Go Johnny Go

“Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans, 

Way back up in the woods among the evergreens.

There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood,

Where lived a country boy name of Johnny B. Goode.

He never ever learned to read or write so well,

But he could play the guitar like ringing a bell.”
“Johnny B. Goode,” Chuck Berry

There’s a site of famous people who went by the name Johnny. If fictional characters counted, Johnny B. Goode should be on the list along with Johnny Appleseed. I’d also nominate comedian Carson, singer Cash, quarterback Unitas, and actor Depp. There’s a Famous Johnny’s Comedy Club in Kansas City and Famous Johnny’s Pizza Parlour in San Bruno, California. Ain’t the Internet great?

Toni and I saw “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” with Jeff Hagelberg and girlfriend Mai Mai followed by dinner at Appleby’s. We’ve known Jeff, the son of old friends Dick and Cheryl, since he was a kid. An accomplished pianist, he gave us a CD one Christmas of original compositions. Before his high school prom, Toni gave him dance lessons. She put on a Time/Life compilation of 1958 hits, including fast songs like “Johnny B. Goode” (“some day your name will be up in lights” - I still know the words by heart) and slow ballads like “Just a Dream” by Jimmy Clanton. They visited Purdue in West Lafayette in the morning and encountered traffic on the way back but joined us inside the theater just as the feature was starting. I have seen the previous installments but haven’t read J.K. Rowling’s books. I knew the main characters, including arch villain Lord Voldemort, but the plot nuances escaped me. The best I could make out, four Horcruxes (the first being as locket) need to be destroyed. The three “hallows” or sacred objects include a resurrection stone, a wand, and an invisibility cloak. The latter allows the wearer to escape Death. Cute little elf Dobby gets killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, played delightfully by Helena Bonham Carter, leaving some in the audience (but not me) teary-eyed during the maudlin burial scene. The English accents seemed more pronounced than in former episode, so much of the dialogue went over my head. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione (Emma Watson) have a simulated nude scene together but they seem to be wearing silver paint and no private parts are revealed.

Mai Mai is from Beijing and a grad student at Boston University who met Jeff on line. She seemed interested at Appleby’s in hearing about my history activities and 1994 visit to China. I told her about Alissa’s senior class trip and mentioned Diana Chen Lin’s book about Peking University, subtitled “Chinese Scholarship and Intellectuals, 1918-1937,” which might be a nice Christmas present for her and Jeff. Diana said she has given most of her copies away but will look for one.

At a condo board meeting we approved the budget for the upcoming year. As secretary, I had to pay attention to details about the cost of grass cutting, mulching, painting, plowing, insurance, and the like. One owner filed for bankruptcy, so no monthly dues ($175) is coming in from her. Another owner is three months behind and often pays partial amounts rather than the entire $175. I frequently got us back on subject or calling for a vote.

On the “Dancing with the Stars” finale (they can really drag things out, but, hey, it’s the top rated show on TV) Christina Aguilera sang, “Show me How You Burlesque” from her new movie with Cher. Would anyone recognize her without the tons of make-up she wears? Bristol was first eliminated and then Jennifer got the well-deserved victory over Kyle Massey. Turned to the Bulls-Lakers game and was impressed with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah but was in bed by the time the contest ended (a 98-91 Laker win).

Darcy invited us for Thanksgiving dinner. I promised to bring cheery cobbler, an easy to make dessert using cherry pie filling, canned crushed pineapples, white cake mix and butter.

Purdue Cal student Zachary Davis wanted information about the history of the Region for his own edification and a possible film documentary. I told him about the Archives and offered to mail him “Gary’s First Hundred Years.” Who can turn down a freebie unless they suspect strings attached? Heard from Suzanna, who has been having heart trouble. She has been working hard on Christmas presents and wrote: “This year I made gifts for my daughters and grand daughters and that took quite a lot of time. I did a cross stitch for Melissa, a quilted table runner for Rebecca, crocheted scarves for Jenna and Sarah and a bonnet and scarf for Shelby, a crocheted purse for Darien and a painting for Christina and a crib blanket for Shyanne.” She apologized for not having anything exciting to report, but I cherish just being in touch with such a sweet person.

Post-Trib columnist Jeff Manes wrote a nice tribute to Lowell historian Dick Schmal, who died recently. For years Schmal (the name is the same as Chuck Gallmeier’s wife Barb) wrote a Pioneer History column, inspired by his predecessor Timothy H. Ball, who wrote the first history of Lake County. Schmal was particularly interested in places largely forgotten with the passage of time such as the ghost town of Conrad near Lake Village or Baum’s Bridge near Kouts, once used by members of hunting lodges. Cedar Lake had a local historian, Beatrice Horner, whose work was similar to Schmal’s and whose research was invaluable when I began researching the history of that remarkable community.

Mary Delp Harwood thinks Wendy had a different crown on from the one she wore in 1960. If so, maybe it is valuable, with real diamonds worth stealing. LeeLee suggested that I incorporate the coincidence that her nephew was crowned Homecoming King the night of our reunion. So here’s the lasted installment of the Mystery of the Missing Tiara”: “Before meeting with Wendy, the Captain leafed through his old yearbook looking for possible clues. Coming to the page dealing with the Homecoming Queen’s “coronation,” he studied the crown atop Wendy’s head, as she danced with boyfriend Vince. It looked different from the tiara Wendy had at the reunion. Was it possible that Wendy had purchased a new, expensive crown and that it was worth more than its mere sentimental value? The captain also arranged to have lunch with Myrna and Mary to see if he could eliminate the African Americans as suspects. Both dismissed the theory that they harbored any resentment as absurd and told him that Wendy had been very friendly at the reunion. After examining Myrna’s nametag, she exclaimed, “Myrna!,” and asked how she was doing. She recognized Mary, the lone black student in her College Prep classes, and recalled how Jimmy used to get in trouble in Latin class turning around to joke with her. The Captain also contacted Nancy, after learning from Myrna that she was compiling a CD of reunion photos, including a cell phone video showing the tiara passed to LeeLee, Christine, and Flossie, three of the most popular girls in school, as well as a fourth person the Captain didn’t recognize. It was Louise, whom classmates used to tease unmercifully after she mentioned winning a baby beauty contest. Nancy recalled seeing Louise at breakfast sitting alone near Wendy’s luggage. Could this be a clue to solving the mystery, the Captain wondered, or another dead end? Getting out his old yearbook looking for further clues, the Captain noticed that LeeLee’s maiden name was the same as the last name of a present student at Upper Dublin who had been crowned Homecoming King on the same night as the reunion dinner dance. The following night there had been a dance at the high school honoring the new queen and king. Is it possible, the Captain wondered, if the missing tiara had been given to one of the honorees as a joke?

“Wendy agreed to meet the Captain at a tavern in North Hills, the community where most of their black classmates came from and some still lived. The jukebox contained mostly recent rap hits and soul tunes but included a few old standards such as Big Mama Thornton’s original rendition of “Hound Dog.” On hand were sisters Mildred and Theresa as well as Myrna and Gloria. Behind the bar was a faded clipping from the Captain’s gridiron days at Upper Dublin, showing him in the backfield with one of the legendary Cottom brothers who later married Mildred. Wendy arrived wearing a colorful outfit that resembled an African dashiki and gave everyone at the Captain’s table big hugs. They all expressed sorrow at her loss and said they’d do anything they could to help solve the case. Pat Z made a surprise appearance and assured everyone that his practical jokester days were over. He had recently talked with Judy G, who had been on Wendy’s Homecoming Court and wanted her to know how much she admired her grit. Wendy was so overwhelmed by the warm vibes that when Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” started playing, she got up and started dancing a jig, which soon morphed into a twist when others joined in. Pat even did an imitation of Chuck Berry’s duck walk that had everyone in stitches. The evening was complete when Wendy found “Tears of a Clown,” her favorite Motown song, on the jukebox. She was wailing away by the time Smokey Robinson got to the lines, “Just like Pagliacci did, I try to keep my surface hid.” Afterwards she stifled an impulse to brag how she saw the Leoncavallo opera about clowns, “I Pagliacci” in 1992 in Milan, Italy, on the hundredth anniversary of its original opening.”

Finished a draft of my review of Kate Buford’s biography of Jim Thorpe for Salem Press. I start out with this quote from King Gustav V at the Stockholm Olympics, 1912: “You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world. I would consider it an honor to shake your hand.” Then I write: “Winning the pentathlon and decathlon in Sweden was the highlight of Jim Thorpe’s athletic career, and he never fully recovered from having the medals capriciously stripped from him in 1913 despite an Olympic rule stating that disqualification must occur within 30 days. His alleged transgression: having received a few dollars playing for a semi-pro baseball team, commonplace among collegiate contemporaries. Native American Son examines in depth the triumphs and tragedy befalling an enigmatic, mixed-blood Indian icon whose hero was Sac and Fox chief Black Hawk. Uncomfortable with the celebrity status thrust upon him, Thorpe was “a gentle person,” according to Buford, “intelligent and funny, with many flaws.” In this balanced, meticulous treatment by the author of Burt Lancaster: An American Life, fascinating details unfold concerning Thorpe’s three marriages and his relationship with Carlisle Indian Industrial School coach Glenn Scobey “Pop” Warner and New York Giant manager John “Little Napoleon” McGraw. Both nurtured his talents but exploited him for selfish purposes. Thorpe shined during a five-year career with the Canton Bulldogs, an original National Football League team, and was a charter inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. An alcoholic in later life, Thorpe died a pauper shortly after being named the world’s greatest all-around athlete of the first half of the twentieth-century. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Avery Brundage stubbornly rebuffed efforts to reverse the 1913 decision, saying, “Ignorance is no excuse.” Thorpe deserved better from a nation that did not recognize Native Americans as citizens until 1924 and from the Olympic movement he had helped nurture. In 1982, 29 years after his death and ten years after Brundage’s retirement, the IOC reinstated Thorpe’s awards.”

Bowled a 497, and the Engineers won five points out of seven. Our captain, Bill Batalis, filled in admirably for Robbie, and Melvin broke out of a slump and finished with a 200 game, well over his average. John Gilbert, an old softball teammate came over to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving and said he just missed an 800 series with two games in the 270s. I call him Johnny, and he calls me Paw since I’m the only person other than his father who ever called him Johnny.