Long Weekend

“Each day as I grow older

The nights are getting colder

Some day the sun will shine on me.”

    “Big Man in Town,” Four Seasons

Saturday: Vanity Fair’s June cover features a sexy photo of Marilyn Monoe and inside are previously lost nude photos.  More substantive was an article by David Maraniss about young Barack Obama living in New York City in his early twenties.  An old Caucasian girlfriend recalled how serious he was sorting out his identity while associating with mostly Pakistani friends. The Prez returned to the Empire City to deliver the commencement address at Barnard College, the female counterpart to his alma mater Columbia.  On a somber note Everett Murdock has written a book entitled “Obama Will Win, but Romney Will be president” How the Republicans Will Target Electoral College Votes to Steal the 2012 Presidential Election.”  Let’s hope not, especially if women vote for him in landslide proportions.

While at the library I checked out “The Murder of the Century” by Paul Collins about a bizarre 1897 crime that William Randolph Hearst sensationalized until readers all over the world followed the story.  At Chesterton’s European Market I spotted a dead ringer for former campus Police Chief Andy Lazar, a gentle but formidable giant.  Lazar mentored Roy Dominguez, the first Mexican-American state trooper in Indiana (IUN just appointed its first woman chief, Patricia Nowak).  Selling me two organic grapefruits from Florida was a woman who recognized me and claimed I was her brother’s favorite teacher some 20 years ago.  Marianne Brush had a fun Pre-Memorial Day party because John and Lorraine Shearer were visiting from Traverse City.   Toni’s shrimp were a hit, with Becca devouring many of them.

Sunday: After going one for four in gaming in an Amun Re contest decided by a single slice, Toni and I saw “Jersey Boys” at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre.  In addition to the great music, the play shed light on Four Seasons founder Tommy DeVito, lead singer Frankie Valli, songwriter Bob Gaudio, and arranger Nick Massi, who sang and played bass – all different, each flawed, but did they ever mesh. The group struck pay dirt with “Sherry” in 1962, and the hits continued until Beatlemania and the British Invasion.  I saw Frank Valli and a backup version of the Four Seasons in Indy during the mid-80s, and the songs sounded pitch perfect although I believe someone else was hitting the high falsetto notes.  Valli is still touring, as the play has brought him new fans.

The four of us ate at an excellent Tapas restaurant.  We stuffed ourselves, consumed a large pitcher of black raspberry sangria, and the bill came to $97.50, including tax.  Near the Art Institute we saw Muslims protesting the Syrian regime of Bashas al-Assad, whose troops have massacred thousands of civilians.  On Memorial Day we had a cookout and played bridge at Hagelbergs.

I got out a CD of 1962 hits that included “Sherry” by the Four Seasons and ended with “Green Onions” by Booker T and the MGs, “Little Town Flirt” by Del Shannon, “Palisades Park” by Freddy Cannon, and “What’s Your Name?” by Don and Juan, whose unforgettable last line goes, “Shooby-doo-bop-bah-dah!”

Columnist Jerry Davich wondered what deceased veterans would think about the NATO and Occupy Wall Street protests in Chicago.  While claiming that they died to protect our freedoms, he implied that most protesters were feckless publicity seekers, hippies and ideologues. His tone was condescending and his research nonexistent.  In the documentary “Dear America: Letters from Vietnam” a soldier who thinks he’s dying, wonders what he’s given his life for.  He was told he was fighting communism but realized he didn’t even know what communism was, much less why we should be killing Vietnamese willing to die for their beliefs.

Tuesday was granddaughter Miranda’s graduation.  Beforehand she starred in a soccer game that her school, Wyoming Park, won, 1-0.  The weather was perfect for the big day, sunny and in the 80s; in fact, had I not used sun block for the game, I’d have been burned.  Next year the two Wyoming schools will merge, so this was Park’s final graduating class.  Near the end of the ceremony students chanted “last class ever” and the orchestra played the school song one final time.  Other than oblique comments about choices and mistakes, some unimportant, others life-changing, by valedictorian Autumn Vanden Berg, nobody mentioned the auto accident that killed one senior, Timothy See, and injured two others, including the driver (a no show) and someone who escaped with minor wounds and received hearty applause from classmates (Miranda is in the first row, third from right).

Reporter Don Terry’s editors at “American Prospect” want as assessment of Gary’s current mayor.  I replied, “So far, Karen Freeman-Wilson seems to be good at consensus building and projecting a caring image.  The city is desperately in need of money, and she appears to be honest and capable of reaching out to state and federal officials for grants that will be essential for progress.  A nearly completed multi-million dollar Marquette Park project will help the Miller Beach neighborhood, and airport improvements also show promise.  The jury is still out on whether she can turn Gary around. Much will depend on whether Obama gets a second term and if the Democrats can keep the abhorrent Mike Pence from becoming governor.”

IU Northwest: "Celebrating 50 Years"

Friday’s “Celebrating 50 Years” event at IU Northwest came off OK after a rough start. Activities were spread out all over campus and entertainment included the IUN cheerleaders, songs by campus daycare kids, and the Emerson School Jazz band. There was no parade as originally scheduled or formal program like I wanted to reflect on the past. I had been told Chancellor Bergland would give his welcoming remarks on the stage at the library courtyard at 12:45, but he went on at 12:15 with hardly anyone present. Had not library director Tim Sutherland and Physical Plant director Jefimenko not given most of their staff the afternoon off, the place would have been dead.

After Sheriff Roy Dominguez arrived, I asked Bruce if he’d like to introduce him, but he said it would be an insult since the crowd was so small. The Sheriff shook hands and passed out little badges similar to the wings airlines used to give kids. He seemed to know half the folks, including the m.c. for the afternoon Carolyn Jordon, and was thoroughly enjoying himself. Event coordinator Toni Lieteau asked if he wished to say a few words, and he was great, mentioning that he was an IU Northwest grad and if it weren’t for Special Services counselor Elsa Rivera and professors such as Bob Lovely, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity for future success. He mentioned that he met his wife Betty on campus and got his start in law enforcement in the campus cadet program under Andy Lazar. He reserved special praise for Professor Gary Martin, who subsequently became his Chief of Police and close friend. Dominguez is considering running for governor in 2012 and showed me a Website called him “Indiana Roy” and illustrated in a way that is a take-off on Indiana Jones.

Around two o’clock 89 year-old Bill Neil arrived. Fifty years ago he was acting director and in charge of the campus immediately after it moved from downtown Gary to Glen Park. Since the Chancellor was not around, I introduced him between acts, mentioning that his association with the campus went back over 70 years to when he first enrolled at the old Gary College that held classes at Horace Mann High School. Bill, who hired me 39 years ago, then got up and said that someone once defined history as “One damn thing after another” but with IUN it has been “one great thing after another.” He was terrific.

There weren’t many faculty around, but I did introduce Bill to English professor Anne Balay and Gianluca DiMuzio, who is acting as Chair of the History and Philosopher Department since Diana Chen-lin is on sabbatical. Kathy Malone greeted Bill warmly and showed him a tree dedicated to his former secretary Lavern Gutsch. He seemed touched. Somebody was filming the entire program – perhaps the Gary cable station – so I’ll have to see if Bill’s remarks have been saved for posterity. Several nice items were raffled off including a shirt autographed by former White Sox star Ron Kittle (married to Laura on our committee) and a framed South Shore poster. The last three digits of my ticket were 440, and three times the number drawn was in the 440s. Otto Jefimenko won the poster and then gave it away to computer guru Mark Uncapher, who had told him beforehand that he'd really like to win it. By four o’clock a considerable audience had gathered, including many families, as Asian and Mexican folk dancers and an African-American percussion group performed. So the final hours were worth all the hard work Toni Lieteau’s committee went to in “Celebrating 50 Years.”

Yesterday's Post-Trib carried an article about Harold Okone by Jerry Davich entitled, "Area veterinarian: 'Jer, I've had a remarkable life.'" Davich writes that when they'd have lunch, Hal "would tell me another chapter of his incredibly interesting life." One story involved a dalliance with Diane Mitford, the wife of controversial British politician Sir Oswald Mosley. Davich writes, "Diane bought Hal a new suit for their date and even took photos of him at a racetrack." Davich mentioned having a copy of the first episode of Hal's proposed TV sitcom "For Love of Harry" in his filing cabinet.

Got an email from former student Tim Jackomis, who is now Director of Surveillance at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. He wanted a copy of “Steelworkers Tales” because I published an article he wrote about his father in it. Unfortunately that Steel Shavings issue is out of print but I did Xerox some pages for him in a section called “Horseplay.” One story his dad told him was that in winter men working outside would light fires in oil drums. One guy on a scaffold above the fire liked to drop balloons onto the drums. When they exploded, they sounded like gunfire and would send sparks all over. Mill workers, he said, sometimes took oxygen tanks holding over a ton of pressurized oxygen to the shore of Lake Michigan and strike the valve off with a sledgehammer, launching the tank toward the water like a torpedo. Jackomis added: "My father remembers a mill worker who on paydays would raffle off a shotgun. He would take 52 playing cards and cut them in half. After selling the half-cards for five dollars a chance, he would put his half in a hat and hold a drawing, from which about 80 dollars was profit. Sometimes he would raffle off fishing tackle, deer rifles and jewelry."

It would be great to get "Steelworkers Tales" back in print, perhaps with nre information added relating to the research Anne Balay and I plan to do. After volume 19 came out, some officials at Bethleham Steel wanted IU Northwest to force me to stop its circulation because of material about sex and sexism there. Chancellor Peggy Elliott stuck by me, and the crisis passed. One of the interviews I did for the issue was with Valerie Denney, and I subsequently used quotes by her in several published papers, including "Indiana Women of Steel" in the Spring 2009 issue of TRACES. I recall she had a bad cold the day of the interview and almost begged off. One funny story she told was about a guy who cooked lunch out of his locker, which contained, she recalled, "a full-size refrigerator plus a microwave and two picnic tables with paper table cloths. He'd serve two or three types of sandwiches and all kinds of pop and candy. He did doughnuts and coffee in the morning. He would make these marvelous pork sandwiches. He would do take-out orders for other departments. Then it would get too big, and management would crack down on him. Then gradually it would start back up again. He was black, and workers called it the Black Hen Pantry. He worked at night, too. He had a snow plowing service in the winter. He would be out in the parking lot starting batteries. He was constantly trying to make money."