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.
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Roumania.
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