Stickin' to the Union

“Oh, you can’t scare me,

I’m sticking to the union.”

  “Union Maid,” Woody Guthrie

I’ve gotten into the Laura Dern series “Enlightened,” watching season one OnDemand a year late.  At the end of episode eight she joins a group of union protestors as the Rabble Rousers song “Union Maid” plays in the background.  At the 2012 Rose Bowl parade the Pulaski High School Marching Band performed “On Wisconsin” and then, facing the grandstand, broke into “Union Maid.”  The announcers had no clue what had just happened, but the crowd broke into wild applause.  It was politically significant because at the time at a time unions were under attack from Wisconsin’s rightwing governor Scott Walker. 

Many families in Northwest Indiana have “Proud Union Home” signs in their front yard because of the state government’s assault on labor organizations.  They have sparked both pro and anti-union comments in the Post-Trib’s Quickly column, including one critic wanted the signs taken down after the November election.

Jonathyne Briggs thought I might like the group Foxygen.  I found a YouTube video of “Make It Known” from their CD “Take the Kids Off Broadway.”  They sounded good, kind of mellow but with a mischievous edge, like a cross between Violent Femmes and Arcade Fire.

Friday after food shopping with Toni for Superbowl fare, I met Sam Barnett in the Archives.  He was examining a photo collection of various sites in Miller dating back to the 1930s.  Sam has a collection of about 5,000 photos and plans to visit some of the places and see what they look like 80 years later.  I reminded him to send in an application to IUN’s History department in case there is a need for American History survey teachers in the Fall.

Sports Illustrated had a "Point After" column by Jeff Deskovic about folks in prison looking forward to watching the Superbowl.  When he was incarcerated, he and others would bet stamps, cigarettes and commissary items such as cans of tuna fish on the outcome.   He wrote: “For those few hours, nothing else will matter.  For those few hours, they will feel free.”  Deskovic was wrongly convicted of rape and murder and served 16 years before DNA cleared him.  His Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation has as one of its missions helping to reintegrate parolees to the outside world.  Bill Pelke knows about his organization and told me about a prisoner on death row in Virginia whose main joy comes from following the Washington Redskins.  Pelke found himself rooting for the Skins, too, because he knew how much it meant to his “friend.”

A recent SI cover story eulogized to Cardinal great Stan “The Man” Musial, who who many games against my Phillies during the 1950s.  He had the sweetest swing and was tough in the clutch.  I recall being slightly shocked when I heard him talking and he sounded like a regular guy.  Similarly, Philadelphia A’s sidearm lefty pitcher Bobby Shantz made an appearance at a store near my hometown and was bald and at 5’ 6’ was no taller than I.  In the 1953 All-Star game Shantz struck out Whitey Lockman, Jackie Robinson, and Stan Musial in the final inning.

Because I’m a big fan of Paul Giamatti, I put on the2011 film “Win, Win” about a struggling attorney who is a volunteer wrestling coach.  About 20 minutes into the film he is jogging with a guy who looked familiar.  “Gyp Rosetti,” I said aloud; indeed the actor was Bobby Cannavale, whose character was quite intense but not evil like the villain he played in “Boardwalk Empire.”

The title of the latest Ayers Realtors “Newsletter” column “Home on the Range” by Judy Ayers reads “Hot Wax, Lacerations, Canoodling All Part of Judy’s Shocking Childhood.”  The word canoodling, meaning “making out,” was a new one on me and refers to Judy’s father, a police officer, employing flood lights on his front porch so her dates wouldn’t get any funny ideas.  “Lacerations” refers to when Judy got a bare foot caught in the spokes of her new bike.  “Hot wax” is a reference to Brownie Troop members meeting at the house of a Mrs. Cornea and making bowls for their mothers “by baking 78 LP’s in the oven.”  I am working on Judy to donate a full run of “Newsletters” to the Archives.  Another feature, “Beach Bits,” documents social events taking place in Miller.

  Judy Ayers (l) with Ron Cohen, Judy and Jack Tonk, Jim and Ann Gallagher.  Times photo by John J. Watkins

With snow coming down I chilled out and proof-read most of Saturday plus napped so I wouldn’t fall asleep when IU took on number one ranked Michigan.  The Hoosiers were scintillating in the first three minutes and got out to an 11-point lead.  Michigan eventually tied the game, but IU prevailed 81-73 led by Cody Zeller, Christian Watford, and Victor Oladipo.  Since number two Kansas lost, IU is number one, baby.  Tom Wade, an IU grad and super-fan, watched the game with son Brady, below, who will be attending Bloomington next fall.

The Superbowl was plenty exciting after it appeared it might be a rout until power went off, delaying the game 34 minutes.  Then San Francisco stormed back and almost won.  I paid little attention to the commercials, but the morning after news programs played those considered the best and worst.  Talk about wretched excess.

For the past week a five year-old boy named Ethan was held captive in a bunker in Alabama.  Vietnam veteran Jimmy Lee Dykes snatched him from a school bus after killing the driver, Charles Poland.  During the long ordeal authorities praised Dykes for treating the boy well, but one knew it had to end badly.  Monday FBI agents stormed the compound.  The boy was safe but Dykes dead.

Reverend Emmanuel J. Vaughn and wife Mary visited the Archives at Maurice Yancy’s invitation.  They are planning a March event at Gary’s First AME Church that will honor both young people and authors.  I gave them a copy of “Gary’s First Hundred Years” and agreed to participate in the affair.  First AME Church was founded in 1909, and groundbreaking for their present building at Twentieth and Massachusetts took place in 2005.

On Facebook I learned that Missy Brush is now engaged to her longtime friend Tyler Arcuri (in foreground, above).   Congrats!  Granddaughter Tori posted a photo of her cat and the comment, “My only friend.”  Thirteen year-olds can be so dramatic.

N.J. governor Chris Christie appeared on letterman and started eating a donut when Dave asked if fat jokes bothered him.  He also repeated a few of letterman’s past jokes including this one: “A billion dollars will be spent on potato chips for Super Bowl Sunday, and that’s just at Gov. Christie’s house.”