Along with many others in July, we hopped onto Disney+ for a month to take a look at the film version of the Broadway smash Hamilton. It was phenomenal. Memories flooded back as I thought back to my early teens, Girl Scouts, and a community service project at the Burr Mansion. We moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, during the summer of 1970. In the fall, I joined the local Cadette Girl Scout troop and started working on badges. For the “My…
“I learned something new today,” Dad told me the other day during our evening phone call. “Not that I’ll ever use it, but a group of hummingbirds is called a ‘charm.’” Dad welcomes hummingbirds to his yard each year, even though some fluffy-tailed four-legged friends like to take advantage: When we were kids, Dad called himself “The Big Professor.” He knew stuff, and when we asked him how he knew this or that, his response was always: Because I’m the…
In the middle of the night, a mosquito bite woke me up from a deep sleep. Not a new bite, just an extremely itchy one. Darn those mosquitoes! The bite was so itchy that I’d dabbed Benedryl Cream on it yesterday afternoon, and topped it off with a band-aid. Advice: Be sure to put tubes of anti-itch cream away safely after using. As mortifying as this is, I must admit to not paying attention a few weeks ago and squeezing…
Gosh, I miss Robin Williams. He’s been gone for nearly six years. But today is his birthday, so let’s celebrate his life. What an amazing actor and improviser! What a comedian … and humanitarian. My brother Dave’s daughter, Becky, met Robin by chance back in 2002. You know, she’s really not a pushy dame, but she couldn’t pass up the chance to meet him. Here’s Becky’s recollection of that day: I met him while traveling to San Francisco with my…
To mask, or not to mask … Why is that even a question? I’m old enough to remember the national flap when seat belts were made mandatory. Even as a kid, I thought it was ridiculous to see adults rail about having a “constitutional right” to carry their baby on their lap while in a car. Or – gasp – not wear a seat belt so as not to wrinkle their clothes. The politicization of masks is a national disgrace….
There’s so much to know about my paternal grandfather. Grandpa Vayo was a humble guy, though, so it’s taken a lot of research to piece together the story of his life. Lots of conversations with Dad, emails to my brothers, and searches on Newspapers.com. And here we are. Harold Edward Vayo was born on this day in 1899 in Brewer, Maine. His parents, George and Alice, had already lost a child to cholera. Little Gladys Alice was only 15 months…
Who remembers Dan Quayle? (This isn’t a political commentary – promise!) In case you don’t remember him, he was the nation’s 44th Vice President, under President George H.W. Bush. And he was born in Indiana. My first job out of college was in radio news in a little community called Tell City, Indiana. Named for William Tell, there were lots of apples and arrows about town, especially in the logos for local businesses and schools. The first few months I…
It’s “Tell the Truth Day” and, boy, does that trigger a memory! It was the fall of 1968 and I was a 5th grader at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There were two fifth grade classes, taught by Mrs. McGill and Sister Helena Maria. On the first day of class, our names were called. My two best friends – Elizabeth Cross and Anne Marie Cuzzone – were thrilled to be in Mrs. McGill’s class. I crossed my fingers…
Happy Birthday, Della Reese. Born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, she passed away in 2017. She grew up to be a household name. A singer, TV and film star, talk-show host, minister. My first year at Indiana University, Della Reese performed in the “Little 500 Variety Show” at the IU Auditorium. So did the Singing Hoosiers. Ms. Reese was kind enough to allow us to queue up at her dressing room door if we wanted to say hello and…
While researching my ancestors, I came across an obituary that included this line: He was a survivor of the 1944 Hartford Circus Fire. I’d never heard of this tragedy before. It’s a horrific yet fascinating tale. On July 6, 1944, during a matinee performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut, a carelessly tossed cigarette ignited one of the nation’s worst fires. Of the approximately 7,000 fans who crowded into the huge big top on…