Bye bye Johnnie

Howling, bye, bye, bye, bye

Bye, bye, bye, bye
Bye bye Johnny
Good bye Johnny B. Goode

RIP Chuck Berry

1926-2017

Written by Chuck Berry • Copyright © BMG Rights Management

If you can read this, thank a teacher

Hopefully everyone has at least one teacher who has made a difference.

At least one teacher who believed in you.

At least one teacher who thought you were everything you thought you could be - and then some.

For Momma, that teacher was Gerri B. Fiedler. And today was Mrs. Fiedler's memorial service.

Momma first met Mrs. Fiedler in the spring of 1979. Momma had a crush and started hanging around the journalism room at Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The crush faded in time, but her love of writing and photography grew and was nurtured under Frau Fiedler's tender relentless tutelage.

All Momma really needed to know she learned in Gerri Fiedler's classes. 

This was "old school" journalism: Typewriters, 35mm cameras, darkrooms, carbon paper, newsprint, rubber cement, pica poles, late nights, early mornings, deadlines, pizza.

Frau Fiedler was always there, whether it was 6 a.m. or midnight.

Mrs. Fiedler was always there.

It has been 34 years since Momma graduated from high school, but Momma never forgot Frau Fiedler and Frau never forgot Momma - or any of her kids.

Momma would call her every now and then to share life events. Frau Fielder would call every now and then - especially after seeing Momma's byline.

She was always so proud of her kids.

Frau Fiedler was always there for her kids.

And now she's not. 

We'll see you again at the great newsroom in the sky.

Feb. 21, 1930 - April 29, 2016

Aloha 'Oe

Momma and I are heading tomorrow with the family to inter her aunt at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The song Aloha 'Oe, composed by the late Queen Liliʻuokalani, seems appropriate:

Haʻaheo e ka ua i nā pali	Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs
Ke nihi aʻela i ka nahele	As it glided through the trees
E hahai (uhai) ana paha i ka liko	Still following ever the bud
Pua ʻāhihi lehua o uka	The ʻāhihi lehua of the vale
Hui:	Chorus:
Aloha ʻoe, aloha ʻoe	Farewell to thee, farewell to thee
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo	The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers
One fond embrace,	One fond embrace,
A hoʻi aʻe au	'Ere I depart
Until we meet again	Until we meet again
ʻO ka haliʻa aloha i hiki mai	Sweet memories come back to me
Ke hone aʻe nei i	Bringing fresh remembrances
Kuʻu manawa	Of the past
ʻO ʻoe nō kuʻu ipo aloha	Dearest one, yes, you are mine own
A loko e hana nei	From you, true love shall never depart
Tomago:	Refrain:
Maopopo kuʻu ʻike i ka nani	I have seen and watched your loveliness
Nā pua rose o Maunawili	The sweet rose of Maunawili
I laila hiaʻia nā manu	And 'tis there the birds of love dwell
Mikiʻala i ka nani o ka liko	And sip the honey from your lips
Hui	Chorus

Friends

Rest in peace, Ahmie, and rise in glory.

Aug. 2, 2000 - June 14, 2014

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can't believe the hopes he's granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
Cause our hearts in big and small ways

Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say "Never"
Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends

With the faith and love God's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you'll live in
Is the strength that now you show
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Friends

Michael W. Smith

Set phasers on 'Weep'

What can I say about the death of my beloved Leonard Nimoy: 1931-2015.

"I have been, and always shall be, your friend.... Live long and prosper." 

"Of my friend I can only say this: of all the souls that I met on my travels, his was the most … human."

RIP Spock. Please give my regards to Bones, Scotty, Christine, and Gene.

The good ship Lollipop

Well, shoot.

All these years Momma and I thought The Good Ship Lollipop was a ship, and it turns out it was an aeroplane. 

"On the Good Ship Lollipop" was the signature song of the late child actress Shirley Temple. Temple first sang it in the 1934 moving picture Bright Eyes on a taxiing American Airlines Douglas DC-2.

I've thrown away my toys
Even my drum and train.
I wanna make some noise
With real live aeroplanes.

Some day I'm going to fly,
I'll be a pilot too.
And when I do, how would you
Like to be my crew.

On the good ship lollipop.... 

Hmm....

The Steam Ship Lollipop has sailed

Actress and Ambassador Shirley Temple has died.

Shirley Temple was an American moving picture and television actress, singer, dancer, and one-time U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1976–1977.

Momma has never been a big fan (she was influenced by Grandmomma who was forced to wear ringlets as a child - she could recite 'Twas the night before Christmas in the time it took to get her curls done) but we are still sad to hear of her passing.

You can't got to a doll show and not see dozens, if not hundreds, of Shirley Temple dolls, but imagine my surprise when ma chère amie Cécile said she actually liked some Shirley Temple movies.

R.I.P.

So Long, It's Been Good to Know You

Smithsonian Folkways

I tip my tiny top hat today in memory of an American legend who died late last night, Pete Seeger.

Growing up in the late '60s and early '70s in Appalachian Ohio gave Momma an appreciation for folk music. In fact, my darling Clementine is named after his rendition of the old ballad, Clementine.
 
Seeger, who was 94 when he died, was an American folk singer. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s but was blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, he re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture and environmental causes.

If you have never truly listened to this musical genius, Momma and I highly recommend Seeger's American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 1 by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

Linkin' Kennedy

Fifty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.


Momma was not born yet since Grandmomma was about six weeks pregnant with her. She has told Momma she was napping on the sofa and heard the news and thought she was dreaming....

Over the years many people have commented upon some of the similarities between Abraham Lincoln and Kennedy's assassinations. Here are a few, but I have eliminated those that are false.
 

• Both presidents were elected to the House of Representatives in '46.
• Both presidents were elected to the presidency in '60.
• Lincoln defeated incumbent Vice President John C. Breckenridge for the presidency in 1860; Kennedy defeated incumbent Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency in 1960.
• Both their predecessors left office in their 70s and retired to Pennsylvania. James Buchanan, whom Lincoln succeeded, retired to Lancaster Township; Dwight D. Eisenhower, whom Kennedy succeeded, retired to Gettysburg.
• Both their Vice Presidents and successors were Southern Democrats named Johnson (Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Johnson) who were born in '08.
• Both presidents were concerned with the problems of African Americans and made their views strongly known in '63. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, which became law in 1863. In 1963, Kennedy presented his reports to Congress on Civil Rights, and the same year was the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
• Both presidents were shot in the head.
• Both presidents were shot on a Friday in the presence of their wives.
• Both presidents were accompanied by another couple.
• The male companion of the other couple was wounded by the assassin.
• Both presidents had a son die during their presidency.
• Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre; Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in a Lincoln automobile, made by Ford.
• Both presidents' last names have seven letters.
• Both presidents have five syllables in their full name (which counts Kennedy's middle initial).
• There are six letters in each Johnson's first name.
• Both Johnsons were succeeded as President in '69 by Republicans whose mothers were named Hannah.
• Both assassins died in the same month as their victim in a state adjacent to the state of their birth.

Rest in Peace, JFK.

A tip of the Unusually Stout Parasol

Momma and I were saddened to learn today of the death last month of one of our favorite authors, Barbara Mertz.

I knew her better as Elizabeth Peters, author of the beloved Amelia Peabody books.

As you might remember, Amelia was the inspiration for both my Unusually Stout Parasol and my utility belt.

As posted on her official website:

She died as she had told everyone she wanted to – unexpectedly, in her sleep. Shortly before her death, she had written a line to be posted on this webpage: “At 85, Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Michaels) is enjoying her cats, her garden, lots of chocolate, and not nearly enough gin.”

"In the end the clouds will blow away and falcon will fly through the portal of the dawn."

The Falcon at the Portal

RIP Barbara Mertz. You shall be missed, but your characters live on.

Nineteen

Granite Mountain Hotshots

I am in no mood to be jocular these days.

Nineteen firefighters died Sunday while doing their job.

The Yarnell Hill Fire was ignited by lightning on June 28, 2013 near Yarnell, Ariz. On June 30, 19 firefighters with the Prescott Fire Department's interagency Granite Mountain Hotshots were overrun and killed by the fire. Only one member of the team survived.

This event resulted in the highest firefighter death toll since 9/11.

The United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association, together with the Prescott Fire Fighters Charities, has established a 501(c)3 relief fund. More information can be found here.

 

See you real soon

Goodbye, Annette Funicello.

Funicello achieved fame as one of the most popular "Mouseketeers" on the original The Mickey Mouse Club. As a teenager, she transitioned to a successful career as a singer, as well as a film actress during the mid-1960s.

The Mouseketeers sadly sang the Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater at the end of each The Mickey Mouse Club episode.

Now it's time to say goodbye,
to all our company.

M-I-C  

Spoken: See you real soon.

K-E-Y 

Spoken: Why? Because we like you.

M-O-U-S-E.

The Texan who conquered Russia

Molly and I are mourning the loss of concert pianist Van Cliburn, who died Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 at the age of 78.

Cliburn was 23 when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War in 1958.

At the age of 3, he began piano studies with his mother, a talented student of Arthur Friedheim, who was a pupil of Franz Liszt. He was born in Louisiana but moved to Texas where Molly was lucky enough to hear him while flying with her Aunt Eleanor.
 
Cliburn toured everywhere and played for royalty and heads of state, as well as for every president from Eisenhower to Obama. He was also the first classical recording artist to have an album sell 1,000,000 copies.

R.I.P. Van Cliburn. The music in heaven got even better.

Our hearts are broken today

“The majority of those who died were children — beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.

“They had their entire lives ahead of them — birthdays, graduations, wedding, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children.

"Our hearts are broken today.”

President Barack Obama

Dec. 14, 2012

Take Five

Jazz legend Dave Brubeck, designated a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, died today - one day before his 92nd birthday.

Dave Brubeck (Dec. 6, 1920 – Dec. 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist. He wrote a number of jazz standards, including Take Five, In Your Own Sweet Way, and The Duke.

In 1958 the Dave Brubeck Quartet made the first of many international tours. The U.S. State Department sponsored the Quartet’s performances in Poland, India, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq. Exposure to many different cultures was reflected in the group’s repertoire that sometimes incorporated exotic elements.  

The 1959 recording Time Out experimented in time signatures beyond the usual jazz 4/4. To everyone’s surprise Time Out became the first jazz album to sell over a million copies and Blue Rondo a la Turk and Take Five (now in the Grammy Hall of Fame) began to appear on jukeboxes throughout the world.

Brubeck experimented with time signatures throughout his career, recording Pick Up Sticks in 6/4, Unsquare Dance in 7/4, World's Fair in 13/4, and Blue Rondo à la Turk in 9/8. He was also a respected composer of orchestral and sacred music, and wrote soundtracks for television such as Mr. Broadway and the animated mini-series This Is America, Charlie Brown.

R is for R.I.P.

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown

Another literary giant has gone to the Great Library in the Sky.

American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer Ray Bradbury has died at age 91.

Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th century writers, best known for his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles (1950) and The Illustrated Man (1951).

Many of Bradbury's works have been adapted into television shows or moving pictures.

I personally love this quote from Bradbury:

"I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library."

Amen.

The wild rumpus starts

Beloved illustrator and author Maurice Sendak died today.

Even if he didn't believe in an afterlife, I do and I think he's there now, creating a wild rumpus with all those he loved.

So long, Dick Clark...for now

Dick Clark, best known for hosting long-running television program American Bandstand, died today at age 82.

America's Oldest Teenager was known for his youthful appearance as well as his catchphrase, "For now, Dick Clark...so long," which was delivered with a military salute.

Before Dick Clark, Alan Freed promoted live shows in 1957 in which blacks and whites danced together in the aisles. The national sponsors insisted that the network kill the show, which it did.

A week later, American Bandstand made its debut on national TV.

The Civil Rights movement made it clear that dance shows like American Bandstand could not be segregated. The key battle on this front was fought in Baltimore, where the local equivalent was the Buddy Deane Show.

Modern audiences are familiar with Deane's story which was the basis for John Water's 1988 movie Hairspray, which was later adapted as a Broadway musical and another movie by the same name.

The kids on the Deane show were white - except for once a month when they were black. This segregation brought protests from the NAACP.

Deane offered to reserve three days a week for blacks but the station took the show off the air because of continuing protests.

For several years the cameras on American Bandstand rarely showed blacks in the audience or dancing. It is debated how much of an active role Clark had in integrating the show's dancers, but is is credited with playing the music of black musicians instead of the covers by white musicians.

It wasn't until the mid-1960s that American Bandstand really integrated.

The Bear necessities

Momma is a bit sad today since she heard of the death of one of her favorite childhood authors, Jan Berenstain.

Jan and Stan Berenstain were both born in Philadelphia and met on their first day of class at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art in 1941.

Since the 1962 debut of the first Berenstain Bears book, The Big Honey Hunt, the series has grown to more than 300 titles, which have sold approximately 260 million copies in 23 languages. The books feature a family of bears who learn a moral or safety-related lesson in the course of each story.

Jan died Feb. 24 and Stan died in 2005, but their sons Leo and Mike have followed in their parents footsteps.

Hopefully they will continue to provide young readers with the Bear necessities.

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

 I would like to say RIP to a favorite character actor.

As a friend of Momma's wrote today:

Like the members of the 4077th, I was fully prepared not to like Col. Sherman Potter.

The members of the M*A*S*H unit were worried about a regular Army guy taking command of their freewheeling post. For me, I was just such a big Henry Blake fan, I couldn't see anyone else taking over the place.

But like the surgeons, nurses and hospital staff, I came around and ending up loving the old coot.

All of which is a lead-in to sad news: Harry Morgan, who played Potter on "M*A*S*H," as well as Det. Bill Gannon on "Dragnet," among many, many other roles, died Wednesday at 96.

I couldn't say it any better myself.