‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ is one of my favorite movies. However, which do I prefer when traveling? I do like to have my feet on the ground, so any form of transportation that brings out my fear of heights is the least desirable. This extends to precarious mountain paths, hanging bridges, hot air balloons, jet packs, see-through platforms, skydiving, bungy jumping, zip lines, parasailing, and repelling, I do not seem to have a problem as long as I can’t feel the wind. As a result, I can handle a helicopter as long as the doors aren’t open, most airplanes, being inside a car over a bridge, or looking down from an enclosed observation deck. When I’m exposed to the air, I’m suddenly overcome with anxiety.
I’ve traveled on planes of all sizes, helicopters, boats, canoes, rafts, surfboard, golf carts, by snowshoe, dune buggy, carriage, kayak, ferries, dinghy, rafts, race cars, trucks, ski lifts, jet skis, motorcycles, stagecoach, toboggan, snowmobile, rollercoasters, dog sled, chariot, bullet trains, carnival rides, e-bikes, scooters, Segways, skates and skis, a zip line, by parasail (that turned into para-snorkeling), and even once reluctantly in a hot air balloon. On some of these adventures, I felt life-threatened and many I would avoid doing again. By the same token, I certainly wouldn’t want to be shot out of a cannon. I tend to stay far from the edge when it comes to heights and even watching others in danger of falling makes my palms sweat. Speed in general can be terrorizing, and now even changing lanes on the expressways is breath-taking. I used to love to drive but that has drastically changed, as I’ve grown older and seen my share of bad accidents.
I can tolerate airplanes because they get me there faster. Having access to a car is convenient but finding parking, arranging for valet service, refueling, detours, traffic delays, bad weather, and mechanical problems keep me on the edge of my seat. On our last trip to Italy, I refused to drive anywhere and chose to use the ferries to get us from village to village on the Amalfi Coast. This turned out to be a very pleasant, hassle-free experience. Similarly, a hydrofoil to the Florida Keys saved a lot of driving and made our trip special. Cruise ships and river boats also make travel exceptionally easy, without the issues of changing hotels, getting lost, finding good restaurants, and repacking. Most of our water travel experiences have been stress free, but there’s always the story of the Titanic.
Boats do seem to be my favorite, as long as I don’t have to drive or maintain it. However, in most cases, you also have to have a way to get to the boat, so it’s not that simple. Most modern vacation travel involves planes, trains, automobiles, Ubers, taxis, boats, shuttles, bikes, and walking at the very minimum. Personally, anymore, I like the concept of time travel where you don’t have to make reservations, enlist a tour guide, go through security, secure a passport, buy tickets, show up on time, or follow a map. Seeing the world these days takes a lot out of me, so maybe settling into our not-so-shabby resort community and not going anywhere while pretending we’re someplace exotic is the answer.
Although I don’t normally need help coming up with ideas for stories, the Storysworth editors are always providing suggestions. For example, they want to know what makes me happy? Writing apparently makes me happy or at least provides some kind of personal therapy. I did some time ago make a whole list of things that make me happy in no particular order of importance, but don’t really care to elaborate. Instead, I’ll turn it into one very long sentence:
Happiness for me is a kiss or hug, Writing poetry, I.U, wins, White Sox win, Cubs win, Bears win, Elkhart High wins, Call from a friend, Talking with Judy on Mondays, Good Nora, Grandchildren achievements, Personal treasures, Dreams about my parents, A good movie or book, Sunshine & Suntans, Finding money, Date nights, Adam or Eliza accomplishments, Spouse accomplishments, Green lights, Fixing something myself, Disney Parks, Sherm stuff, Baseball Cards, Ticket Stubs, Making Lists, Tax refunds, A good night’s sleep, Free food, Spousal Sex, Tourney Time, When Tally isn’t in my chair, Finishing a run, Sunsets, Live Music, Marriott Points, Writing, Fridays (even in retirement), Chocolate Chip cookies, Ice cream, Wife time, Zero credit card balance, DNA matches, Not working, Good health, Shooting stars, Celebrations, Free tickets, Special access, Recognition, Clean sheets, Privacy, Word games, Traveling somewhere new, Money in the bank, Wind at my back, Fireworks, Cheese Burgers, Diet Coke, Skiing, Laughs, and Air conditioning. I’m certain there are many other things that I’ve forgotten.
“They” also want to know what one of the most expensive things I’ve ever bought. Well, spending money does not necessarily make me happy. Homes certainly top the list and each one gets more expensive. Travel, and certainly this upcoming Nile River cruise through Egypt with stops in Cairo, Petra, and London is a huge investment. My first car, a Triumph GT6, was a lot of money at the time, but the problems I had with it saved me from getting other sports cars. Wedding rings and jewelry are pricey gifts of love so the amount shouldn’t matter. These are the material things that immediately come to mind – for what it’s worth.
It was suggested by my son that I add a chapter about my dating experiences to my Storyworth book that the family bought me for Christmas:
I did not date much in high school due to my timid, unaggressive nature. As one of the youngest in my class, I was struggling with the nickname “Smiley,” couldn’t see past my big ears, acted immature, and was admittedly a mama’s boy. In retrospect, I missed some signs from the girls that I went to school with and instead spent most of my time dating a freshman from rival Concord High School that my good friend Grant and his steady girlfriend Keven put together for me. Her name was Debi, a skinny little thing with dark, stiff, puffy hair that was fashionable at the time. Her claim to fame was marching in the Rose Bowl as a band member, but I can’t remember what instrument she played. Although we were together for nearly my entire sophomore year, I never took her to a prom or dance at either school. My junior year, it took the support of a roomful of equally shy classmates and Mrs. Pippenger’s encouragement to finally convince me to make the phone call to Sue Scott. Eleanor Pippenger, my good friend Dennis’ mother, chaperoned overnight parties in the basement of her home where all of us “cool” guys would gather. She was our weekend mother, guidance counselor, advisor, Italian cook, confidant, and only female friend through those tough high school years. Both Eleanor and Dennis have since passed.
Sue was the daughter of a woman that worked with my dad at Miles Laboratories, although I don’t recall any suggestion on his part to ask her out. They were members of our First Presbyterian Church, and she was in my science and math classes, a much more serious and better student than I ever was to be. In fact, I think she ultimately became the Valedictorian of our class of over 1000 students. All I remember about our prom date was the after-party event at the Lake Michigan dunes, an informal class tradition. While the other girls were in their bikinis, working on tans, and playing volleyball or other interactive games, she was studying for a Chemistry exam. There was just no spark between us, as if I would have known what that was or what to do with it. It was our first and only date, filled with awkwardness and not too many things in common, despite my great intelligence and sense of humor. It did appease all four of our parents, knowing that we did not sit home alone on Prom night. Thankfully, I didn’t embarrass my dad or Mrs. Scott, as far as I know. Sue eventually laid eyes on another classmate, who she apparently married after school, but tragically he died soon after in a home accident.
There was one other high school date that I made with Debra Stanley, but as was standard, never developed into more than a faint memory. On the other hand, I did soon strike up a serious dating relationship that started in summer choir camp (similar to infamous band camp) between my junior and senior years. Leslie was also an excellent student, apparently the dominant force of attraction with all the women in my life. I have pictures of both the Sadie Hawkins dance, where she must have invited me, and the 1969 Elkhart High School prom where I reciprocated. This relationship continued even after we both left Elkhart for separate colleges. I went to visit her at Stevens College in Missouri, making the long drive from Albion, Michigan but for some reason we eventually went our separate ways. She persevered to get her doctorate in psychology, served professionally as a counselor, and supposedly never married. Unlike, Sue and Debra, I have maintained contact with Leslie on and off throughout the years.
At Albion College, we initially selected our dating partners through what we referred to as, “The Joke Book,” a compilation of fellow student photos that we each received as part of orientation. As a result of a phone call, I once again selected a candidate well over my head and to no avail when I spent an evening with Ms. Putnam (first name forgotten), whose father was a major financial contributor through Dow Chemical, while the grandfather had a building on campus named after him. If I were to have married wealthy, this would have been my best opportunity, but I was too intimidated. I also had an underage drinking date that included an intimate conversation in a cornfield. Years later it was noted that she was hoping for a follow-up and kept the ear of corn that I presented her with as a treasured souvenir, but I repeatedly missed any cues related to appeal. For the rest of my time at Albion, I stuck with Anne, who I met through three Sigma Chi Fraternity brothers, conveniently dating related sorority sisters. The most memorable of our adventures, were when the six of us spent New Year’s Eve in Milwaukee skiing at the Lake Geneva Playboy Club, followed by a Bucks game. We also went together to a Three Dog Night concert at Cobo Hall in Detroit, later adding a Gladys Knight and the Pips performance and a Classics IV concert, both on campus. Numerous Greek dances/parties at our respective houses filled the rest of our time together. Anne eventually married the upperclassman who first recruited me into the fraternity.
To make another long story short (and perhaps less boring), it was then off to Bloomington and more toads to kiss, before hooking up with Marcia on the streets of New Orleans. She left Indiana University at the same time I did, and we moved into an Elkhart apartment while I finished my degree in South Bend. We were married in 1972 during a Fort Wayne Episcopal Church ceremony, and thus the dating of others ended.
I picked up my granddaughter Nora from preschool the other day and was met at the door by her frustrated teacher Miss Wendy. Nora was apparently disrespectful and inattentive, disrupting her classes that morning. I told her that I call her, “Ignora” when she on occasion gets out of control and doesn’t listen. Most of the time, she’s fun and cute, but I too know the frustration of caring for small children. I knew my work was cut out for me during the few hours when I had “Grandpa J” duty that afternoon. She obviously needed to work out some frustrations and get some fresh air. I immediately took her to Wellen Park to play in the tiny houses they built for charity so she could use her imagination and blow off some 4-year-old steam. I was not aware of the giant Jungle Gym they had constructed in the grassy area by the lake. Other kids her age were actively engaged in swinging from the ropes like Tarzan.
Nora is at the age where she is fearless, with the exception of the tiniest of spiders. Ironically, this playground structure was like a giant spider web with ropes weaved together around timbers that stretched seemingly endlessly into the sky. I was relieved to see that the synthetic surface underneath was spongy soft because it immediately brought out my fear of heights and the danger of someone falling. However, she seemed to scale the beast with ease while I held my breath. The higher the other kids climbed, the braver she got. Her lovable, independent nature was clearly evident on last week’s carnival rides. I was envious of her confidence and flexibility, wishing that I was a kid again. However, in my day, steel Jungle Gyms were built on concrete surfaces that broke arms and legs. I watched many a classmate loaded into an ambulance during recess after a fall. Obviously, I learned to fear heights. My hands were sweaty and tightly clinched into fists while I watched, just as if I was getting ready to climb a ladder.
We learn to fear, so why spiders scare Nora and Jungle Gyms don’t is the difference between the two of us. I must have been taught that most spiders are useful creatures, but still worry about the black panther that was rumored to have escaped near my childhood neighborhood. Hopefully, Nora fears the alligators that sometimes wander into our yard, just as our schnauzer Tally is scared of little girls like her. In over 70 years of life, I’ve grown to be terrified by the reckless nature of human beings, particularly Florida drivers as they speed and weave carelessly through traffic like they’re racing to win the Daytona 500. There was a time when I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of a car, now my palms sweat on I-75. Maybe grandson Gavyn is smart in wanting to wait to learn how to drive. Right now, Nora is the most fearless in the family.
My wife and I did our first “grand” trip to Disney World in August of 2012, with accommodations at the Contemporary Hotel, one of the Monorail stops. Granddaughter Maddux was three and grandson Gavyn five. It was our first experience dealing with a child’s disappointment of being too short to ride. Eleven years later, it’s now four-year-old granddaughter Nora’s turn to be the smallest family member, measuring 39″ in height. “Nona” and I took her to the Venice Italian-American Festival last night when the tape measure came into play, as the most appealing rides required a minimum of 42″. This is a frustration factor that little Nora Grace will also have to face in our upcoming family trip to Disney World in a few weeks.
The annual carnival and feast was advertised to start at 4 p.m. but the rides didn’t actually open until five. The Venice High School marching band performed, but an hour wait is tough for any youngster. We were hoping to beat the crowd and grab a bite to eat on the way out. Instead, a line was forming at the ticket window, so we were forced to stay longer than originally planned. During the “endless” delay, we purchased an order of dirt and worms (Oreo crumbs, gummies, and mini donuts) and decided on $20 wristbands instead of individual tickets. My daring wife agreed to be her partner on the fun house, but afterwards changed her mind when the only exit was a “filthy” spiral slide. She held up several kids during her cautious dismount. I then ended up on the giant rainbow slide, with all of Nora’s “favorite colors,” sitting on a potato sack to protect us from the friction.
Nora went solo on the revolving rabbits, choo-choo train, flying dragon, and spinning boats. “Nona” joined her on the mini-rollercoaster and another faster-spinner that I was glad to miss out on. We all stopped for spaghetti and meatballs, along with mac & cheese, but there was too much excitement in the air for total cooperation. Finally, we got a few bites of chicken nuggets into her stomach after threats of no cotton candy. My wife took her to the face painting booth for a mermaid mask, where she laughed when the artist gave me pink cheeks. After a few more repeat rides, she sank a basket (with a little help from the concessionaire) to win a giant unicorn that she renamed “uni-horse.” It appropriately matched the outfit she was wearing for glitz day at pre-school. The last stop before driving home was for blue cotton candy. I had not been to a carnival since the 2016 Sarasota County Fair and hope that last night’s will be my last.
I’ve already written some about my life in the media business, starting with the Middlebury Independent and Crystal Valley Express, a newspaper and shopper that I sold ads for just out of college. My boss was David Summerfield, who was an executive with Coachman Industries for many years before buying the state’s oldest newspaper and the Square Nail restaurant next door. My title as Advertising Manager was certainly a step in the right direction towards getting involved in the business that I studied in college. I had previously worked fulltime as a supervisor for FORMEX, a Styrofoam company in Elkhart, while finishing my degree. Both of my bosses were named Charlie, if I remember correctly. I was hired by Coppinger as a production worker, advanced to be a supervisor under Bartlett, and eventually was laid-off. A headhunter then found me the job in Middlebury.
All the work before this were odd jobs. One summer, while home from college, I worked part-time for Speedgrip Chuck, a manufacturing company. They made “chucks,” just as the name implies, that firmly grips a rotating drill bit, for example. My friend Bob Grove had a girlfriend whose father owned the place, and we were hired to clean florescent lightbulbs. Bob and I used a forklift to raise us to ceiling height, cautiously removed the glass bulbs from the fixtures, cleaned them with soap and water, then replaced them and moved on to the next set of lights. It was tedious work with no supervision and thankfully no cameras to monitor us. Naturally, as teenagers, we spent a lot of time goofing off and it was difficult to see which ones we had cleaned and those yet to do. Hours were wasted flinging wet sponges into buckets of suds, like a basketball game, and each other. After we were done cleaning each night, we lounged around the main offices that were airconditioned and poked through the drawers of employees, finding all their hidden contraband. It was probably never reported when things were undoubtedly found out of place, since they shouldn’t have had these things at the office to begin with. Fortunately, we were not thieves, just curious young men discovering the unmentionable!
Two summers I spent working for Phillips Irrigation, putting in sprinkler systems and farm irrigation equipment. It was owned by two brothers, and I would arrive half-asleep each morning at 7 a.m. We would load our trucks with supplies each morning and usually be at the first job by 8 a.m. It was the first structured job that I ever had, and my mentor, Odie, was a mean S.O.B., with a slow southern drawl. He was probably some relation to the owner and lived on their property in a rusted-out mobile home, so he was always early. He hated college kids since he was probably only grade-school educated, but I managed to earn his respect through the years to the point that we worked together all the time. At first, he hovered over me, taking great delight in pointing out each error that I made. However, in the process, he taught me how to use tools properly and how to operate a Ditch Witch, a machine that laid plastic pipe under the sod or would dig trenches to bury this same type of flexible irrigation pipe. I also did a lot of shovel work on this job and would install what they called a “saddle” at points where the pop-up sprinkler heads would attach. The process involved carefully burning an opening in the pipe to allow water to flow to the surface and adjusting the “heads” to properly cover a specific grassy area. I learned all about pumps, wells, and various types of sprinkling systems, like the Rain Bird brand my dad had installed at our home. Odie was very careful about treating each man’s lawn like it was the 18th hole of the Master’s, so I learned well. I often wonder about what ever happened to Odie, my first real boss?
The next temporary job I held was painting a house between my freshman and sophomore years at Albion College. The house belonged to a friend named Alan Harper’s uncle, who made the mistake hiring two sloppy college students to paint his pristine, country club home. We rushed through the job, took the cash, and ran off to California, the most memorable journey of my life. I would go on to live with Alan at I.U. the next few semesters in two different apartments, after he convinced me to transfer schools.
Once Alan and I stopped being roommates, I worked briefly at the Indiana University library, a place I never visited as a student but should have. I stayed in Bloomington the summer between my junior and senior year and collected only a few paychecks before unexpectedly returning home to Elkhart, getting married, and finishing my degree at I.U. South Bend. I did enjoy the aura of being amongst the stacks of books, learning the Dewey Decimal System, and returning used books to their proper places on the shelf. With the quiet nature of the library setting, it was not the type of social experience that I might normally desire, interacting with customers and fellow workers, but that would come with future jobs. My boss was a woman, although I don’t remember her name, the first of many mostly positive experiences working with the opposite sex.
My working career slowly progressed from mowing lawns, into irrigation, light bulb cleaning, librarian assistant, and Styrofoam production before selling newspaper and radio ads. I then took an Account Executive position with B.J. Thompson Advertising in Mishawaka, Indiana. We handled the Burger Chef restaurants account, so my responsibilities centered around local store marketing. I assisted various store managers in their efforts to support their local communities, utilizing the Burger Chef and Jeff characters for promotions and appearances at key events. There were times when I even had to put on the costume or flip burgers in a restaurant. I learned a lot about the restaurant business from my female boss, Tacy Hendershot, but ultimately decided to go back into the media business.
Just before retirement, I spent a year selling men’s suits and accessories at Joseph A. Banks in their downtown Austin, Texas location, and worked part-time for the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Joseph Yazbek, was the tough-minded store manager who spoke with a Lebanese accent. Robert was my Chamber boss who I never saw eye-to-eye with, but soon moved on to the Austin Business Journal, going full-circle in the newspaper sales business. I did earn several sales awards while with this company under two women managers, starting with Lynne Chastine who hired me. When we moved to Portland, Oregon, I finished my career at Alpha Media, selling ads for six radio stations under several different managers. Likely, there will be more odd jobs in my future.
I went to visit my sister a few days ago at her winter home, a double-wide near Leesburg, Florida. She bought it just last year and will save me the trouble of lengthy trips back to Elkhart to visit. Hopefully, her kids will come to see her and me, their only uncle. They are the only family left in northern Indiana. As soon as we got comfortable around the dining room table with conversation, she placed two small boxes in front of me.
The first box contained a Waterford Crystal thimble (labeled #298) that I gave to my mother many years ago. I apparently spotted it at Bloomingdale’s in Chicago. She always had a knack for organization, so I’m sure there is a detailed list, documenting each addition to her collection. The second box was for me to give back to my son and held a glass thimble etched with Mickey Mouse ears (#279), a memory of the Disney gift he once gave his grandmother. My sister has a whole garage full of our parent’s stuff, but she chose only these two items to deliver. Neither of us have room for much, but fortunately most of my mother’s keepsakes were miniatures. My sister must have finally gotten to the point emotionally where she can begin to reluctantly part with these family treasures. Perhaps other items will be delivered on her next trip here.
My mother collected stamps and thimbles for fun, along with her other hobby of photography. I already sold her collection of postage stamps started by her father when he was the Elwood, Indiana Postmaster. She always had a fond appreciation of small things and maybe stories like Tom Thumb. She did some sewing, but I don’t really know where this fascination with thimbles came from. It certainly gave me something to look for when we traveled, bringing her back a souvenir from our journeys. I had also wrapped some up as Christmas gifts including a porcelain thimble as part of a hinged Limoges Box. It’s now part of my wife’s collection of these pricy, hand-painted trinkets, that like my mother have kept a numbered log of each special prize.
My mom’s interest in dollhouse miniatures and love of photography eventually grew into a small business called the Calico Cottage. She would personalize dollhouses with framed photos of family members, like you’d find in a real home, and shrink them to fit where Tom Thumb might live. She would convert a normal-sized family photo into a scaled-down version and build a tiny wooden frame around it to be hung in the bedroom, living room, or kitchen of a dollhouse. She also used antique jewelry settings as decorative frames and had metal frames manufactured in various small sizes. In retirement, she and my dad would travel to miniature shows all over the country.
As more of these thimbles that I gave as gifts come back into my life, I’ll certainly have many more memories to share. As a sidenote, there were some miniature room settings that she crafted with some of my personal photos, hanging on the walls of their retirement home. These rooms could have been part of a dollhouse but were designed for people that don’t want or can’t afford an entire miniature house. There were also cases filled with never-used photo-less frames and files of photocopies that customers sent to shrink down to fit these custom frames. She always sent the originals back as promised.
A faint memory of my mom that I’ll close with is a visit over 60-years ago to the Thomas Edison home in Ft. Myers. We were staying with my grandparents in nearby Englewood and went to the historical compound for the day. All of us were astounded with the massive dollhouse that he built for his grandchildren, complete with miniature working light fixtures. Perhaps, this was an inspiration to my mom long before she started her business. I went back to see it last year, but the scale-model home was no longer there. I could only imagine it filled with tiny framed Edison family photos.
This is a continuation of my last post where I listed my Top 10 Sports Moments (See Post #2257). However, there were just too many others that need to be mentioned. Because of my media connections and extensive travel opportunities, I’ve had the good fortune to attend 9 Final Fours (New Orleans 1982, Minneapolis 1992, Indianapolis 1991, 2000,2006, 2010, and Houston 2011) and 4 World Series, plus numerous auto races, games, championships, playoffs, tournaments, inaugural events, matches, stadiums and venues. To recall all of this was all a real test for my memory banks, aided greatly by diary mentions.
I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, about 100 miles east of Chicago. There was little in the way of sports on TV when I was a kid, but on occasion my dad would take me to games in The Windy City. I wanted to see Mickey Mantle play, so we went to Comiskey Park, home of the White Sox. We also went to Wrigley Field and on one trip, he took me to lunch in the Prudential Building with Jim Coker, a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. I also had an uncle who coached football at the University of Notre Dame and a cousin, Denny Murphy, that was an Irish tight end. I remember meeting him at a game against Cal. In addition, he took me to a N.D. basketball game at the Athletic and Convocation Center (ACC) that looked like a giant bra. These were my first personal connections with top athletes. I went back to Notre Dame in 2017 for the stadium remodel, my boss, a N.D. grad, gave me front-row seats for the unveiling.
My dad would often take me to high school basketball games at nearby North Side Gym, one of the largest in Indiana. He knew John Longfellow, the coach for the Muncie Central Bearcats, one of the best teams in the state. I got to go into the locker room after the game, another brush with greatness. Other than the annual high school basketball tournament, this venue mainly hosted some concerts, professional wrestling with Dick the Bruiser, and Roller Derby matches when the Bay City Bombers would come to town. Before single-class basketball was eliminated, I watched a classic battle for high school supremacy from our Hoosier Dome suite that I could never had imagined when I first went to Hoosier Hysteria games with my dad. A national record 41,046 were in attendance in 1990 when future I.U. star Damon Bailey led Bedford North Lawrence to the title, upsetting top rated and undefeated Concord High School and future NBA star Shawn Kemp 63-60. Concord was only about 15 minutes south of my hometown. It would be the last of 61 consecutive IHSAA finals sell-outs.
By my 10th birthday, I had lost interest in the Yankees and took my dad’s suggestion of picking a team closer to home. As the White Sox played in the 1959 World Series, I was able to watch on black & white TV my catching idol, Sherm Lollar of the Sox play for the first time. We did go to a few games to see him in person, but I never got to meet the man. He and his teammates have become the main focus of my baseball card collection and lifelong allegiance to the Sox.
I wrestled in high school and ran some track, but sports surprisingly were not a priority. Elkhart High was a big school with over 1000 students in my graduating class. We were state champions in football, wrestling, cross-county, and track, but I remember only occasionally going to Blue Blazer games or meets. I chose Albion College in Michigan after actually considering Purdue and played some intramural flag football for East Hall and eventually my fraternity Sigma Chi. I probably also attended a homecoming football game to watch the Britons. My frat brothers were hot on hockey and talked me into a Red Wings game. I also went to Milwaukee in 1971 as a weekend getaway and ended up at my first NBA game to watch Lew Alcinder and the eventual champion Bucks’. Outside of Chicago baseball, these games were my initial foray into professional sports.
A year later, I transferred to Indiana University, rode for the Sigma Chi Little 500 team, and settled into an apartment with my high school classmate, Alan. I do not remember going to an I.U. game at the old fieldhouse, but I do recall a blowout win against Notre Dame at the new Assembly Hall. I met George McGinnis at a party and began to follow the Hoosiers. I must have come back to Indianapolis in 1971 from Bloomington to see my high school team compete for a state championship. I couldn’t get tickets for the game that was played at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University where the movie Hoosiers was filmed. I ended up watching the game on TV at the Sigma Chi house across the street. The Blue Blazers topped New Castle, and future I.U. big man, Kent Benson 75-70 in 3-overtimes. Benson led the undefeated Hoosiers to an NCAA title in 1976, an accomplishment that hasn’t since been repeated. A loaded East Chicago Washington squad won the championship game 70-60, but without ticket connections, I must have gone back to Bloomington. Ironically, I would never have to want for a ticket ever again!
I do remember getting excited about I.U. basketball when they made it to the Final Four in 1973 but lost to UCLA. I had a flat tire that morning and badly cut my hand on a piece of glass trying to fix it. I still have the scar as a reminder. The next few years, despite marriage and the birth of Adam, I became obsessed with basketball for the first time since I played in grade school and went to basketball camp.
I began to follow sports even more once I got in the radio business and began to sell sponsorships for Blue Blazers basketball and football, plus Hoosier Hysteria, Notre Dame, Purdue, and I.U. games throughout the season. Eventually, our family moved to Ft. Wayne, another hockey town, anchored by the Comets on our 50,000-watt competitor and music became my major selling point. Free concert tickets and trade were job bonuses. Plus, working with our National rep I began to travel to New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit. I went to Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Tiger Stadium. I also worked a deal with the Chicago Sting and played against the Harlem Globetrotters. However, it wasn’t until I got the job at WIBC radio in Indianapolis that I truly found my calling. I now had the Indianapolis 500, Colts, Indians, and Pacers to promote.
As a newcomer to the Capital City, I was asked by station management to host our suite for the Coca-Cola Circle City Classic. It was more than a football game between two black universities, it was a halftime battle of the band’s extravaganza. Apparently, no one else wanted to do it! This was my first experience with entertaining at events and would become the key to seeing every major sporting event or concert that came to town. The station had suite and hospitality access at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hoosier Dome, and Victory Field. I also made my own partnership deals for racing through The Machinists Union, BRG Sports, Blackburn Sports Marketing, and Indianapolis Raceway Park. Many of these deals transitioned with me when I moved to WISH-TV. In addition, CBS Sports had almost every major sporting event from the Masters to the Superbowl, along with baseball and the Olympics.
Beat The Pro was a promotion we sold at the insistence of my golf-loving boss. I had to spend most weekends on the golf course measuring distances to the pin. The only benefit for me was tickets to a White Sox suite, another memorable sports experience. I also earned a similar day at the park with the Wheel of Fortune syndicators. I was never in a suite at Wrigley, but they did have a club that served hot dogs on fancy Cubs’ china plates. They have since updated their facilities.
During my time in Indy, I attended and worked with the AAA Indians at Bush Stadium where we had both press box seats and season tickets. I once celebrated on the field with Randy Johnson after a league championship. In addition, I frequently took clients to Colts training camp and on the field. World Gymnastics once did an exhibition, the U.S. Track and Field Championships and NCAA Finals provided autograph sessions with Gayle Devers and Michael Johnson, the PGA Championship came to Crooked Stick Country Club, while John Daly was the upset winner. NCAA Swimming and Diving was another big draw for the city. I also had ringside seats for a gruesome light heavyweight bout won by Marvin Johnson. Finally, I sat many times on the floor to watch the Pacers and Reggie Miller, including the NBA Playoffs.
When I moved to Lafayette, it was all Purdue, but I.U. came to town at least once a year in basketball and every other year in football. I quickly learned that when Purdue won, business was better, so I put my Hoosier allegiance on hold. Plus, my mother-in-law was a big Boiler fan, so I presented her with front row seats for a game. I also had press passes, hospitality, and a beautiful stadium suite. I got close to the Purdue Athletic Director, along with Black & Gold Magazine and expanded our local coverage with the Joe Tiller and Gene Keady Shows. My wife was at WISH, so we continued to benefit from suite access to concerts and events. We saw Cathedral, where her girls went to school, win the state high school football title at the Dome. We also went with clients to the RCA Tennis Championships, with hospitality and great seats. During that timeframe, I played on the WISH softball team, as well as the traveling Pearson Group club, that appeared in the Media World Series held in Dallas, Phoenix, and Ft. Lauderdale. Add three more World Series to my list! I would eventually go to Omaha and the College World Series but only as a spectator.
Most of my attention was still focused on racing, like the Indy 500, but I tried to diversify with other speed events like the U.S. National Drags and the Carquest Sprint Series at Raceway Park. They were each a far cry from the New Paris Speedway dirt track and the side-show demolition derby that I went to back in high school. While still part of the Indy media, I once spent an entire IndyCar season as a weekend warrior, going from track to track around the country. I was on the pit crew at Mid-Ohio and worked with sponsors at Elkhart Lake, Michigan International, the Milwaukee Mile, PIR, Monterey, and Laguna Seca. I also got tickets for the inaugural Las Vegas 400 Nascar Race. This all started when we would supplement our broadcast media packages with show car appearances, suite hospitality, driver endorsements, and sponsorship logos. However, in the month of May I was usually at the track with my all-access Gold Badge every day working these partnerships.
Years later, the track expanded to include Nascar’s Brickyard 400, Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix, an IROC Series, and the Brickyard Crossing PGA Championship. I was there for all four of these inaugural events and in the future secured tickets through my wife to the Daytona 500 and Austin’s Circuit of the Americas. We’ve also used her connections to see the Mariners and Seahawks in Seattle, the MLB All-Star Game/Home Run Derby in Miami, and several Portland Trail Blazer and Timbers MLS games, including a Playoff match. Most of the Blazer games were from the suite, but one was another unforgettable front-row seat.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Bloomington, but I’ve still managed to keep up with I.U. sports. I’ve been to Ann Arbor, Champaign, West Lafayette as previously mentioned, and East Lansing for games and went to Seattle to watch the baseball team play Oregon State at T-Mobile Stadium. I drove to both the Liberty Bowl and Independence Bowl to experience Hoosier football, but never smelled the roses. My wife and I also traveled up to North Texas for an I.U. gridiron loss against the Mean Green. I’ve seen the Hoosiers win at Conseco and Lucas Oil Stadium and lose year after year in the Big Ten Tournament. They did not make the Big Dance when it was held exclusively in Indy, but I was there in the midst of the pandemic. Hoosier soccer fell short in the championship game I attended in Santa Barbara with a college friend. Twice, I’ve followed the Hoosiers to Hawaii for the Maui Classic. On the first occasion I met Bob Knight and got his autograph.
The Oregon Ducks became a favorite when we moved to Portland. I’ve been to both Autzen Stadium and Matthew Knight Arena. I’ve also seen them win in the Rose Quarter aka Moda Center for two Phil Knight events. Oregon State also played there. Plus, friends and I went to two Les Schwab Invitationals to watch several prospective college recruits impress the scouts. While living in central Illinois, we supported the Illini, so Assembly Hall was our new home for basketball and Memorial Stadium for football. I sat with retired Coach Lou Henson for a game.
On the NBA front, I’ve been to America West in Phoenix to watch the Suns, Orlando to see the Magic at Amway Center, and to San Antonio’s AT&T Center for the Spurs, long after that initial big-time-basketball exposure at Milwaukee County Stadium while I was still in college. The Pacers and Blazers were the result of station-owned season tickets. The Knicks were always the favorite team to visit, especially when Reggie and Spike Lee were at each other’s throats.
I’ve never been to the Olympics but have experienced the Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene after it was delayed a year due to Covid. I also sat and watched the Olympic Freestyle Championships in both Breckenridge, Colorado and Stowe, Vermont when I was there on ski trips. Speaking of games on ice, exposure to the game of hockey has been sadly limited to the Ft. Wayne Comets, Indianapolis Ice, the Detroit Redwings 50 years ago, and the Portland Winterhawks a few years ago at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum.
Another of my bucket list goals, was a Super Bowl. We had access to tickets every year but never wanted to pay the price. It likely will never happen, but I certainly can’t complain about a lack of big tickets throughout my lifetime. I thought about going to Miami when the Colts played the Bears, but honestly couldn’t decide on which team to support. My first football love was Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts, who conveniently moved to Indianapolis in the middle of the night. However, the ’85 Bears had pushed the needle once again to Chicago sports. I’ve been to Soldier Field and continue to follow the Bears after all these frustrating years. I’ve worked closely with the Colts players and coaches through the years and have been to several Playoff home games. Road games have been in Houston and Chicago. I saw the Bears play in Indy.
The one Chicago team that has had the most success is the Bulls. I was never a fan and actually picked a suite game the year after Michael Jordan retired. I tried to give them away, but no one was interested. The Pacers Market Square Arena suite was nothing more than a long couch in a closet positioned behind a glass panel. It was hardly fit for entertaining but came with extra tickets and a bartender. At the last minute, I ended up giving them to Adam and hours later M.J. announced his return. They were suddenly the hottest tickets in town and Adam reaped the benefit. His friends were even previously reluctant to go, but I remember his pager (prime technology at that time) buzzing like a hive of wasps on our coffee table just before game time. It was certainly one of his greatest sports moments. We probably could have made a fortune selling them, but scalping was illegal, and they were technically the station’s tickets. I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of unloading them because no one really knew I had somehow picked them at the beginning of the season.
Baseball has endured as a consistent favorite from early childhood throughout today. I’ve already shared my stories of Chicago and Detroit games growing up and the four World Series attended. I never went to a college baseball game in Bloomington but got into it when we lived in Austin and learning the phenomenal record of longtime coach Texas Longhorn coach, Augie Garrido, who won two College World Series in his tenure. It was really the first time that I sat down and watched the entire tournament, inspiring me to attend one day. While in Portland, I began to follow the Oregon State Beavers and went to a few of their games at Hillsboro Stadium, home of the Hops, and at Portland State.
I enjoy baseball but it’s often boring, too many times ideal for a nap. It’s easier to mention the Major League stadiums I haven’t been to: Milwaukee’s Miller Park, Minneapolis, San Diego, Philadelphia, Arlington’s Globe Life Field, Atlanta, Montreal, Arizona, and Oakland. Two stadiums, Coors Field and Progressive Park in Cleveland I’ve only just jogged around, while I saw the Texas Rangers play in their former Arlington home from a luxury suite. Our Dallas TV station carried their games, but Covid prohibited a planned visit to the new facility two years ago. I’ve also been to Minor League Stadiums in Round Rock, Texas to see The Express, Jupiter Beach for the Cardinals, Surprise AZ, Charlottesville FL, Hohocum Scottsdale, and Cool Today, our neighborhood Braves Spring Training facility. The other day I drove around the Baltimore Orioles’ Buck O’Neil complex in nearby Sarasota.
Visits to Cooperstown, the College Football Hall of Fame, and recently the NFL Hall of Fame rekindled many emotional sports memories. Recently, my wife and I went to see our local Venice High School Indians host a football playoff game, with thoughts of her two girls at the Hoosier Dome championship game we all went to before our marriage years ago. My dad gave me a love of sports at all levels, and we shared this passion throughout life. It continues with Adam and his favorite teams since childhood, the Dolphins and Cubs. What will be our next great moment?
I’ve certainly had my share of great stadium accommodations, including luxury suites for the Colts, Pacers, St. Louis Cardinals, Longhorns, Purdue, Texas Rangers, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Circuit of America, Portland Trailblazers, and Chicago White Sox, plus front-row seats for the Pacers, I.U., Trailblazers, Boilermakers, and Notre Dame. I’ve been on the field, in the pits, sat in the Press Box, celebrated on the court, and frequented numerous VIP sections and hospitality rooms watching a variety of sports from the Domes to the Velodromes. With this in mind, I’m challenged to pick my Top 10 Lifetime Greatest Sports Moments.
Although we didn’t have the usual great seats, we were fortunate to even secure tickets to Game 5 of the first World Series at Wrigley Field to see the Cubs win on Halloween Eve of 2016 (#3). The night before we were there for the loss against the Indians. (#4) Both games will forever be near the top of my list, but overall, I’ve been to four World Series in three cities, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. The White Sox opening game win against the Astros at Cellular One in 2005 was the beginning of a four-game sweep. I had media passes for that game and rode with my WAND-TV camera crew. (#5).
Several other unforgettable events for me happened at Wrigley, including Sammy Sosa’s 61st and 62 homers on Sunday, September 13, 1998. (#6) My dad, son, and best friend were with me that day. The following year on Opening Day a special Tribute was held for announcer Harry Karay on April 3rd. He died February 18, 1998, and never got to watch that great season-ending showdown between Mark McGwire and Sosa. McGwire was the home-run king with 70, but both have failed to make the Hall of Fame after steroid suspicions. Adam, Gavyn, and I have a commemorative brick at the park thanks to my wife. The “3-generations” first got together for a game on September 10, 2007, and the Cubs won 12-3 over the rival Cardinals. (#7).
The top two moments on my list would have to be at the Louisiana Superdome in 1987 when I.U. Basketball won the National Championship. Keith Smart’s winning shot happened in front of my eyes on Monday, March 30, 1987, against Syracuse. (#1). Two days earlier, Steve Alford beat UNLV on the same court. (#2) It was an unbelievable road trip with Bill, Mark, and two close friends of Peter, who set the whole trip up but couldn’t go because his father passed.
The three final Top 10 sports moments were more about the transportation than the events themselves. A friend flew me to Bloomington on his private plane from Ft. Wayne for an I.U. basketball game. I don’t remember the date or game details, but this special V.I.P. treatment will always stand out in my mind. (#8). Similarly in 1998, I was whisked into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by helicopter while entertaining our television station owner, Craig McCaw. A golf cart took us to the Hullman Suite to watch the race and the same chopper brought us back downtown, avoiding the massive crowds. (#9) Last but not least was the Chauferred, PINK limousine that took two close friends and I to a big Monday Night Colts Game at the Hoosier Dome. It was Halloween night, and we wore costumes that you had to see to believe. One buddy and I were dressed as George Dickel whisky bottles with a twist-off cap as headgear. The other pal was Colts running back star Eric Dickerson, but in this case, “Dickelson.” Each of us wore pink tights. On the back of our outfits, it read, “We’re Dickeled Pink to be here.” Never, have we attracted more attention, including a newspaper article with pictures. We, of course, celebrated the victory with shots of George Dickel. (#10).
I’m not exactly sure when my dining tastes changed from TV dinners to hoity-toity affairs. Growing up in
Elkhart, Indiana the closest thing we had to fine dining was Minelli’s Steakhouse, owned by our next-door neighbor. It was probably my first encounter with linen tablecloths and tuxedo-wearing servers. Otherwise, away from home, it was fancy bars like Michael’s, Flytrap’s, and Nicky-D’s or the McDonald’s drive-thru.
My wife and I have certainly enjoyed our share of fine dining throughout the years. Major dollars have gone into trying some of the finest restaurants around the world. One of the priciest was a dinner at Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, France where my wife’s daughter was studying. There were four of us and the check was over $800 U.S. dollars without a lot of expensive wine consumption. I didn’t understand that the tip was included and added a generous amount to bring the total to a tidy grand, since the service was over the top. This was over twenty-years ago, so I can’t imagine what the bill would be today.
Several meals for two have exceeded $600 with drinks and tip. Alinea in Chicago was memorable because one course was a bite of wagyu beef skewered to the tip of a nail and another involved a fragrant pouch of flowers and herbs to enhance the senses. The first impression while entering through a dark hallway were automatic doors suddenly opening to reveal the massive kitchen and the staff greeting us with waves behind the floor-to-ceiling glass pane. It wasn’t enough to serve good food, you also had to perform some magic.
One guaranteed way to boost the bill was to add caviar, oysters, seafood towers, truffles, or pricey liquors. We’ve experienced it all through the hundreds of business meals we’re enjoyed. In this case, we had to make the favorable impression, but the damage was ultimately paid by the company. Then, you sometimes had to justify the expense to your bosses. Fortunately, we had a leader who thrived on over-the-top meals topped with Chateau D’Yquem wine at $500 a bottle. TRU in Chicago was known for their plexiglass stairway of caviar, served as an appetizer. Speaking of big checks from world-renowned chefs, Per Se in NYC was an intimate, romantic setting overlooking Columbus Circle where we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, Joel Robuchon in Vegas will always be remembered for their elaborate bread cart, French Laundry was a special treat because it was seemingly impossible to get a reservation, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee in Paris was very French for beaucoup bucks, and Emeril’s Delmonico Steakhouse was the site of our wedding dinner 22-years ago. We also spent an evening with Rick Bayless at his Chicago Frontera Grill and dined in New Orleans at John Besh’s flagship restaurant, August.
My wife has a collection of autographed cookbooks from these famous restaurants and hundreds more. Joe’s Stone Crab is one of her favorites, after many visits to their various locations in Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, and Washington D.C. On our many trips to the Big Apple, many places come to mind including Peter Lugar, Carnigie Deli, China Grill, Aureole, Il Mulino, Steria Del Circo, Daniel’s, Capital Grill, Tropica, Café Bolud, Four Seasons, Abboccato, Il Nido, Mandarin Oriental, Palm, 21 Club, Ruby Foo’s, and Nobu. Each of these have made big dents in our wallet, although some of these meals were company reimbursed.
One of my first gourmet business meetings took place at The Glass Chimney in Indianapolis. St. Elmo’s then became a dining preference because of their spicy shrimp cocktails. I was once elaborately wined and dined by a boss on an expense account at King Cole, a fancy French restaurant on Monument Circle when I first went to work at the Middlebury Independent. When traveling to Chicago, the restaurant names that come to mind are Bice, Smith & Wolinsky, Shaw’s, Ben Pao, Catch 35, Chicago Cut, and Harry Caray’s. Each visit involved a stop at Garrett’s Popcorn for the ultimate dessert. Just outside of the Windy City in Valparaiso was another of my wife’s favorites, although not fancy, The Strongbow Turkey Inn. She also craved her hometown Dick’s Drive-In where she once worked in high school. They don’t have a cookbook or apparently even shared their recipes.
Another dining mecca, that included some business meals, was flashy Las Vegas. Popular fine dining spots in Sin City that I haven’t already mentioned are Trevi, Emeril’s, Bouchon, Michael’s, Chinois, and Hugo’s Cellar. When we were living in central Illinois our taste buds often led us to Bizou or Montgomery’s. We also loved to go to New Orleans for Bananas Foster at Brenner’s for brunch, or dinners at Nola and Galatoire’s also in the French Quarter. When in D.C. to visit family or Chamber of Commerce trips, we’d dine at L’Enfant, Old Ebbitt’s, Kinkead’s, and Beuchert’s, among others.
When I was first learning the basics of gourmet dining, my wife once made fun of me for asking if squab was hamburger at Tommy Toys in San Francisco. She always seems disgusted with my table manners. We also ate at Alan Wong’s where the appetizer was a delicious, toasted cheese with tomato soup – my kind of gourmet dish. Alan Wong’s is not to be confused with Johnny Wong’s near Warsaw, Indiana, my mother-in-law’s favorite, although they are both serve Chinese fare. Other Golden Gate area dining happened at Kokkari Estiatorio, Farmstead, Tarantino’s, Arguallo, City View, and The Waterbar as I recall.
Just outside of Ft. Wayne, Indiana was an upscale restaurant named Joseph Duquis where we once had a great meal. When I lived and worked there, WMEE Radio issued me a Don Pedro’s credit card, hardly Diners Club, but essentially a limitless supply of Mexican food and drink to share with clients and family. We ate there all the time and sometimes both lunch and dinner. It was a welcome break from all this expensive dining.
Then my wife discovered Outstanding in the Field, a traveling gourmet extravaganza that further stretched our budget. It’s now over $300 bucks a person to attend these events where the white tablecloth stretches as far as the eye can see in an outdoor setting and local celebrity chefs prepare farm-to-table meals. Green Gate Farms near Austin, Big Table outside of Portland, Jacobson Salt on the Pacific Coast, Portland’s Archery Summit, and Brighton Park & Beach in Vancouver, B.C. hosted us for wine and dinner.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention Roy’s, a chain owned by James Beard Foundation award winner Roy Yamaguchi, as one of our best-loved dining treasures, whether in Florida or Hawaii. Misoyaki Butterfish is always my choice with the Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. Our most recent stop was in Orlando where we’ve also eaten at Victoria & Albert’s for my 50th birthday. I don’t remember what I had, but my wife will surely remember. She never forgets a fine dining moment. All I recall was the harp player’s odd rendition of “Margaritaville.” Il Mulino recently opened a Disney-area outlet that we tried last year with family after that great experience in NYC.
It’s difficult to recognize all of our numerous fine-dining experiences, but thanks to my diary I’ve listed a pretty wide range. While in Bangkok, we researched choices and selected Wat Phra and Thanying. Viking Cruises and the Marriott Vacation Club have taken us to some distant places. On-board meals at Manfredi’s, Mamsen’s, The World Cafe, The Restaurant, and the Chef’s Table have been outstanding without the burden of picking up a hefty check.
Our marriage has followed a trail of food from Indiana through Illinois, Texas, Oregon, and Florida. We both had a life of fine food long before we met, otherwise this post would be twice as long as it is. Austin was all about BBQ, having sampled Franklin, Salt Lick, Black’s, Rudy’s, County Line, Stubbs, and Lockhart. Congress Restaurant downtown was a pricey choice for my 55th birthday, followed by a more affordable Magnolia Cafe for breakfast with Tinker, who would have preferred to be at her picnic spot behind Rudy’s.
We then moved to Portland, Oregon where Castagna, Aviary, Le Pigeon, Farm Spirit, Cocquine, Pardner’s, Firehouse Pizza, Blue Hour, Ava Gene’s, Dukahbee, Nonna Emelia, Roe, Laurelhurst, Hairy Lobster, Mingo, and Holdfast became her local favorites, along with Mucca Osteria where her daughter’s wedding reception took place. We left them all behind to retire in Florida, where dining is much more casual. The fanciest establishments here so far have been Sarasota’s Michaels on East, where my son once bought me dinner, and popular Prime Steakhouse. We both now agree that we’ve pretty much seen it all when it comes to extraordinary fine dining. It’s probably not worth the money anymore. Cracker Barrel here we come!
