Recent Events.

VJ Day was 65 years ago on August 15th. The anniversary of that event quietly passed the other day... completely ignored by our current president. Aside from events involving family, I believe VJ Day in 1945 was the most joyous occasion of my life. VE Day (Victory in Europe) had passed a few months earlier. I was working in a defense plant in Southern California on that day. All work was stopped and all workers were called to a meeting place. We were told that the war in Europe was over, but were reminded that the Pacific war continued to rage. There was more to be done and we all went back to work.

But VJ Day meant it was all over. I was in downtown Kansas City where huge crowds spilled into that city's famous 12th Street. We all sang patriotic songs and every guy kissed every girl. There was truly unbounded joy that lasted well into the night.

Art Linkletter died last May at age 97. This TV personality was a good guy who entertained us for years simply by demonstrating that "Kids Say The Darnedest Things" - which became the name of his show. I thought of him last week. After a six-hour drive to visit our granddaughters, I was sorely in need of a visit to a bathroom. Leaving the bathroom and returning to the family gathered in the living room, I was soon followed by my two-year-old granddaughter who loudly announced to the family that "Grandpa made my bathroom smell like poop!"

Elvis Presley was remembered August 16th, the anniversary of his death, by a large gathering at his former Memphis home - more quietly, elsewhere. I'll always remember the day I received a call (at the radio station where I worked) suggesting that I should check out some recordings on the Sun label by a kid from Memphis named Elvis Presley. "Who?", I asked. The caller, "Bubbles" Gilmer, manager of the Record Department for the Katz Drug Store chain, had to spell the name for me. No one has to spell his name today. 33 years after his death, it is still one of the most familiar names in the entire world.