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Card to Mom from Madeleine L'Engle
Love & blessings, Madeleine L’Engle

Love & blessings, Madeleine L’Engle

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They were friends, Mom and Madeleine L’Engle. Dear friends. Sifting through the bulging folder of their correspondence, I can trace the history of their friendship. They met during the 1976 Midwest Writers Workshop, when Madeleine, author of A Wrinkle in Time, served on the conference faculty (Mom would go on to do the same a decade later). They became fast friends: She wrote, in part: I am very grateful that you were at the Writers’ Conference and that we spoke…

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2015 Bert Kreischer in cornfield
Corn sweat

Corn sweat

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“Wait! Stop! What’s that?” Comedian Bert Kreischer was riding shotgun in my vehicle. He was shouting with excitement. We’d finished up another day of shooting with the reality-show host and it was time to cool off and go home. But Bert was still revved up. Most of the television personalities I’d dealt with over the years as a publicity liaison turned to stone as soon as the cameras were off. Not Bert Kreischer. He kept chatting, chuckling, and hooting with…

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1984 Jerry Sanders
Goodnight, Colonel

Goodnight, Colonel

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“Did I ever tell you I’m a Colonel?” Jerry’s baritone voice boomed out the question to his unknowing victims. After maybe the third time he asked me that question, I knew to reply: Of course! You’re Colonel Sanders! Jerry’s face would break out in a huge smile and he’d move on to another topic. Probably some obscure – but fascinating – fact about Abraham Lincoln. It was the truth, the colonel thing. Jerry was named a Kentucky Colonel decades ago…

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1959 Harry, Mom, Paula, Dave
The Kangaroo generation

The Kangaroo generation

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My brothers and I grew up watching Captain Kangaroo. Good morning, Captain! The Captain was a smiling fellow, with big pouchy pockets in his coat (hence the moniker). Every once in a while, he still shows up in social media: When I saw the “Who Wore It Better?” meme a year or so ago, I emailed my brothers to see what they recalled about The Captain. Something we all remembered was that Mom once met him. But not one of…

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McHale's Navy, with New Haven's own Ernest Borgnine and Peggy Mondo.
The actress

The actress

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The brain – or more specifically, the memory – is a magnificent thing. A few weeks ago, I saw mention of singer Peggy “Is That All There Is?” Lee and it flashed me back to childhood and the 1960s. “There she is – there’s Peggy!” They pointed at the television excitedly. Mom and Dad were proud of their classmate, who had graduated from St. Mary’s High School in New Haven and went on to perform on stage and screen (large…

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Michael Rasor
Farewell, Michael Eraser

Farewell, Michael Eraser

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“These perm rods I’m using on your hair? These are my Anne Bancroft rods.” That statement caught my attention even more than the smelly perm treatment Michael squirted on my hair. “Anne Bancroft? The Miracle Worker actress? The Graduate? Mel Brooks’s wife?” Yup. One and the same. And that’s how I first learned about Michael Rasor’s “other life.” His hair salon’s name – The Rasor’s Edge – was enough to hook me. He operated a little shop at the other…

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Becky and Robin Williams
Chasing Robin Williams

Chasing Robin Williams

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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…

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Quayle quote
Quayle sightings

Quayle sightings

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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…

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Bob Hope
The autograph

The autograph

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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…

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Larry Kramer
The loudmouth

The loudmouth

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Today, the world lost one of its most influential loudmouths. At age 84, Larry Kramer wasn’t expected to live forever. But his larger-than-life persona certainly made it seem that way. And what is my connection with the renowned playwright and AIDS activist? My younger brother was his personal trainer for several years. My brother Bill got to know Larry through their mutual friend Rodger McFarlane. If you’ve seen the HBO version of Larry’s A Normal Heart, you probably loved the…

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