"Poppy"

 “Old age is not a matter for sorrow.  It is a matter for thanks if we have left our work done behind us.” Thomas Carlyle

We’re rapidly losing our World War II veterans.  Of the 16 million who served, only about 600,000 remain and approximately 2,600 die each week.  Angie’s grandfather Tom “Poppy” Kalberer, 94, passed away a few days after breaking his hip.  A World War II army medic who until a few years ago attended annual reunions of his unit, Tom belonged to the Portage American Legion and the Hobart VFW.  He and Vera were married for 67 years and resided on a large piece of property in Hobart.  He enjoyed mowing the grass, although it took two or three shifts the last couple years.  When we had a fireplace, he’d give us free wood when he chopped down a tree, delivering it in a pickup truck and then unloading it with my help. Tom once belonged to a Hobart Lanes bowling league, where I presently compete, and a Lutheran Church dartball team. He enjoyed watching the Cubs, especially during their 2016 championship season, and attending James and Becca’s school functions.  After retiring from Arthur Winer, Inc., a manufacturer of men and women’s clothing located in Gary’s Tolleston district, he worked part time at Kellen’s flower shop in Hobart until unable to negotiate the basement steps. Lucy Blakey wrote: “I worked with Tom at Kellen's.  Though just a high school kid, I appreciated how he always spoke to me with kindness and interest. Heartfelt sympathies and prayers of Peace to his loved ones.”  Indeed, Tom was a kind soul and curious companion.

While I’m hoping any great-grandchildren that come along call me Jimbo, Poppy is an excellent nickname. In “Breaking Away” (1979), the main character calls his dad Poppa while adopting an Italian persona, and for a time Phil, like me a big fan of the movie, called me Poppa as a term of affection. Toni’s dad Tony was Pop to both me and the boys, as was Pop Pearson, the father of their Little League coach, who was the scorekeeper in the dugout.  I had a great-grandmother Grace Frace and, lacking any grandmothers, called her Grandma Frace, as did Midge and Vic.  Nephew Bob’s kids Addie and Crosby and my grandkids called Midge Nana.

At bridge Dee Van Bebber and I finished first out of nine couples.  Dee had come from an hour of physical therapy and warned that she might nod off.  Once she made an uncharacteristic blunder and immediately apologized profusely.  I told her that I’d often done far worse.  She was brilliant in a key hand against Chuck and Marcy Tomes.  With neither side vulnerable, we kept bidding Hearts and they continued matching us in Spades.  When Chuck, looking to make a sacrifice bid, went 4 Spades, I doubled.  Dee then bid 5 Hearts, which Chuck doubled, saying, “Heck, if Dee makes it, we’ll be low board anyway.”   Dee pulled out the contract for a high board of 650 points. 

Harry and Meghan at Invictus Games

Dee’s daughter Lissa, who works at VU, hosted 18 guests for Thanksgiving dinner, including three international students.   I told Dee I’d seen something on the news about manatees in Crystal River, Florida, where she resided for many years. The temperature remains around 72 degrees, and the manatees winter there when the Gulf of Mexico become too cold.  Dee brought up British Prince Harry’s engagement to divorced, bi-racial American actress Meghan Markle, a Northwestern graduate.  Since 2011 Meghan has played a paralegal in the TV series Suits. We agreed that Americans seem even more infatuated with the royal family than the British.

Bridge buddy Kris Prohl, who calls me Jimbo. works at Bradley Center, a halfway house in Michigan City.  She hasn’t seen George Van Til since his release.  Staff and former residents are evidently forbidden to have contact, at least while the latter are on parole. You’d think Bradley Center counselors could play a useful role in the adjustment process.  The rationale for the regulation probably has to do with legal liability rather than the parolees’ best interests.

In bowling the Engineers took two games from first place Frank’s Gang and got slaughtered in the third, as Mike Reed rolled a 255. He subs in our old Sheet and Tin League on Wednesday evenings at Cressmoor, as do a few other seniors, including Kerry Smith and Dennis Cavanaugh.

Indiana State Rep. Charlie Brown (right) wth Jeff Ellington

Indiana State Representative Charlie Brown is retiring after 35 years of service.  A native of Williston, South Carolina, who grew up in Philadelphia, he was a Gary teacher for eight years beginning in 1961, before becoming Mayor Richard Hatcher’s Youth Coordinator.  Charlie held out the possibility of running for Lake County Council and released this statement:

    I believe I have fought the good fight for a long time, but the time has come to stop these frequent drives up and down I-65. I have discussed with my wife, my close friends, and my colleagues the possibility of not running for re-election to the Indiana House of Representatives. I have prayerfully and thoughtfully considered all the factors involved.

    And though the voters after all these campaigns gave me my best win in the latest primary election, the time has come to leave Indianapolis. So, a few days ago, I made my last trip to an official opening day of a session of the Indiana State Legislature.

In an interview Charlie Brown passed on this story about a March 1970 James Brown promising to put on a benefit concert at West Side High School to raise money for Gary’s Youth Foundation:

On the day of the concert it was cold a cold could be. Freezing!  As usual in Gary, people just would not buy tickets in advance.  Maybe we had sold 500 tickets, and they were only 2 or 3 dollars for James brown, who was on top of the musical world.

That afternoon, Brown’s Lear jet landed at Gary Airport and his entourage came into town.  Lo and behold, that night, the lines were wrapped around the place.  The table in the booth was piled high with dollar bills.  The place was packed. It was getting late.  Before the show started, James Brown’s manager knocked on the door and said, “We need to settle up the finances before Mr. Brown goes on.”

I said, “What do you mean, settle up the finances??  This is a fund raiser.  We were under the impression that he was doing this for free.”

  “No, we have certain expenses and have to settle before he comes on.  Our expenses are $15,000.”

I said, “Hold on, now.”  While we haggled, people began stomping on the floor.  We counted the receipts, and $15,000 took about all we had.  When we finally gave him the money, the manager said, “Mr. Brown will be on in a minute.”  He went on, and the people forgot he was late. They enjoyed the show immensely.  We sat in the office and couldn’t enjoy ourselves.  I thought, “How do we explain that we had the most successful event in Gary’s history and just had $200 in the bank?”

After the show, about 2 or 3 a.m., James Brown came back in a floor-length fur coat.  Accustomed to red carpet treatment, he was angry at the airport reception.  He had wanted the Mayor to meet him, and a police escort complete with sirens.  None of that occurred because the Mayor was in Philadelphia and we hadn’t known what he had anticipated.  I guess they punished us by taking so much expense money.  They were stopping in Gary on the way to someplace else, but he said, “If it were a benefit, I would have come alone, not bring my band and dancers and everything.”

When Bill Cosby heard about what happened, he dropped a check in the mail for $15,000.  He told the Mayor not to tell anybody.  That’s how Mayor Hatcher’s Youth Foundation got started.  It became very successful.  Basically, we narrowed the focus to girls’ track.  Almost every young lady who ran for us and graduated from high school got a college scholarship.  A couple young ladies, including Rhonda Brady, went to the Olympics.

 London's Shoreditch neighborhood, where Anne Balay found a cheap B and B

In London for an academic conference, Anne Balay announced an upcoming event featuring Haverford students’ oral history interviews with Bi-College “Blue Bus” drivers who shuttle students between her campus and Bryn Mawr.  The ten-minute commute occurs every half-hour between 7:20 a.m. until shortly after midnight.  Food, a band, listening stations, and archival displays will be on hand. I wish Anne were still at IUN.

Queen Marie of Romania visits Gary Works (1926); W.P. Gleason on right

Conducting research in the Archives John Trafny came upon a photograph of Romania’s Queen Marie (1875-1938) with Plant Superintendent William P. Gleason in 1926 as she toured Gary Works.  I told John that I’ve seen photos of a bald Gleason and later ones of him with a hairpiece.  According to American Heritage magazine Marie spent 51 days in America and Canada and traveled 8,750 miles in a special train, the Royal Roumanian.  Constance Lily Morris, queen consort of Ferdinand I and author of “On Tour with Queen Marie” wrote this flattering, fanciful description:

The Queen, like many other important personages who have visited this plant at Gary, was carried away as she saw the molten metal run in streams of red-hot liquid from the furnaces. On this day I saw her bring about by the sheer force of her charm a most special coup de grace. All around her the workers, interrupted at her coming, far from her in sympathy, stood surly and muttering, men insolent from ignorance fortified. She sensed it. Instantly a softening change stole across her face and her clear, slightly raised voice called distinctly to them, “Is there a Roumanian among you?” One stirred uneasily, pulled himself up and strode forward unwillingly. She completely disarmed him by the hand she held out, palm up for shaking. “Shake hands with me,” she said, “so am I, my friend.”

Marie’s visit inspired this 1927 witticism by Dorothy Parker:

Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Roumania.