about how I am doing the same thing as my father did every spring, my grandfather and my great grandfather. And the Native Americans, the Incas, the Maya's, the Aztecs and so many other civilizations throughout history. I can't help but feel that connection. And have you ever smelled fresh, tilled soil? It has a distinctive aroma. It's like smelling fresh roasted coffee.
And the better the soil, the fresher the smell, especially if you till in all the compost in the fall.
Early in May I will plant the cool weather crops- lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts and the potatoes. Then in mid May, if there is no frost in sight, the tomatoes, beans, and what else I decide on. I like to add some different crops each year. So every April hope springs eternal and so does the tilling of the garden.
As I till the garden, and sometimes I use a Mantis Tiller and sometimes I do it by hand with a shovel, I think about how I am doing the same thing as my father did every spring, my grandfather and my great grandfather. And the Native Americans, the Incas, the Maya's, the Aztecs and so many other civilizations throughout history. I can't help but feel that connection. And have you ever smelled fresh, tilled soil? It has a distinctive aroma. It's like smelling fresh roasted coffee.
And the better the soil, the fresher the smell, especially if you till in all the compost in the fall.
Early in May I will plant the cool weather crops- lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts and the potatoes. Then in mid May, if there is no frost in sight, the tomatoes, beans, and what else I decide on. I like to add some different crops each year. So every April hope springs eternal and so does the tilling of the garden.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
OPENING DAY
Today is the opening of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals play at the Cubs. This is always an exciting day for me. I love to follow baseball and I have a library of several hundred baseball books. And one of the great pleasures in life, for me, is getting up in the morning, and reading the box scores of the previous days games in the Boston Globe, while sipping the morning coffee.
To get in the mood I just watched some scenes on YouTube from the Field of Dreams movie. I watched James Earl Jones great speech about baseball and people will come. And then I watched the scene with Kevin Costner playing catch with his father. Joe Jackson tells him if you build it (the field) he will come. And of course, he meant Kevin's father. What a scene. I got moist eyes watching that. My father has been gone 35 years now. I can't play catch with him anymore. But I do think of him every day. And I carry his last drivers license in my wallet, as I have done since he died. So in a sense he is always with me!
To all the sons and daughters out there, get out there and play catch with your father and if he can't play catch, hug him and kiss him. And if he is not nearby, call him. Talk to him. Don't tweet, text or email. Before you know it, he will be walking out into the cornfield.
To get in the mood I just watched some scenes on YouTube from the Field of Dreams movie. I watched James Earl Jones great speech about baseball and people will come. And then I watched the scene with Kevin Costner playing catch with his father. Joe Jackson tells him if you build it (the field) he will come. And of course, he meant Kevin's father. What a scene. I got moist eyes watching that. My father has been gone 35 years now. I can't play catch with him anymore. But I do think of him every day. And I carry his last drivers license in my wallet, as I have done since he died. So in a sense he is always with me!
To all the sons and daughters out there, get out there and play catch with your father and if he can't play catch, hug him and kiss him. And if he is not nearby, call him. Talk to him. Don't tweet, text or email. Before you know it, he will be walking out into the cornfield.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
SPRING IS COMING!
The sun sets one minute later on December 14
There is one minute more daylight on December 27
The first seed catalogs start arriving in the mail at the end of December
The sun rises one minute earlier on January 9
The annual baseball preview magazines hit the news stands at the end of January
Truck Day for the Red Sox equipment truck leaving for Florida is around February 8
The Kream and Kone in Dennisport Ma opens February 12
The Clam Box in Ipswich opens in February
Pitchers and catchers report around mid February
The Vernal Equinox is March 20
The frost is out of the ground by early April
Grams and Haleys open for the season
Bob Lobster opens for summer hours
The plovers arrive at the Refuge around April 1
Boats and docks start appearing along the river
The lawn is raked and debris bagged
The Landfill opens for the season
The last frost is around mid May
Cool weather crops broccoli, lettuce, peas, radishes, brussel sprouts planted
The first lawn mow in mid April
Opening Day for baseball around April 1- Every team tied for first
Warm weather crops planted around mid May- tomatoes, beans, corn, spuds
The Summer Solstice is June 21 and now Winter is coming. The cycle continues.
There is one minute more daylight on December 27
The first seed catalogs start arriving in the mail at the end of December
The sun rises one minute earlier on January 9
The annual baseball preview magazines hit the news stands at the end of January
Truck Day for the Red Sox equipment truck leaving for Florida is around February 8
The Kream and Kone in Dennisport Ma opens February 12
The Clam Box in Ipswich opens in February
Pitchers and catchers report around mid February
The Vernal Equinox is March 20
The frost is out of the ground by early April
Grams and Haleys open for the season
Bob Lobster opens for summer hours
The plovers arrive at the Refuge around April 1
Boats and docks start appearing along the river
The lawn is raked and debris bagged
The Landfill opens for the season
The last frost is around mid May
Cool weather crops broccoli, lettuce, peas, radishes, brussel sprouts planted
The first lawn mow in mid April
Opening Day for baseball around April 1- Every team tied for first
Warm weather crops planted around mid May- tomatoes, beans, corn, spuds
The Summer Solstice is June 21 and now Winter is coming. The cycle continues.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
THINGS I THINK ABOUT AT 3AM
When you get to my age, you have to get up in the middle of the night to use the facilities. For me it's usually around 3am. Often when I get back to bed I can't get to sleep right away. I don't count sheep but I think about a variety of topics. Here is a sample:
* Why does it take a knife to open a fresh loaf of bread? Are there nuclear secrets in there?
* What the heck is "breaking news"?
* Why do the real estate agents always have their pictures in the ads?
* Why does Hawaii have interstate highways?
* If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
* When you see those road signs that say "depressed storm drains" should they seek professional help?
* Are those "reduced salt" signs on the side of the road, watching their blood pressure?
* How does a 300 page book get downloaded to your Kindle in 3 seconds?
* If the Weather Channel tells you its 0 degrees outside today, and tomorrow its going to be twice as cold, how cold will
it be?
* If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
* Why do all those cars in the tv crime shows, show up at the crime scene without a spec of dirt on them?
* Why do some bottles of water have a list of ingredients?
* Why do we have to pick up dog poop, but not horse poop?
* Why would we buy all those drugs advertised on tv, when the disclaimers and side effects are longer than the product
description?
* When a weather forecast says there is a 50% chance of rain, what does that mean? That its going to rain on one side of
the street but not the other?
* How come the Post Office has a "postage due" sticker when you mail something without enough postage, but when you
put too much postage on, there is no "refund due" sticker?
Usually after thinking about all of this, I finally nod off!
* Why does it take a knife to open a fresh loaf of bread? Are there nuclear secrets in there?
* What the heck is "breaking news"?
* Why do the real estate agents always have their pictures in the ads?
* Why does Hawaii have interstate highways?
* If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
* When you see those road signs that say "depressed storm drains" should they seek professional help?
* Are those "reduced salt" signs on the side of the road, watching their blood pressure?
* How does a 300 page book get downloaded to your Kindle in 3 seconds?
* If the Weather Channel tells you its 0 degrees outside today, and tomorrow its going to be twice as cold, how cold will
it be?
* If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
* Why do all those cars in the tv crime shows, show up at the crime scene without a spec of dirt on them?
* Why do some bottles of water have a list of ingredients?
* Why do we have to pick up dog poop, but not horse poop?
* Why would we buy all those drugs advertised on tv, when the disclaimers and side effects are longer than the product
description?
* When a weather forecast says there is a 50% chance of rain, what does that mean? That its going to rain on one side of
the street but not the other?
* How come the Post Office has a "postage due" sticker when you mail something without enough postage, but when you
put too much postage on, there is no "refund due" sticker?
Usually after thinking about all of this, I finally nod off!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
50 YEARS AGO THIS THANKSGIVING EVE
Next Wednesday November 26 will be the 50th anniversary of my coming home for the first time from college. One of the most emotional times of my teenage years was the first year I went off to college. I didn't come home for the first time until Thanksgiving and I was pretty lonesome at school and missed my parents, my sisters and my dog Horton. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I got a ride from Edna Barker and I had her drop me off on Sisson Road in front of the old high school, now the middle school instead of our house on South St, which was a quarter mile away. I guess I wanted to savor the moment!
I walked down the school drive, passed the old high school, recalling all the good times, and when I got to the edge of the field at the east end of our property, by the old pine tree, I whistled for Horton. I had a special whistle I always used to call him. I had told my parents I should be home around 6pm so please have Horton waiting on the back steps and I will call him from the far end of the field.
At first I didn't hear anything, but then I heard the jingle of his dog tags on his collar getting louder and louder. It was dark, and I was squinting towards the west and then I saw him. He saw me too, and started yelping away and must have jumped 3 feet into the air to greet me! He was barking away, running in circles around me, giving me kisses as I bent over to pat him.
I had tears in my eyes and could barely see. All that was missing was Tom Jones singing the Green, Green, Grass of Home, And we did have a big, old oak tree in the back yard too! We ran together to the back door, me carrying my little duffle bag, and went into the kitchen to greet everyone. Little Frannie Larkin was home!
I walked down the school drive, passed the old high school, recalling all the good times, and when I got to the edge of the field at the east end of our property, by the old pine tree, I whistled for Horton. I had a special whistle I always used to call him. I had told my parents I should be home around 6pm so please have Horton waiting on the back steps and I will call him from the far end of the field.
At first I didn't hear anything, but then I heard the jingle of his dog tags on his collar getting louder and louder. It was dark, and I was squinting towards the west and then I saw him. He saw me too, and started yelping away and must have jumped 3 feet into the air to greet me! He was barking away, running in circles around me, giving me kisses as I bent over to pat him.
I had tears in my eyes and could barely see. All that was missing was Tom Jones singing the Green, Green, Grass of Home, And we did have a big, old oak tree in the back yard too! We ran together to the back door, me carrying my little duffle bag, and went into the kitchen to greet everyone. Little Frannie Larkin was home!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
33 YEARS AGO TODAY(NYC MARATHON!)
33 years ago today, a third of a century (yikes!), I ran and completed the New York City Marathon. I had run off and on since the early 70's, but when my father died in November of 1980, I decided to train for a marathon and dedicate the race to Dad. I had run some road races and had a base already built up and I had several books and mags on running. I picked out a training routine to finish the marathon in about 4 hours. I just wanted to finish and not try to set any speed records! And over the course of a year, I followed the training routine and didn't deviate from it very much. I didn't want to get carried away and get injured.
One of my brother in laws and a nephew drove down from Topsfield, Ma. the Saturday before. We lived in Danbury, Ct at the time. I drove down to New York City with a racing buddy the week before the marathon to get our numbers and race kit. They had them available at the Post Office right next to Madison Square Garden. We got pizza the night before to get those carbo's into the body.
The next morning we got up early and drove down to Staten Island, with our neighbor, who was a great runner and had done the marathon several times. So he gave me a lot of tips, although he would finish well ahead of me. My brother in law and nephew drove back to downtown Manhattan and parked in a garage near the finish line in Central Park and began the long wait!
For the male runners, they had set up the world's largest outdoor urinal. It was a wooden trough that was tilted at a slight angle and had running water going down it. I think it ended up in one of the sewer drains. For the ladies, there was a large row of portable potties. As it got close to the starting time, I walked up to where the first time runners and top lady runners were. On the other side of the bridge, it was the top men. I didn't want to stay at the back of the crowd and take 10 minutes or so to cross the starting line, so I positioned myself near the front of the first time runners, but well back of the top ladies. I certainly did not want to interfere with them.
When the starting cannon went off, I crossed the starting line in a few seconds. It was finally here. I had trained for over a year and had thought of this moment for months. It was a clear day, temp in the high 40's and the Manhattan skyline was to my left. Fire boats were sending streams of water high into the air and helicopters were circling above. What a sight. And you read about the first mile being the toughest because its uphill on the bridge. I didn't even notice. I was so excited and plus I had trained on a lot of hills. So it wasn't any big deal.
I had on shorts, and a light sweatshirt, with no hood, my famous red winter hat and garden gloves. And in the left glove, I carried my father's last drivers license. I made sure not to go out too fast, despite all the excitement. I wanted to run about 4 hours or maybe a few minutes less. 2 weeks before when we were visiting family in Topsfield, Ma. I had gone for my longest run, 22 miles. I can still remember every mile of that training run, and occasionally drive parts of it, and think back. After that run, I showered, went to Mass, and then we drove back to Danbury. I felt good so I figured I could break 4 hours.
I ran on the left side of all the runners. I did not want to get tripped up by running in the middle of everyone. All the spectators in Brooklyn were high fiving and low fiving all of us and cheering us on. It was fantastic support. I felt great and hit the halfway mark a little less than 2 hours. I purposely was holding back and then wanted to up the tempo for the next several miles. And then as I was crossing the 59th St bridge, my right knee started hurting. What the heck was this? I had no injuries for the past year and did a conservative marathon build up. I had stretched and was as flexible as I could be. The pain got worse and worse. I tried some stretching and asked someone at an aid station what it might be, but they didn't know.
I ran, walked the rest of the way. I was in a lot of pain, but I had dedicated the race to Dad and was not about to drop out. I finished in 4 hours and 46 minutes, about 46 minutes longer than I had hoped. My brother in law was starting to get worried where I was. I told him I would probably finish in about 4 hours. Then he saw the red hat coming down the last quarter mile. When I got to Central Park South, I said the heck with it. I am going to run the last mile and change without stopping. And I did. The pain didn't get any worse.
My neighbor had finished in about 3 hours and change so they were all waiting for me. But I finished. I did it. And I pulled Dad's license out of my glove, looked down at his picture, smiled and gave him a kiss. This was for you Dad!
We all talked about the race on the ride home. My right knee ached and I took some aspirin when I got home. I remember calling my mother to tell her I did it! The next day it was back to work and I had promised everyone at the regional office in Westport, Ct. that if I finished, I would bring in donuts for everyone. So I stopped and bought 6 dozen donuts for everyone.
I went to a running doctor a few days later, and the cause of the pain was my ilio tibial band (the ITP). That's a muscle that runs from the hip down to the knee and crosses over the outside of the knee. That had tightened up and was rubbing against the bone. That's what was causing the discomfort. I had to rest the knee for several days and then do special stretching exercises for the ITB and I was ok. And for the next 30 years as long as I did the stretching I could run and do races without any problems. I went on to complete a triathlon, a 25 mile bike race and over 100 road races, most of them 5 miles or 10K's. I finished every race and never had to drop out. I stopped running 6 years ago. I figured there are only so many miles on the tires so why chance it.
So for the last 6 years, I walk, hike, bike, kayak and snowshoe in season. I have not done a century(100 miles) in bike riding so I think I will do that next year. That will complete my own personal trifecta, of completing a marathon, triathlon and a century. So as Paul Harvey said many years ago, "Now you know the rest of the story."
One of my brother in laws and a nephew drove down from Topsfield, Ma. the Saturday before. We lived in Danbury, Ct at the time. I drove down to New York City with a racing buddy the week before the marathon to get our numbers and race kit. They had them available at the Post Office right next to Madison Square Garden. We got pizza the night before to get those carbo's into the body.
The next morning we got up early and drove down to Staten Island, with our neighbor, who was a great runner and had done the marathon several times. So he gave me a lot of tips, although he would finish well ahead of me. My brother in law and nephew drove back to downtown Manhattan and parked in a garage near the finish line in Central Park and began the long wait!
For the male runners, they had set up the world's largest outdoor urinal. It was a wooden trough that was tilted at a slight angle and had running water going down it. I think it ended up in one of the sewer drains. For the ladies, there was a large row of portable potties. As it got close to the starting time, I walked up to where the first time runners and top lady runners were. On the other side of the bridge, it was the top men. I didn't want to stay at the back of the crowd and take 10 minutes or so to cross the starting line, so I positioned myself near the front of the first time runners, but well back of the top ladies. I certainly did not want to interfere with them.
When the starting cannon went off, I crossed the starting line in a few seconds. It was finally here. I had trained for over a year and had thought of this moment for months. It was a clear day, temp in the high 40's and the Manhattan skyline was to my left. Fire boats were sending streams of water high into the air and helicopters were circling above. What a sight. And you read about the first mile being the toughest because its uphill on the bridge. I didn't even notice. I was so excited and plus I had trained on a lot of hills. So it wasn't any big deal.
I had on shorts, and a light sweatshirt, with no hood, my famous red winter hat and garden gloves. And in the left glove, I carried my father's last drivers license. I made sure not to go out too fast, despite all the excitement. I wanted to run about 4 hours or maybe a few minutes less. 2 weeks before when we were visiting family in Topsfield, Ma. I had gone for my longest run, 22 miles. I can still remember every mile of that training run, and occasionally drive parts of it, and think back. After that run, I showered, went to Mass, and then we drove back to Danbury. I felt good so I figured I could break 4 hours.
I ran on the left side of all the runners. I did not want to get tripped up by running in the middle of everyone. All the spectators in Brooklyn were high fiving and low fiving all of us and cheering us on. It was fantastic support. I felt great and hit the halfway mark a little less than 2 hours. I purposely was holding back and then wanted to up the tempo for the next several miles. And then as I was crossing the 59th St bridge, my right knee started hurting. What the heck was this? I had no injuries for the past year and did a conservative marathon build up. I had stretched and was as flexible as I could be. The pain got worse and worse. I tried some stretching and asked someone at an aid station what it might be, but they didn't know.
I ran, walked the rest of the way. I was in a lot of pain, but I had dedicated the race to Dad and was not about to drop out. I finished in 4 hours and 46 minutes, about 46 minutes longer than I had hoped. My brother in law was starting to get worried where I was. I told him I would probably finish in about 4 hours. Then he saw the red hat coming down the last quarter mile. When I got to Central Park South, I said the heck with it. I am going to run the last mile and change without stopping. And I did. The pain didn't get any worse.
My neighbor had finished in about 3 hours and change so they were all waiting for me. But I finished. I did it. And I pulled Dad's license out of my glove, looked down at his picture, smiled and gave him a kiss. This was for you Dad!
We all talked about the race on the ride home. My right knee ached and I took some aspirin when I got home. I remember calling my mother to tell her I did it! The next day it was back to work and I had promised everyone at the regional office in Westport, Ct. that if I finished, I would bring in donuts for everyone. So I stopped and bought 6 dozen donuts for everyone.
I went to a running doctor a few days later, and the cause of the pain was my ilio tibial band (the ITP). That's a muscle that runs from the hip down to the knee and crosses over the outside of the knee. That had tightened up and was rubbing against the bone. That's what was causing the discomfort. I had to rest the knee for several days and then do special stretching exercises for the ITB and I was ok. And for the next 30 years as long as I did the stretching I could run and do races without any problems. I went on to complete a triathlon, a 25 mile bike race and over 100 road races, most of them 5 miles or 10K's. I finished every race and never had to drop out. I stopped running 6 years ago. I figured there are only so many miles on the tires so why chance it.
So for the last 6 years, I walk, hike, bike, kayak and snowshoe in season. I have not done a century(100 miles) in bike riding so I think I will do that next year. That will complete my own personal trifecta, of completing a marathon, triathlon and a century. So as Paul Harvey said many years ago, "Now you know the rest of the story."
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
WAR ON POVERTY
In 1964, my senior year in high school, President Johnson declared a War on Poverty. Here we are a half century later. So how are we doing?
* 1 in 5 children live in poverty
* 1 in 6 adults live in poverty
* 1.2 million students are homeless, including 100,000 athletes
* Here in Massachusetts 25% of families in the suburbs of Boston are on food stamps
* In Massachusetts last night, 2000 families spent the night in a shelter and 2000 more in a motel
* Here in Newburyport, Salisbury and Amesbury there are 7 soup kitchens and 5 food pantries
* In these same 3 towns there are over 200 homeless students
* Within 1 mile of my house are 3 tents with people living in them year round
I don't think the War is over. Far from it. We have a long ways to go. Eliminating poverty or significantly reducing it is a complicated process. I think one of the keys is education. We have to keep our students in school. Today 25% of high school students do not graduate or don't graduate on time. And 50% of those entering college do not graduate. What happens to all those who drop out of high school? Many will be homeless, commit crimes, turn to drugs, get pregnant and get minimum wage jobs, if that. A recent study indicated that close to 75% of all crimes are committed by high school drop outs. If we keep them in school, see them graduate, they will earn several hundred thousand dollars more over a lifetime than a drop out. So poverty goes down and so does crime. There are close to 2 million prisoners in our jails. The average cost is close to $80,000 a year per prisoner. Keep them in school and the cost to incarcerate prisoners drops significantly as well.
Short term there are many things we can do to alleviate poverty in our towns, increase awareness of those in need, and raise money and food. 6 years ago one person in Newburyport had a dream-that if every citizen just put 2 cents a day into a can, donated 2 food items a month to a food pantry and volunteered 2 hours a month, we could make a difference. A non profit was formed, made up of all volunteers, no salaries and hardly any overhead. Today over $70,000 has been raised and given out as grants and donated to the food pantries. Food drives the past 3 years have raised $19,000 worth of food that was donated to the food pantries. Over 80 businesses in the community have Pennies containers on their counters for donations, which goes to the food pantries.
If everyone just in Newburyport, Ma contributed 2 cents a day, that is over $120,000 a year. 2 food items a month is over 400,000 a year and 2 hours a month is over 400,000 a year. And this is just one town. Imagine if every one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts did this? It wouldn't eliminate poverty but would ensure most of our citizens went to bed (somewhere) with a full stomach.
So the war is not over, there are many battles to be fought and won. Let's continue to march forth.
* 1 in 5 children live in poverty
* 1 in 6 adults live in poverty
* 1.2 million students are homeless, including 100,000 athletes
* Here in Massachusetts 25% of families in the suburbs of Boston are on food stamps
* In Massachusetts last night, 2000 families spent the night in a shelter and 2000 more in a motel
* Here in Newburyport, Salisbury and Amesbury there are 7 soup kitchens and 5 food pantries
* In these same 3 towns there are over 200 homeless students
* Within 1 mile of my house are 3 tents with people living in them year round
I don't think the War is over. Far from it. We have a long ways to go. Eliminating poverty or significantly reducing it is a complicated process. I think one of the keys is education. We have to keep our students in school. Today 25% of high school students do not graduate or don't graduate on time. And 50% of those entering college do not graduate. What happens to all those who drop out of high school? Many will be homeless, commit crimes, turn to drugs, get pregnant and get minimum wage jobs, if that. A recent study indicated that close to 75% of all crimes are committed by high school drop outs. If we keep them in school, see them graduate, they will earn several hundred thousand dollars more over a lifetime than a drop out. So poverty goes down and so does crime. There are close to 2 million prisoners in our jails. The average cost is close to $80,000 a year per prisoner. Keep them in school and the cost to incarcerate prisoners drops significantly as well.
Short term there are many things we can do to alleviate poverty in our towns, increase awareness of those in need, and raise money and food. 6 years ago one person in Newburyport had a dream-that if every citizen just put 2 cents a day into a can, donated 2 food items a month to a food pantry and volunteered 2 hours a month, we could make a difference. A non profit was formed, made up of all volunteers, no salaries and hardly any overhead. Today over $70,000 has been raised and given out as grants and donated to the food pantries. Food drives the past 3 years have raised $19,000 worth of food that was donated to the food pantries. Over 80 businesses in the community have Pennies containers on their counters for donations, which goes to the food pantries.
If everyone just in Newburyport, Ma contributed 2 cents a day, that is over $120,000 a year. 2 food items a month is over 400,000 a year and 2 hours a month is over 400,000 a year. And this is just one town. Imagine if every one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts did this? It wouldn't eliminate poverty but would ensure most of our citizens went to bed (somewhere) with a full stomach.
So the war is not over, there are many battles to be fought and won. Let's continue to march forth.
Monday, October 20, 2014
DAD AT 100
My father would be 100 years old on November 2. He was born in 1914, just as WW1 was beginning. And died November 25, 1980, a young 66. Look at all the wars he lived through, all the inventions, all the technology advancements. Like all of us, he had his strengths and weaknesses. As I remember him on his 100th, I would rather focus on this strengths. He was a WW2 veteran, a very handsome man and in his younger days had a great physique. He was a great outdoorsman, and an excellent shot with the shotgun during Deer Week. And he was the unofficial arm wrestling champion of the Cape, besting a fisherman from Provincetown, who had arms like Popeye, at the 28 Club in Dennisport.
And Dad was a great story teller. At our annual family reunions on the Cape each summer, everyone would gather around Dad as he told family stories and history and did his famous St Patrick paper trick that no one has ever been able to figure out to this day! He knew all the family history and would tell us all about our grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles. I wish I had tape recorded all that history.
As Dad got older he let himself go and gained weight and came down with Type 2 diabetes and ended up taking a shot of insulin every day. His health got worse and eventually he lost toes and then part of his foot. Complications set in and he passed on, 2 days before Thanksgiving. I still remember that entire sequence. Dad died on Tuesday, late that afternoon we are making arrangements with the funeral director, Wednesday I am picking out a casket, Thursday we have a subdued turkey dinner, Friday is the wake, Saturday is the funeral, Sunday we drove back to Connecticut, and Monday I was back at work!! I remember sitting in my office, thinking "what the heck just happened. A few days ago I had a father and now I don't"
When my mother died several years ago, we were going through her papers and found a letter I had written to her a few months after Dad died. It was full of the usual news about the kids and how work was going etc, but I closed with a few thoughts about Dad and here is what I said. They applied back then and still do today:
"I was thinking of Dad this past Wednesday, Feb 25, 3 months already since he died. Its hard to believe I don't have a father anymore. I wear his watch every day plus keep his last driver's license in my wallet and I have his army picture framed and on my bureau, plus I wear a lot of his clothes, so while he may be far away, he is still near. I hope he realized how much I loved him, thought about him, admired him and respected him, and especially for all he went through the past three years. And I hope he was proud of me and all I have accomplished and I hope I did the right things for him when we came to visit. I hope he realized how much I appreciated everything he did for me and I can't thank him enough."
Happy 100th Birthday Dad. I love you and miss you.
And Dad was a great story teller. At our annual family reunions on the Cape each summer, everyone would gather around Dad as he told family stories and history and did his famous St Patrick paper trick that no one has ever been able to figure out to this day! He knew all the family history and would tell us all about our grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles. I wish I had tape recorded all that history.
As Dad got older he let himself go and gained weight and came down with Type 2 diabetes and ended up taking a shot of insulin every day. His health got worse and eventually he lost toes and then part of his foot. Complications set in and he passed on, 2 days before Thanksgiving. I still remember that entire sequence. Dad died on Tuesday, late that afternoon we are making arrangements with the funeral director, Wednesday I am picking out a casket, Thursday we have a subdued turkey dinner, Friday is the wake, Saturday is the funeral, Sunday we drove back to Connecticut, and Monday I was back at work!! I remember sitting in my office, thinking "what the heck just happened. A few days ago I had a father and now I don't"
When my mother died several years ago, we were going through her papers and found a letter I had written to her a few months after Dad died. It was full of the usual news about the kids and how work was going etc, but I closed with a few thoughts about Dad and here is what I said. They applied back then and still do today:
"I was thinking of Dad this past Wednesday, Feb 25, 3 months already since he died. Its hard to believe I don't have a father anymore. I wear his watch every day plus keep his last driver's license in my wallet and I have his army picture framed and on my bureau, plus I wear a lot of his clothes, so while he may be far away, he is still near. I hope he realized how much I loved him, thought about him, admired him and respected him, and especially for all he went through the past three years. And I hope he was proud of me and all I have accomplished and I hope I did the right things for him when we came to visit. I hope he realized how much I appreciated everything he did for me and I can't thank him enough."
Happy 100th Birthday Dad. I love you and miss you.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Off to College 50 Years Ago!
50 Years ago last week I went off to college at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. It was definitely an exciting time but at the same time I was pretty nervous and apprehensive. And those were pretty turbulent times back then. It was only 10 months after JFK had been assassinated, the Cold War with Russia was raging, the Viet Nam war was starting to ramp up, especially after the Gulf of Tonkin resolution had just been passed, Civil Rights news dominated the airwaves-bombings, killings and marches in the South and President Johnson declared a War on Poverty. So that was the atmosphere I went off to college in!
The times were different back then. Hardly anyone spent weekends in the fall of their senior year in high school visiting college campuses. You basically went to the one you applied to and got accepted. I wanted to major in sports broadcasting and Boston University had a very good program as did UMass. I did visit B.U. for one day, taking the bus up from the Cape. But I couldn't afford to go there so it was mainly an exploratory visit. I did apply and got accepted. It cost $3400 a year back then!! I could go to UMass for less than a thousand dollars a year, and that's for room, board, and tuition. The works. But I also got into UMass and that is where I went.
The first time I saw the campus was in August. There was a 3 day orientation for the freshman. I took the bus up from Hyannis and switched buses for Amherst in Park Square in Boston. Most of that bus was full of freshman going to the orientation. We were given a tour of the campus and I remember asking the upper classman guide how much studying we had to do in college. And he said "Remember the busiest day you had in high school? Every day is like that here." I remember thinking what I did I get myself into to. We met the Dean of Men and he told us to look to our left, and then look to your right, one of you won't be here in 4 years! Yikes. And he was right! And he told us if we got caught drinking beer, don't tell him we found the beer by the tree down by the pond, because he had already checked that tree.
Right after Labor Day it was time to leave home! I said goodbye to my dog Horton, and gave him a big hug. I probably wouldn't see him until Thanksgiving. There was not a lot to pack in those days. I had a suitcase, a table lamp, a radio and a small hi fi set. That was it! Dad and Mom sat in the front seat and I sat in the back seat of the 1958 Chevy with my two sisters. It was about a 3.5 hour drive up Route 3 and out the Mass Pike.
We checked into Hills North and my room was 114. The rooms were pretty spartan back then. There was a bed, a desk, a wastebasket and a bureau for each of us. My roommate had not arrived yet. There were no TV's, phones, hot plates, or refrigerators allowed in the rooms. There was one tv in the community room for everyone to watch and the football players controlled most of the shows. And back then there were only 3 channels to watch. Years later when we brought one of our daughters to college, some of the rooms had more furniture and fixtures than our first apartment when we got married. There were no computers back then either. All of our term papers were done on a Royal typewriter.
And there was a curfew for the ladies. 11:30pm weekdays and 1:00am on weekends. My dorm was at the bottom of a hill and around 12:45am every weekend all the cars with their dates would go flying past, going up the hill to the female dorms. There were no co-ed dorms then and if a guy was caught in one, he would be in big trouble. And the class schedules were a lot different. I had a math class Mon, Wed, Fri at 4:40pm and I had Spanish Tues, Thurs and Sat a 8am and History at 10:10 those same 3 days. And my sophomore year I had a Zoology lab Sat 9-12! Yikes.
We walked around the campus for a while and then it was time for my family to leave. We stood out in the parking lot-hugged, kissed and shook hands. They wished me luck. I had a feeling I would need it! My father backed the 58 Chevy out and they drove down the road in the front of the dorm, waving out the window. They went past the Newman Center and around the corner, out of sight. I was on my own. And little Frannie Larkin was about to begin the next phase of his life.
The times were different back then. Hardly anyone spent weekends in the fall of their senior year in high school visiting college campuses. You basically went to the one you applied to and got accepted. I wanted to major in sports broadcasting and Boston University had a very good program as did UMass. I did visit B.U. for one day, taking the bus up from the Cape. But I couldn't afford to go there so it was mainly an exploratory visit. I did apply and got accepted. It cost $3400 a year back then!! I could go to UMass for less than a thousand dollars a year, and that's for room, board, and tuition. The works. But I also got into UMass and that is where I went.
The first time I saw the campus was in August. There was a 3 day orientation for the freshman. I took the bus up from Hyannis and switched buses for Amherst in Park Square in Boston. Most of that bus was full of freshman going to the orientation. We were given a tour of the campus and I remember asking the upper classman guide how much studying we had to do in college. And he said "Remember the busiest day you had in high school? Every day is like that here." I remember thinking what I did I get myself into to. We met the Dean of Men and he told us to look to our left, and then look to your right, one of you won't be here in 4 years! Yikes. And he was right! And he told us if we got caught drinking beer, don't tell him we found the beer by the tree down by the pond, because he had already checked that tree.
Right after Labor Day it was time to leave home! I said goodbye to my dog Horton, and gave him a big hug. I probably wouldn't see him until Thanksgiving. There was not a lot to pack in those days. I had a suitcase, a table lamp, a radio and a small hi fi set. That was it! Dad and Mom sat in the front seat and I sat in the back seat of the 1958 Chevy with my two sisters. It was about a 3.5 hour drive up Route 3 and out the Mass Pike.
We checked into Hills North and my room was 114. The rooms were pretty spartan back then. There was a bed, a desk, a wastebasket and a bureau for each of us. My roommate had not arrived yet. There were no TV's, phones, hot plates, or refrigerators allowed in the rooms. There was one tv in the community room for everyone to watch and the football players controlled most of the shows. And back then there were only 3 channels to watch. Years later when we brought one of our daughters to college, some of the rooms had more furniture and fixtures than our first apartment when we got married. There were no computers back then either. All of our term papers were done on a Royal typewriter.
And there was a curfew for the ladies. 11:30pm weekdays and 1:00am on weekends. My dorm was at the bottom of a hill and around 12:45am every weekend all the cars with their dates would go flying past, going up the hill to the female dorms. There were no co-ed dorms then and if a guy was caught in one, he would be in big trouble. And the class schedules were a lot different. I had a math class Mon, Wed, Fri at 4:40pm and I had Spanish Tues, Thurs and Sat a 8am and History at 10:10 those same 3 days. And my sophomore year I had a Zoology lab Sat 9-12! Yikes.
We walked around the campus for a while and then it was time for my family to leave. We stood out in the parking lot-hugged, kissed and shook hands. They wished me luck. I had a feeling I would need it! My father backed the 58 Chevy out and they drove down the road in the front of the dorm, waving out the window. They went past the Newman Center and around the corner, out of sight. I was on my own. And little Frannie Larkin was about to begin the next phase of his life.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Reflections on Fathers Day
Tomorrow will be the 34th Fathers Day without my father. He died in November 1980. But not a day goes by where I don't think of him. And for the last third of a century I have carried his last drivers license with me, in my wallet, so Dad is always with me wherever I go. When I had a big presentation to the Chairman of the division I worked in at IBM or to the vice presidents, I took Dad's license out of my wallet and put it into the pocket of my white shirt, right over my heart. I figured that if Dad was that close to me, I wouldn't screw up the presentation and it would go well, and it always did.
I ran and completed the New York City marathon, in 1981. I trained for a year and ran it in his memory. It was a fairly cool day and I wore a pair of garden gloves, and Dad's license was inside the left handed one. He was with me the entire way and helped get me over the tough spots. I also have the watch my mother gave him for their 25th wedding anniversary. I wear it on special occasions in his memory.
I have a lot of family letters in my bureau that I have kept over the years and also a lot of miscellaneous Fathers Day cards, thank you notes, etc. I have the letter my grandfather wrote to my mother during her first year of college. And the ones my parents wrote me during my freshman year. Lots of advice and good wishes in them. One of the letters I wrote to my mother in February of 1981, a few months after Dad died. There is a lot of family news in the letter, what our kids were doing, what my wife Kathy was doing, etc. The last part of the letter I was writing about my father, and what he meant to me. With Fathers Day around the corner, this can apply to all of our fathers.
" I was thinking of Dad this past Wednesday February 25. 3 months already since he died. Its hard to believe its been three months already plus hard to believe I don't have a father any more. I wear his watch every day plus keep his last drivers license with mine in my wallet, and I have his army picture framed and on my bureau, plus I wear a lot of his clothes, so while he may be far away, he is still near.
I hope he realized how much I loved him and thought about him and admired him and respected him, and especially for all he went through his last three years. And I hope he was proud of me and all I have accomplished and I hope I did the right things for him when we came down to visit. I wish we could have gotten down to the Cape more to see you all and to be with him. I hope he realized how much I appreciated everything he did for me and I can't thank him enough."
To Dad and all the fathers out there and to all those who have gone before us, Happy Fathers Day!
I ran and completed the New York City marathon, in 1981. I trained for a year and ran it in his memory. It was a fairly cool day and I wore a pair of garden gloves, and Dad's license was inside the left handed one. He was with me the entire way and helped get me over the tough spots. I also have the watch my mother gave him for their 25th wedding anniversary. I wear it on special occasions in his memory.
I have a lot of family letters in my bureau that I have kept over the years and also a lot of miscellaneous Fathers Day cards, thank you notes, etc. I have the letter my grandfather wrote to my mother during her first year of college. And the ones my parents wrote me during my freshman year. Lots of advice and good wishes in them. One of the letters I wrote to my mother in February of 1981, a few months after Dad died. There is a lot of family news in the letter, what our kids were doing, what my wife Kathy was doing, etc. The last part of the letter I was writing about my father, and what he meant to me. With Fathers Day around the corner, this can apply to all of our fathers.
" I was thinking of Dad this past Wednesday February 25. 3 months already since he died. Its hard to believe its been three months already plus hard to believe I don't have a father any more. I wear his watch every day plus keep his last drivers license with mine in my wallet, and I have his army picture framed and on my bureau, plus I wear a lot of his clothes, so while he may be far away, he is still near.
I hope he realized how much I loved him and thought about him and admired him and respected him, and especially for all he went through his last three years. And I hope he was proud of me and all I have accomplished and I hope I did the right things for him when we came down to visit. I wish we could have gotten down to the Cape more to see you all and to be with him. I hope he realized how much I appreciated everything he did for me and I can't thank him enough."
To Dad and all the fathers out there and to all those who have gone before us, Happy Fathers Day!
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Thoughts on St Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day
St Patrick's Day was always a special day in our house growing up. It was my father's favorite holiday. We never had corned beef but instead had a New England Boiled Dinner-a pork shoulder or picnic ham, potatoes, carrots and cabbage, all cooked together. Delicious. And I can still see my father, sitting at the head of the kitchen table, having a few sips of liquid refreshment and singing tura lura lura, his favorite Irish lullaby.
I am only part Irish but my wife and her family are 100% Irish- My wife's name is Kathleen Maura Sullivan. That's about as Irish as you can get or as Irish as Patty's pig!! My wife had a sister named Patricia Sullivan and she was born on March 17. So every year for the past 40 plus years, this was a big party in the family. We would have the party in Massachusetts and for many years, when we lived in Connecticut, we had the party there. And often we would make the drive back to Massachusetts for the party. We would have corned beef and all the trimmings. I would make Irish Soda bread and my wife would make a birthday cake in the shape of a shamrock. We would have some Irish Cream and sing happy birthday to Patty. It was her favorite day of the year and she would open all her presents. The house would be decorated with shamrocks and lots of green.
But Patty died last year, 3 days before her birthday. And a few months later, her mother, my mother in law and good friend, died. So for the first time since I can remember we did not have a party. I don't think anyone was in the mood. We did go out to diner and toasted Patty. Maybe next year.
And we can't talk about St Patrick's Day without mentioning Evacuation Day. This is a special day in American history and doesn't get the attention it deserves. If it hadn't been for what happened on this day, we might have lost the Revolution. Henry Knox owned a book store in Boston and became friends with George Washington. The Americans had recently captured several large cannon at Fort Ticonderoga in New York. Knox was asked to bring those cannons back to Boston in the winter of 1776. . This is one of the great achievements of the war. Knox loaded the cannons on sleds, and had oxen pull them through the snow, down towards Albany and then east across the Berkshires, to Cambridge and Dorchester Heights. It took 6 weeks and they didn't lose a man.
The British General Howe and his staff looked up one morning, and saw these cannons on Dorchester Heights and in Charleston. Howe decided to retreat, and the British left Boston for Nova Scotia on March 17, 1776. This was the first victory of the war and a great morale booster for the 13 Colonies.
Each year on March 17 I have a tradition. I put on some Irish music and pour a glass of Irish Cream on the rocks and I toast all my family, friends, classmates and relatives who have gone before us. I start with my grandparents and work my way forward. I recite each one of their names individually & hoist my glass in their memory. In recent years I usually have to pour a second glass since so many have passed on. In just the last year I have lost a sister in law, mother in law, college room mate and a good friend. They are gone but not forgotten.
In closing, to all my family, friends and relatives who are on the other side, "May all your days be sunny and your skies always blue, and wherever you are now, I will always remember you."
I am only part Irish but my wife and her family are 100% Irish- My wife's name is Kathleen Maura Sullivan. That's about as Irish as you can get or as Irish as Patty's pig!! My wife had a sister named Patricia Sullivan and she was born on March 17. So every year for the past 40 plus years, this was a big party in the family. We would have the party in Massachusetts and for many years, when we lived in Connecticut, we had the party there. And often we would make the drive back to Massachusetts for the party. We would have corned beef and all the trimmings. I would make Irish Soda bread and my wife would make a birthday cake in the shape of a shamrock. We would have some Irish Cream and sing happy birthday to Patty. It was her favorite day of the year and she would open all her presents. The house would be decorated with shamrocks and lots of green.
But Patty died last year, 3 days before her birthday. And a few months later, her mother, my mother in law and good friend, died. So for the first time since I can remember we did not have a party. I don't think anyone was in the mood. We did go out to diner and toasted Patty. Maybe next year.
And we can't talk about St Patrick's Day without mentioning Evacuation Day. This is a special day in American history and doesn't get the attention it deserves. If it hadn't been for what happened on this day, we might have lost the Revolution. Henry Knox owned a book store in Boston and became friends with George Washington. The Americans had recently captured several large cannon at Fort Ticonderoga in New York. Knox was asked to bring those cannons back to Boston in the winter of 1776. . This is one of the great achievements of the war. Knox loaded the cannons on sleds, and had oxen pull them through the snow, down towards Albany and then east across the Berkshires, to Cambridge and Dorchester Heights. It took 6 weeks and they didn't lose a man.
The British General Howe and his staff looked up one morning, and saw these cannons on Dorchester Heights and in Charleston. Howe decided to retreat, and the British left Boston for Nova Scotia on March 17, 1776. This was the first victory of the war and a great morale booster for the 13 Colonies.
Each year on March 17 I have a tradition. I put on some Irish music and pour a glass of Irish Cream on the rocks and I toast all my family, friends, classmates and relatives who have gone before us. I start with my grandparents and work my way forward. I recite each one of their names individually & hoist my glass in their memory. In recent years I usually have to pour a second glass since so many have passed on. In just the last year I have lost a sister in law, mother in law, college room mate and a good friend. They are gone but not forgotten.
In closing, to all my family, friends and relatives who are on the other side, "May all your days be sunny and your skies always blue, and wherever you are now, I will always remember you."
Monday, February 17, 2014
Rose Valland- Little Known WW2 Hero
Last week I went to see The Monuments Men. Some critics thought it was so-so but I thought it was great. I knew that the Germans had plundered all kinds of paintings, sculptures and so much more and hid much of it in secret locations and mines but I did not know that there was a group of men called the Monuments Men and their job was to track down and locate and return all this treasure as the Allies advanced across France and into Germany.
And I had never heard of Rose Valland before. What a hero she was. She worked at the Jeu de Paume museum which was right next to the Louvre. This museum was the headquarters for all the art the Germans stole. The Germans let her continue to work in the Museum probably because she appeared to be quite unassuming and had a quiet demeanor. Unknown to the Germans Rose knew German and could follow everything they said. And she also kept a secret journal of what art was taken and where it was shipped to (over 20,000 thousand pieces). She also passed a lot of her information on to the Resistance. Had the Germans known what she was up to, she would have been shot.
As the Allies freed Paris, she gave the journal to one of the Monuments Men, James Rorimer, which greatly aided the Americans locating all the artwork as they advanced into Germany. After the war was over she continued her work and was recognized for her heroic efforts. She received the Legion of Honor, the Medal of Resistance and was made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. The United States awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Germany gave her the Officers Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. And finally in 1953 she was awarded the title of Curator! I think she deserved it! And there is a memorial plaque on the outside wall of the Jeu de Paume. The next time I am in Paris I am going to make sure I go there and see that plaque and walk through the Museum and walk where she walked.
She died in 1980 and is buried in her home town of Saint-Etienne-de-Saint-Geoirs. A foundation has been established there to honor her life and accomplishments and there is also a web page http://www.rosevalland.com. And Amazon has a biography of her life available for download on the Kindle. I am going to get that and read about this wonderful woman, this truly great hero, who thanks to her efforts, and all the risks she took, she basically saved the culture of hundreds of years for most of Europe. What an amazing lady. The next time I am in France I would like to go to her grave and place a bouquet of roses there in her memory.
I would recommend going to see the movie. And I just finished the book The Monuments Men, by Robert Edsel. And he has written 2 others. One is a pictorial book on all the artwork that was recovered and another book is just on the artwork that was recovered in Italy. He had too much material and it all couldn't fit in the Monuments Men so he did another book. And one quick back story on the movie. The producer was in an airport book store, waiting for his flight, and he saw the book, The Monuments Men, and thought that this would make a good movie. And he was right. And isn't that every author's dream? I think Robert Edsel is selling a lot of books now and enjoying his movie earnings!
And I had never heard of Rose Valland before. What a hero she was. She worked at the Jeu de Paume museum which was right next to the Louvre. This museum was the headquarters for all the art the Germans stole. The Germans let her continue to work in the Museum probably because she appeared to be quite unassuming and had a quiet demeanor. Unknown to the Germans Rose knew German and could follow everything they said. And she also kept a secret journal of what art was taken and where it was shipped to (over 20,000 thousand pieces). She also passed a lot of her information on to the Resistance. Had the Germans known what she was up to, she would have been shot.
As the Allies freed Paris, she gave the journal to one of the Monuments Men, James Rorimer, which greatly aided the Americans locating all the artwork as they advanced into Germany. After the war was over she continued her work and was recognized for her heroic efforts. She received the Legion of Honor, the Medal of Resistance and was made Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. The United States awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Germany gave her the Officers Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. And finally in 1953 she was awarded the title of Curator! I think she deserved it! And there is a memorial plaque on the outside wall of the Jeu de Paume. The next time I am in Paris I am going to make sure I go there and see that plaque and walk through the Museum and walk where she walked.
She died in 1980 and is buried in her home town of Saint-Etienne-de-Saint-Geoirs. A foundation has been established there to honor her life and accomplishments and there is also a web page http://www.rosevalland.com. And Amazon has a biography of her life available for download on the Kindle. I am going to get that and read about this wonderful woman, this truly great hero, who thanks to her efforts, and all the risks she took, she basically saved the culture of hundreds of years for most of Europe. What an amazing lady. The next time I am in France I would like to go to her grave and place a bouquet of roses there in her memory.
I would recommend going to see the movie. And I just finished the book The Monuments Men, by Robert Edsel. And he has written 2 others. One is a pictorial book on all the artwork that was recovered and another book is just on the artwork that was recovered in Italy. He had too much material and it all couldn't fit in the Monuments Men so he did another book. And one quick back story on the movie. The producer was in an airport book store, waiting for his flight, and he saw the book, The Monuments Men, and thought that this would make a good movie. And he was right. And isn't that every author's dream? I think Robert Edsel is selling a lot of books now and enjoying his movie earnings!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Today is Truck Day!
Some of you might be wondering "what the heck is Truck Day?" Its the day that the Red Sox equipment truck leaves Fenway Park for spring training in Fort Myers, Florida. And that day is today, February 8! But its more than that. Its another sign that spring is coming! As of February 1, there are 52 more minutes of daylight. The sun is now setting after 5pm. Pitchers and catchers report February 15. And one of the great seafood restaurants on Cape Cod, the Kream and Kone in Dennisport, opens on February 13. So despite the 9 degree temperature this morning and about a foot of snow on the ground, spring is coming!
Hundreds of fans gather outside of Fenway to watch the crew load the 18 wheeler with bats, balls, gloves, uniforms, medical supplies and all kinds of equipment. Red Sox officials are there, the team mascot, Wally the Green Monster is there and they all watch all the equipment being loaded from about 7am to noon, and then that giant 18 wheeler with "World Champions 2013" on its side, will roll down Yawkey Way and out to 95 South! So if you are driving on 95 in the next couple of days between Massachusetts and Florida, look for the truck, and honk your horn a couple of times and wave to the drivers. Spring is coming! Its Truck Day!!
Hundreds of fans gather outside of Fenway to watch the crew load the 18 wheeler with bats, balls, gloves, uniforms, medical supplies and all kinds of equipment. Red Sox officials are there, the team mascot, Wally the Green Monster is there and they all watch all the equipment being loaded from about 7am to noon, and then that giant 18 wheeler with "World Champions 2013" on its side, will roll down Yawkey Way and out to 95 South! So if you are driving on 95 in the next couple of days between Massachusetts and Florida, look for the truck, and honk your horn a couple of times and wave to the drivers. Spring is coming! Its Truck Day!!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
50th Anniversary of Beatles on Ed Sullivan
This Sunday, February 9th, at 8pm, will be the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. I remember it like it was yesterday! I was a senior in high school and was in my room upstairs doing homework, when my father called up and said "They are going to on in a minute." My 2 sisters and I rushed downstairs to watch. It was so exciting. We had heard and read all about them and were listening to their songs, and heard about their long hair. And there they were in person and the audience going nuts.
They took rock and roll by storm. There was nothing like it before. They were the opening salvo of the British Invasion. So many other groups and individuals came after them-The Rolling Stones, the Animals, Herman's Hermits, Dave Clark Five, the Yardbirds, the Kinks, MaryAnn Faithful, Donovan and so many more. And many of these groups were influenced by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and Bo Diddley. A great research project or thesis, would be why did this all happen in the early 60's, in Liverpool and the London area? Why there and why not other places in England? Or why not in Paris or Berlin? I asked Peter Noonan from Herman's Hermits this after a concert in Connecticut several years ago. He said one of the reasons was Liverpool was a sailing town and many of the sailors would buy American rock and roll records and bring them back to Liverpool and play them. And that inspired many of the local groups.
I think the Beatles were dropped from a spaceship. They wrote over 200 songs, most of them by Lennon and McCartney. How did they do that? And they supposedly wrote some of their melodies in ways that had never been done before. Their music evolved over the years and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band may be one of the classic albums of all time. I think music fans will be listening to Beatle music 100 years from now. And thanks to YouTube we can always watch them and there are several tribute bands that tour the country. Last year we saw 1964 The Tribute. They looked like the Beatles, sounded like the Beatles, and played the same instruments the same way as the Beatles. It was really amazing. It was almost like the Beatles were there in front of you.
And of course, I can't help but think about Pete Best. He was the drummer with the Beatles for two years, from 1960-1962 but when they did their first studio recording, the Beatles and some of their managers were supposedly not happy with his drumming in the studio, so they let him go and replaced him with Ringo. Yikes. Look at all he missed out on.
So this Sunday night at 8pm, crank up YouTube, watch the Beatles on Ed Sullivan once again. I will be and I will hoisting a glass of Irish Cream on the rocks, and toasting the Fab 4 and those days gone by.
They took rock and roll by storm. There was nothing like it before. They were the opening salvo of the British Invasion. So many other groups and individuals came after them-The Rolling Stones, the Animals, Herman's Hermits, Dave Clark Five, the Yardbirds, the Kinks, MaryAnn Faithful, Donovan and so many more. And many of these groups were influenced by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and Bo Diddley. A great research project or thesis, would be why did this all happen in the early 60's, in Liverpool and the London area? Why there and why not other places in England? Or why not in Paris or Berlin? I asked Peter Noonan from Herman's Hermits this after a concert in Connecticut several years ago. He said one of the reasons was Liverpool was a sailing town and many of the sailors would buy American rock and roll records and bring them back to Liverpool and play them. And that inspired many of the local groups.
I think the Beatles were dropped from a spaceship. They wrote over 200 songs, most of them by Lennon and McCartney. How did they do that? And they supposedly wrote some of their melodies in ways that had never been done before. Their music evolved over the years and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band may be one of the classic albums of all time. I think music fans will be listening to Beatle music 100 years from now. And thanks to YouTube we can always watch them and there are several tribute bands that tour the country. Last year we saw 1964 The Tribute. They looked like the Beatles, sounded like the Beatles, and played the same instruments the same way as the Beatles. It was really amazing. It was almost like the Beatles were there in front of you.
And of course, I can't help but think about Pete Best. He was the drummer with the Beatles for two years, from 1960-1962 but when they did their first studio recording, the Beatles and some of their managers were supposedly not happy with his drumming in the studio, so they let him go and replaced him with Ringo. Yikes. Look at all he missed out on.
So this Sunday night at 8pm, crank up YouTube, watch the Beatles on Ed Sullivan once again. I will be and I will hoisting a glass of Irish Cream on the rocks, and toasting the Fab 4 and those days gone by.
Friday, December 13, 2013
40th Anniversary of Bobby Darin's Death
Friday December 20 will be the 40th anniversary of the legendary Bobby Darin's death. He was only 37 years old. He was a big part of my childhood. He sang rock and roll classics like Splish Spash and Queen of the Hop and then migrated to wonderful standards like Mack the Knife and Beyond the Sea. And in the late 60's he sang The Simple Song of Freedom which is one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard. You can see and hear all these songs on You Tube. The Queen of the Hop has the classic rock and roll beat and the saxophone solo in the middle of the song is the classic rock and roll sax.
Bobby is a wonderful example of Perseverance. Doctors told his mother he wouldn't live past 15 because of the damage rheumatoid fever had done to his heart. He went on to write 163 songs, recorded over 400 songs, played seven instruments, won 2 Grammy awards, got nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor, he did all kinds of great impressions and was a wonderful dancer. Wow, he did it all. He was probably the greatest entertainer in show business history along with Sammy Davis Jr. And his live stage shows in Las Vegas and around the country in the 60's and early 70's were legendary for his performances and his interaction with the audiences. He was taken from us much too early.
Go into You Tube and watch all his songs. They are all there. Watch Splish Splash and Queen of the Hop and see what rock and roll was really like. Turn up the volume, tap your feet. And watch Beyond the Sea with Kevin Spacey starring as Bobby. He gives an incredible performance. I thought he should have received an Oscar. He looks like Bobby, sings like Bobby, acts like Bobby and dances like Bobby. And near the end of the movie, he sings the Simple Song of Freedom with the choir coming onto to the stage with him. What a dramatic moment. I get chills when I watch this.
So this Friday I will be holding up my favorite beverage, and toasting Bobby, like I did JFK on his 50th, and remember what was and think about what could have been.
Bobby is a wonderful example of Perseverance. Doctors told his mother he wouldn't live past 15 because of the damage rheumatoid fever had done to his heart. He went on to write 163 songs, recorded over 400 songs, played seven instruments, won 2 Grammy awards, got nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor, he did all kinds of great impressions and was a wonderful dancer. Wow, he did it all. He was probably the greatest entertainer in show business history along with Sammy Davis Jr. And his live stage shows in Las Vegas and around the country in the 60's and early 70's were legendary for his performances and his interaction with the audiences. He was taken from us much too early.
Go into You Tube and watch all his songs. They are all there. Watch Splish Splash and Queen of the Hop and see what rock and roll was really like. Turn up the volume, tap your feet. And watch Beyond the Sea with Kevin Spacey starring as Bobby. He gives an incredible performance. I thought he should have received an Oscar. He looks like Bobby, sings like Bobby, acts like Bobby and dances like Bobby. And near the end of the movie, he sings the Simple Song of Freedom with the choir coming onto to the stage with him. What a dramatic moment. I get chills when I watch this.
So this Friday I will be holding up my favorite beverage, and toasting Bobby, like I did JFK on his 50th, and remember what was and think about what could have been.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
50th Anniversary of JFK's Death
50 years ago this Friday November 22, 1963 at 2pm east coast time, I was in home room at Harwich High, waiting to get dismissed for the weekend. We were all talking about the weekend and the senior play rehearsal we were going to have Friday night. Then our principal came over the loudspeaker system and said the president had been shot in Dallas and maybe a senator and governor too. We all looked at each other, not believing what we just heard. We were all dismissed, some taking buses home and others like me, walking home.
I lived less than a 5 minute walk from the high school. When I walked into the house, my parents and sisters were watching the tv and Walter Cronkite announced that the president was dead and Governor Connelly was seriously wounded. We were all stunned obviously. And shortly after it was announced that the police had captured a suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald. It was the first time I had seen my mother cry. And two days later, we were eating lunch, had the tv on and the announcer said, "here comes Oswald" and then we saw that hand and gun in the lower right hand corner, as Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald.
When President Kennedy was elected it was such an exciting time. Our house in Harwich was only about 12 miles from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis. The local Cape Cod paper always had great pictures and stories of the president arriving on the helicopter, and Jackie and Caroline and John-John greeting him. And JFK talked about getting the country moving again, "vigor", landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade, everyone getting in shape and taking 50 mile hikes and playing touch football.
And all that was snuffed out by those shots in Dallas. I was so inspired that a friend and myself did a 50 mile hike from the Cape to Boston, in February, mostly at night going up Route 3. I went off to college in 1964 and initially majored in broadcasting, but inspired by JFK and then RFK, changed my major to political science. JFK talked about helping others and giving back and that has always stayed with me. I have been retired now for 9 years and what I have tried to do is take my 35 years of business experience and 66 years of life experience, and give back to the community in many ways, and I have on my web site a quote that RFK used all the time "To tame the savages of man and to make gentle the life of this world." And so inspired by JFK and RFK I have tried to do that. So in some small way, some of their beliefs and values live on in my actions.
And I can't help but think "what if." What if JFK had lived? Would we have avoided the Vietnam war and 58,000 American deaths? Would the Cold War with Russia have been thawed? Would we have made more progress, sooner, on Civil Rights? And if he lived he probably would have been re-elected in 1964 and who would have been vice-president? There was talk of JFK removing LBJ from the ticket. And then who would have been president in 1968 and would we have had Watergate. So much hinged on those fateful shots in Dealey Plaza.
Years ago I was traveling on business in the Dallas area. I took a vacation day and stayed an extra day and went to Dealey Plaza. I walked down Main St., following the exact motorcade route, and then I turned right onto Houston and there in front of me was the Texas School Book Depository. I immediately looked up to the that 6th floor window and had chills up and down my spine. And then I turned left onto Elm St and went to the approximate spot where JFK was killed. And looked all around, taking it all in. Just haunting. And I went and stood behind the fence on the Grassy Knoll and went over to the underpass. I tried to go up to the 6th floor of the Depository but in those days it was blocked. What happened here? Will we ever know?
And for me, we also lost a lot of the hope, the energy, the excitement, and the promise. I do not know if we have ever recovered from that horrible day. The decade of the 60's was full of assassinations, civil rights issues, a raging war in Southeast Asia and tensions with Russia. We still feel the impact today. And JFK inspired many Americans to get involved in government service. With his death who did we lose? Another great president, a statesman, a great governor or cabinet member?
This Friday at about 1:30pm I will stop what I am doing and raise a toast to President Kennedy, and what was, and what could have been.
I lived less than a 5 minute walk from the high school. When I walked into the house, my parents and sisters were watching the tv and Walter Cronkite announced that the president was dead and Governor Connelly was seriously wounded. We were all stunned obviously. And shortly after it was announced that the police had captured a suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald. It was the first time I had seen my mother cry. And two days later, we were eating lunch, had the tv on and the announcer said, "here comes Oswald" and then we saw that hand and gun in the lower right hand corner, as Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald.
When President Kennedy was elected it was such an exciting time. Our house in Harwich was only about 12 miles from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis. The local Cape Cod paper always had great pictures and stories of the president arriving on the helicopter, and Jackie and Caroline and John-John greeting him. And JFK talked about getting the country moving again, "vigor", landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade, everyone getting in shape and taking 50 mile hikes and playing touch football.
And all that was snuffed out by those shots in Dallas. I was so inspired that a friend and myself did a 50 mile hike from the Cape to Boston, in February, mostly at night going up Route 3. I went off to college in 1964 and initially majored in broadcasting, but inspired by JFK and then RFK, changed my major to political science. JFK talked about helping others and giving back and that has always stayed with me. I have been retired now for 9 years and what I have tried to do is take my 35 years of business experience and 66 years of life experience, and give back to the community in many ways, and I have on my web site a quote that RFK used all the time "To tame the savages of man and to make gentle the life of this world." And so inspired by JFK and RFK I have tried to do that. So in some small way, some of their beliefs and values live on in my actions.
And I can't help but think "what if." What if JFK had lived? Would we have avoided the Vietnam war and 58,000 American deaths? Would the Cold War with Russia have been thawed? Would we have made more progress, sooner, on Civil Rights? And if he lived he probably would have been re-elected in 1964 and who would have been vice-president? There was talk of JFK removing LBJ from the ticket. And then who would have been president in 1968 and would we have had Watergate. So much hinged on those fateful shots in Dealey Plaza.
Years ago I was traveling on business in the Dallas area. I took a vacation day and stayed an extra day and went to Dealey Plaza. I walked down Main St., following the exact motorcade route, and then I turned right onto Houston and there in front of me was the Texas School Book Depository. I immediately looked up to the that 6th floor window and had chills up and down my spine. And then I turned left onto Elm St and went to the approximate spot where JFK was killed. And looked all around, taking it all in. Just haunting. And I went and stood behind the fence on the Grassy Knoll and went over to the underpass. I tried to go up to the 6th floor of the Depository but in those days it was blocked. What happened here? Will we ever know?
And for me, we also lost a lot of the hope, the energy, the excitement, and the promise. I do not know if we have ever recovered from that horrible day. The decade of the 60's was full of assassinations, civil rights issues, a raging war in Southeast Asia and tensions with Russia. We still feel the impact today. And JFK inspired many Americans to get involved in government service. With his death who did we lose? Another great president, a statesman, a great governor or cabinet member?
This Friday at about 1:30pm I will stop what I am doing and raise a toast to President Kennedy, and what was, and what could have been.
Monday, November 11, 2013
The 11th Hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th Month
It was 95 years ago today that World War 1 ended. It was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Unfortunately we have had a few wars since. I think the entire world has been at war, since Cain and Able squared off a few years back! I read somewhere that close to 25% of all the countries in the world have some type of conflict going on-either internally or with someone else. Yikes. And we have had wars in this country going all the way back to the 1600's. One of the worst was King Phillip's War, between the Native Americans and the colonists, in 1675, where more "Americans" were killed per capita than any other war in our history.
But today is a day to remember all those who have served over the years. Many of them went over that hill and never came back. Many have horrible injuries, physical and mental, and are in hospital beds in places like Walter Reed Hospital. And many wives who have lost husbands are struggling to get by and raise their children. And many others are struggling with the stress of what they went through. We all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.
One of the restaurants in my hometown of Newburyport, Michaels, serves a free meal every Veterans Day to all veterans. They serve several hundred meals and have been doing this for years. A very nice gesture. But we should just not remember all the veterans today. We should think of them and their families throughout the year and we should work with our elected officials, locally and nationally, to make sure they get the support they deserve and need. Today at 11am I will toast all the veterans, current and past, with a wee bit of brandy.
And maybe we should all watch the video of John Lennon singing "Give Peace a Chance" that he wrote back in the 1969 time frame. And maybe we all should indeed, give it a chance.
But today is a day to remember all those who have served over the years. Many of them went over that hill and never came back. Many have horrible injuries, physical and mental, and are in hospital beds in places like Walter Reed Hospital. And many wives who have lost husbands are struggling to get by and raise their children. And many others are struggling with the stress of what they went through. We all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude.
One of the restaurants in my hometown of Newburyport, Michaels, serves a free meal every Veterans Day to all veterans. They serve several hundred meals and have been doing this for years. A very nice gesture. But we should just not remember all the veterans today. We should think of them and their families throughout the year and we should work with our elected officials, locally and nationally, to make sure they get the support they deserve and need. Today at 11am I will toast all the veterans, current and past, with a wee bit of brandy.
And maybe we should all watch the video of John Lennon singing "Give Peace a Chance" that he wrote back in the 1969 time frame. And maybe we all should indeed, give it a chance.
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