Musical Memories for a Reunion

We of the jukebox era may enjoy this Music Time Machine available at upchucky.org, dedicated to music lovers - decades of songs to listen to.  The Everly Brothers.  The Marvelettes.  Dion.  Ray Charles.  Roy Orbison.  All of 'em.  You could stay up late (9:30, maybe 10 PM) listening to them.

You may find yourself smiling when you notice their homepage has ads for Medicare Plans, Humana, United Health Care, and Anthem.  Guess they know their audience, whaddyathink?

On the Death of Joe Frazier

Smokin' Joe Frazier

Joe Frazier, the Heavyweight Boxing Champ, is one of many black men who were champion boxers, so his recent death prompts a review of all those greats - and some thoughts about the world we were raised in.  As lily white Norwegian Lutherans.  And we'll get to that in the next posting.

But first, some thoughts about some of the greats we have known in our lifetime.  Boxing was, to me, a spectator sport.  I couldn't see any reason to take the beating that some of them faced, like Benny "Kid" Paret, who was killed in the ring by Emile Griffith in March of 1962.  The cover of Sports Illustrated the following week showed Paret being beaten to his death; in First Hour Study Hall, Maynard Midtgaard pointed at the photo and said, "These guys are the best-conditioned athletes in the world."  True - but it didn't keep Paret alive.

On the other hand, boxing was a way out, of sorts, for a number of blacks dating perhaps first to Jack Johnson, who became the first African-American Heavyweight Champ in the early 1900's.  Over time, more and more blacks got into the ring, although my earliest recollection was of a fellow named Bobo Olson, a white guy who was at least moderately successful.  By the mid 50's Floyd Patterson took the title, leading to bouts with the Swede Ingemar Johansson, and I was hooked as a boxing fan.  Old 'tunder and lightning was a one-punch marvel but if it landed, he would win.  I listened to 2 or 3 of their fights over the static-filled AM radio stations, losing the call from time to time as the signal faded away.

Sonny Liston - "The Bear"

And then the sport turned brutal as Sonny Liston, "The Bear" became the Champ by defeating Floyd Patterson, holding the title until he met Cassius Clay, later to become Muhammad Ali, The Greatest.  Leading up to the defense of his title against Clay, one magazine photo had Liston resting on his forearms, his chin propped up by his fists, sporting the glare that was his trademark.  He looked unbeatable, but wasn't.  Clay was magnificent.

Over time, Clay was castigated for his conversion to the Nation of Islam and refusal to serve when called.  His decision to accept a prison sentence might have been the greatest statement of principle by anyone in our younger days, and gained fans for a lifetime.  His boxing skills were unbelievable, his mouth even more unbelievable, and he led the way for foes like Frazier, Ken  Norton, George Foreman, Mike Tyson, and even Leon Spinks, a real surprise winner in 1978, and the beginning of the end of the superiority of Ali in the ring.

Frazier vs Ali, date unknown

Ali and Frazier fought "The Thrilla in Manilla" in 1975, their final bout, and the boxing world never seemed the same again as these icons gave it their all.  Although it was not in this fight that we heard the memorable call, "DOWN goes Fray-zhuh!  DOWN goes Fray-zhuh!" (that was Frazier vs Foreman), Howard Cosell himself became an integral part of the boxing story, with his numerous interviews of Ali, sparring conversations that became promotional for all parties including Ali, Cosell, and the sport of boxing.

At the welterweight level we later saw Sugar Ray Robinson, Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns, Roberto Duran, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler battling each other in the 80's, and to my mind that was the beginning of the end of boxing as a sport of renown.  By 1993 when Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield were fighting, the biggest event of the night was the ultralight plane that crashed into the ring.  And that was the last boxing match I believe I watched on the tube.

So many of the boxers, black for sure and probably the white ones, too, came from poor backgrounds.  Sonny Liston was reputedly one of 25 children fathered by one man.  Frazier was one of twelve.  The family background was typically that of sharecropper, and for many who indeed made it to the Bigtime and a share of boxing wealth, the stories eventually came back of the wealth being frittered away through unscrupulous handlers, fast living, or ignorance, and the boxers ignominiously becoming Vegas "greeters" to support themselves.  But for many black men, there was little other choice.  More on that in Part Deux.

Reunion Time

Cousin or Classmate?

Yesterday in Northwood we held our annual Holstad Reunion.  As our parents have dwindled away it has become a Cousins Reunion, and yesterday 25 of us including Larry Holstad were on hand to reminisce.

Aging is an interesting process.  Fifty years ago I seemed to have little in common with these, primarily older, cousins, and anymore it is a joyful and heartfelt gathering.  These folks are salt of the earth and I take pride in being one of them.

I probably haven't had a chance to sit down and really talk with Larry for 25 years, so this became our time to remember growing up together, riding calves, getting ringworm, grabbing the cow's tail as she headed out the barn door, hunting, sledding, laughing at our fathers and their friends as a single pheasant flew the gauntlet, so to speak, from one end of their line to the other without getting shot.

The days of our youth were a precious time, and Larry and I agree that today's youth probably won't have an experience like it.  Then again, we didn't go through the experience of winter transportation that included heated rocks under our feet, so no doubt some events that we experienced are events that today's youth could do without.

Larry recalled getting reacquainted with Mike Lien after growing apart after graduation, like we might be doing through this blog.  It's more than just the fun of it - it's a matter of recalling the bedrock from which we came.  Sadly, we also learned yesterday of the sudden death of Harvey Hanson, Gwen Hillman's husband, on Saturday, and last week I heard from Vicky Perkins that Dennis Boettcher had died in October.

Such news sobers the day.  Still, dying is a part of living, and living is made better by exploring all the options including a full review on occasion.  Which leads me to these suggestions:

1.  A full turnout at the Reunion next summer would be terrific.  In spending three or four hours with Larry yesterday we were both reminded of the need to get out of our circles and routine, expanding our horizons and lives.  Past practice has been to schedule events around the Fourth of July, so keep that part of your calendar open.

2.  You have stories to share, and this blog was created for them.  My personal well is running dry, if you will, so consider this a call to action on your part.  If you prefer not adding your story directly to the blog, that's no problem, because you can email it to nkhs62@gmail.com and we'll get it on for you.  Don't worry about punctuation, grammar, or any Wilma Helgeland niceties; if they add to the story, they stay in, and if not, I have an editor's pen available.

And that old guy in the clip at the top?  Class of '61!

Salute to Veterans

Marines on Patrol in Viet Nam

Several years ago in Terre Haute, IN, during the course of a business lunch with 3 or 4 others, one of them, Dave, silently left the table.  Across the room there was a sudden commotion of sorts, and there we saw Dave standing at a booth, motioning to a fellow who had kind of a blank look on his face, to get up, and the man scrambled to do so.

Dave slipped behind him, performed the Heimlich, and a piece of meat popped out of the man’s mouth.  Without saying a word, and before the man could thank him,  Dave returned to our table to finish our lunch and conversation with little or no reference to what had just happened.

It should have been no surprise that he would do that.  A former owner of a steak house, he likely had encountered the situation on more than this occasion, and he sought no accolades for essentially saving a person’s life.  After all, he had done it before.

Later, while Dave was doing some paperwork in his office, I was studying a photo on the wall, of a patrol in Viet Nam, 6 or 8 soldiers in chest-deep water, rifles held over their heads to keep them dry.  “I am the second guy in the line,” he said from his desk.  “The two right behind me never came home.”

His comment was sobering, perhaps moreso today.  Maybe he didn’t stand directly in the line of fire protecting us, but he was there to serve, so in truth he really had “done it before” the incident at lunch, putting his own life at risk in the process.

Heroes seem to serve quietly, and today being Veterans Day we pause to thank the Dave’s of our world, who leave to serve, and continue to serve when they return.  From the class of ‘62, in particular, we pay our gratitude to Stanton Arendts, Arlyn Morse, Ron Van Steenburg, David Skellenger, Robert Smith, Mike Lien, and any others who served.

Reunion Plans are Underway

We've just heard from Larry Holstad that the reunion plans are underway.  The committee has selected Yacht Island as the location.  This awesome facility is now being transported from the Caribbean to the mainland by way of the Gulf of Mexico.  By next March it will be heading up the Mississippi, fighting the chilly waters of dethawing ice.  Once it reaches the mouth of the Cedar River it will progress on up to the Shell Rock, arriving in Northwood by mid-June.

Utilizing its Blue Class Color, the Class of '62 has plans to turn the muddy Shell Rock into a beautiful Aqua, and paint beautiful clouds in the sky with its other Class Color, White.  Given the Class Motto, "With Courageous Hearts, Nothing Is Impossible", the Reunion Committee has determined the mission will be a slam dunk, to honor Mike Lien.  No word on whether the Island Yacht will be seen in the 4th of July Parade.

Angry Women - Twelve of 'em - Plus 3

Back: D Brunsvold, C Boutelle, J Gullickson, S Thoen, S Carlson, S Thoen and S Grundmeier; Middle: N Zimmer, J Dybvad, L Forland; Seated: L Brunsvold, J Tue, P Mueller, E Conner, M Hanson

The Northwood Anchor commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Junior Class Play in their Early Files (November 2, 1961) this week.  We salute the underclassmen (yeah, I know, they're all women) who were a part of the play.

I could be wrong, but I believe Carol Boutelle Johnson was the level-headed Juror #8 (no names, all numbers) who slowly led the group to the conclusion that the fellow in this "slam dunk" trial was indeed not guilty, including an argument had something to do with whether a witness really could have gone to bed with his glasses on.

The explosive final minutes of the play centered around the jury member who didn't like to be proven wrong.  There was some screaming going on and I'll leave well enough alone by not recalling who that actor was.  This may have been the reason the jurors had such difficulty:

Two Reasons Why It's So Hard to Solve a Redneck Murder:

1.  The DNA all matches.
2.  There are no dental records.

OK, it wasn't a redneck story.  The original stageplay was also made into a movie in 1957, you may recall, starring Henry Fonda in Carol's role.  Carol, you will need to correct that assumption if it is incorrect.  Good play, well done by the juniors!

Two Blondes and Niagara

By accident tonight I happened upon Turner Classic Movies, and the movie of the hour was "Niagara" starring Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotton, and Jean Peters.  Talk about bad dialogue.  Once again, the movies we always thought were outstanding seem to be lacking when replayed against today's movies.

Since it was filmed near Niagara Falls, I imagined seeing Merrilee and Jim Reid heading out on the Maid of the Mist, the tour boat used for the filming, and as you look at the attached photo and see how wet they are, you know they were indeed at Niagara Falls for this photo.  Jim and Merrilee were on a tour including a stayover at Marsha Gaarder Hasseler's home.

Merrilee and Jim - Misted Over!

Presumably their conversation was a higher level than what I heard in the movie, and I can't imagine that Merrilee would be told what to do like Jean Peters is instructed in the movie:  "Shake it off, honey, you know you were dreaming!"  Makes me think of the posting of a few days ago when we talked about expectations, especially of our women - they only come along for the ride, not for any significant contribution.  At least that used to be the theory.

Here's a YouTube from the movie.  Marilyn is singing "Kiss" and you're reminded why it was that JFK was all agog over her.  As usual, if you are getting this in an email, you will need to go to the blog to see the whole thing.

Jean Peters is the other young lady in the clip, and though I recognized the feIlow on the right, I did not know his name was Casey Adams.  His oft-repeated line uttered when he saw her in the dress in this clip was "Get out the fire hose!"  If you Google "Marilyn Monroe and Niagara" you will get numerous other clips to view, including the first 10 minutes of the movie, which I could have put in here but it has an annoying ad that pops up in the middle of the screen every 5 seconds.

For background on the movie, click this link.  You'll find out more about the role she played - a seductive adulteress and murder conspirator.   All in good taste, of course.

In any regard, it's all a fun memory of old movies - and how much they have improved.  Merrilee, hope your hair got dried out!  And now you have been featured in a story with Marilyn Monroe.  Happens a lot, I suppose?