Recognize this song title? It’s the song of every immigrant who ever came to America after leaving home, family and friends behind seeking a better life. Immigrants like Irving Berlin who wrote it, a Russian Jew escaping Russian tyranny… Einstein escaping German genocide… or Gloria Estefan whose […]
The deadline for submitting this column was rapidly approaching as I finished what I hoped would be an appropriate topic as I near the end of my term as Mayor. Then disaster hit… a broadside of bad tidings for our people in Jacksonville and the rest of […]
Recently, I received three postcards from Jacksonville citizens, all denouncing me as a racist for my July column. The column deplored racism, but the readers read it to mean quite the opposite. How very sad! I may have far more reason to condemn racism as well as […]
I got up the usual way this morning… one eye half closed and legs that wobbled with a message to stop at once, crawl back under the sheets and go back to sleep. Rejecting such temptation, I groped my way to the bathroom. Reaching the bathroom mirror, […]
One of the most familiar quotations in literature came to mind as I saw our nation’s cities explode in violence once again. It was by Charles Dickens who wrote the following words to introduce “A Tale of Two Cities,” a story of nobles and not-so-nobles during the […]
With time on my hands, as so many of us have these days, I was surfing the Internet when this quotation popped up on my screen: “When everything seems to be against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” No… that’s […]
The other day someone asked me to compare the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on citizen‘s lives with the aftermath of Pearl Harbor during World War 2. I can start by saying that nothing else in my ninety years on this planet has […]
Our twin-date movie nights at Old City Hall when we ran The Last of The Wild Horses, a 1948 film shot in Jacksonville and other parts of the Valley including the Rogue River, wound up being a great success. Reluctantly, we had to turn away fifty or […]
A few days ago, I was watching the news on television. There were two anchors on camera and the longer they talked the more I began to see them as two bottles of vinegar. Their words, their countenance, their every vocal inflection, were lacking any warmth or […]
A number of you know that a Hollywood motion picture, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, was filmed right here in Jacksonville in 1972. You may not know of another film released in 1948… also filmed right here in Jacksonville.
In 1947, a successful independent producer, Robert L. Lippert, […]
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Familiar words at this time of year, yes, but what if we cannot muster up any “jolly-ness?” What […]
Growing old isn’t easy. There are no classes for it, and it’s not as if one has much choice. It just happens faster than we expect. We go along from day-to-day, then one morning a look in the mirror, and suddenly, it’s a different face staring back. […]
A prominent citizen visited my office recently to complain about a statement I made in one of my columns. The statement read, “It is the Constitution that holds our political parties in check. It stopped the Republicans from destroying President Truman. Today it is stopping the Democrats […]
Long, long ago there was a fellow named Charles Atlas. That wasn’t his real name, but it sounded good for a body-building guru which he certainly was. Everyone knew about him because his ads were everywhere… especially in comic books where they were […]
Some readers may remember a column years ago about my falling and then riding in an ambulance to the ER. It struck me as humorous how repeatedly I was asked my birthdate… 11-14-29. However, I annoyed a couple of readers who mistook my humor […]
I was 16 years old when I went to college. The year was 1946, World War II had ended, the GI Bill had been passed by Congress, and the colleges were flooded with soldiers returning home to resume their lives. It was no […]
Ah! Summer! That long-awaited season of warm sun, balmy winds, and blue skies. Just as Mr. Gershwin wrote:
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high
Let […]
Recently, I was having lunch with some leading citizens when one of them, Linda Kestner, spoke about her deep love for our little town. You may recall that Linda was a recipient of our Citizen of The Year award, and if anybody can […]
Why is it, the older one gets, the more difficult it is to remember recent events while the easier it is to remember something in the distant past? I guess this is true for almost everyone except maybe politicians who, when faced with questions about the present […]
The women seen dining here are members of the “Jacksonville Belles and Beaus Old West Society.” They celebrate history by donning costumes for almost any era dating back to the Civil War—but with an emphasis on the Victorian days. You’ve seen them in Jacksonville’s Christmas and Chinese New Year parades; at other times strolling sidewalks […]
One of the joys of being your Mayor is introducing you to the wonderful people who make our city work—the fine, professional staff at City Hall. At City Hall, I’m glad to say, you’ll find people who actually care about helping you and I’m happy to introduce […]
‘Tis the season… a time for family and friends to gather around the Christmas table or the Christmas tree… a time for love and good will to all. Winston Churchill described Christmas “as a season not only of rejoicing, but of reflection.” In Jacksonville, we reflect […]
The election is upon us. With all its insane anger and pent up hatred, I’ll be glad when it is over. Contrarily, I welcome the Thanksgiving season for the blessings in life. It’s a feeling we should have year-round.
Every election seems to get worse with the name […]
I thought I’d put the election off till next month. You already know how I feel about this terrible meals tax proposal.
Have you noticed a lack of civil discourse in these times? Of course you have. Just turn on the television news and cable channels and the […]
As your Mayor, I’m always ready to take responsibility for my actions. Screw Up—‘Fess Up is my rule. So imagine my surprise when confronted with accusations of sponsoring the meals tax initiative on this November’s election ballot. Evidently the assumption was made on the part of some, […]
Summertime and the livin’ is easy…
Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high
Those lyrics Ira wrote to his brother George’s music seem very appropriate as we head into August and the heart of summer. Summertime! The mere word brings thoughts of picnics on the lawn, blankets on the beach and boating on the lake. For […]
One song I remember growing up was sung by a very sincere June Allyson in a movie called Good News. The song was The Best Things in Life Are Free. The words went…
Ah the moon belongs to everyone
The best things in life they’re free
Stars belong to everyone
They […]
I need to start this column by thanking a couple of people, who through their efforts have made a positive contribution to our city: Donna McMann and Donna Williams, neither of whom lived in Jacksonville.
Donna McMann possessed a beautiful, circa 1880s upright piano which she treated with […]
A visitor stopped by my office the other day to discuss a dream she has. That dream is to one day see a world where everyone who is handicapped and wheelchair-bound will have the freedom of movement to go where others go who take it for granted. […]
Though it was half a century ago, it seems as fresh to me now as the day it happened. I was what they called a Data Processing Manager in those days. One of those fellows who ran all of the business computer systems which included Operations, Systems […]
I know a young man who was recently visiting who needed to pick-up two weeks of work in order to earn money to return home. When the time came for him to be picked-up and taken to the job, he became flustered because he couldn’t find his […]
When you woke up this morning, how did you feel? Were you happy? Did you feel like singing? Did your morning coffee have that refreshing aroma? Were you exuberant at the thought of a new day? Was the sky bluer? Was the grass […]
Did you know we have a town historian? Well, we do! He’s one of the many volunteers who serve without pay in our community. His name is Larry Smith and he can just about recite the history of any event, person, or structure within our city. He’s […]
I recently had occasion to remember a political figure I listened to every week on the radio. His name was Senator Claghorn and he was a true Southern spokesman. One week, when objecting to the import and sale of apples from the North, and being told that’s […]
We all have one of “those days,” a day when unforeseen circumstances alter our plans. Sometimes they offer pleasant surprises. Oftentimes they are anything but pleasant. I had one of these in late July, and thought it worth sharing.
July 4th has come and gone… now for the “lazy hazy days of summer.” If you missed it, we had one “swellegant” party here in town on the Courthouse lawn with 350 to 400 people this year. That’s not counting the many volunteers as well as the […]
Independence Day is at hand. Congratulations and Happy Birthday America. It’s been quite a ride for 241 years. When the Continental Congress formalized the Declaration of Independence with the signature of John Hancock, they took a step so bold and daring and went where no others had […]
Last month, we ran a film called Saturday’s Children at Old City Hall. It’s a story about people living in tenements… people like my own family.
In buildings like this, there were no elevators, so the higher the floor on which you lived, the cheaper the rent.
Ours was […]
I’ve always wanted to “play” Walter Winchell in one of my columns. Walter would jump from topic to topic in almost every other sentence. So… with the forbearance of my publisher, here goes.
Greetings Mr. and Ms. Jacksonville wherever you are, in your home or in one of […]
In my years as Mayor, the two questions I get most often are, “Will we have a museum again?” and “What are the chances of having a live theater in town?” In case you didn’t know, Jacksonville once had a permanent melodrama theater in the old Pioneer […]
Did you wake up angry this morning? A great many people do, judging by the news reports every day. I’ve never seen so many people this angry since Pearl Harbor was bombed, when I was twelve-years-old. By then I knew all the bad words children weren’t supposed […]
Each New Year finds me more perplexed than usual regarding the subject matter for this column. Due to my degree in history, I am tempted to write something history-related, but current events usually take precedence. So here I am, reminiscing about a world long passed… the decades […]
Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone. For me, this one was special because I owe so very many people a big “thank you” for their support and their vote in this past election. What was especially heart-warming were the letters to the editor of the […]
Here we are—election time again, with the media blasting out the latest “he said”…”she said” news daily until one is worn out! Therefore, it is with some reluctance that I bring up the subject of our local election… something I hadn’t even considered doing except that people […]
Before addressing our tagline, here is the long-awaited announcement concerning a Public Citizen’s Day at the New City Hall. The date for the festivities is set for Friday, October 14th from noon until 1:00pm, complete with refreshments. Your hosts and hostesses will be the Belles and Beaus […]
Here comes September. “Where did the summer go?” is a common question dating back long before our time. The yearly cycle repeats itself: children go back to school… vacations end… commerce picks up… and soon squirrels will begin to hoard fall nuts for the long winter. Speaking […]
East Side, West Side, all around the town…
Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O’Rourke
Tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York
Things have changed since those times, some are up in “G”
Others they are wand’rers but they all feel just like me
They’d part with all […]
My wife kept reminding me about how I talked of writing a column on aging, in other words, growing older. I kept putting it off but finally came to the conclusion that I’d better write this now before she forgets to remind me. (She’s getting older, too.)
This […]
Most of our Jacksonville citizens have never been to one of our City Council meetings. They don’t know what they are missing. It’s true each meeting has an agenda, but that doesn’t always foretell what might happen since human behavior is quite often unpredictable. This was certainly […]
An odd thing happened a few days ago… I saw a penny on the sidewalk and kept on walking, never bothering to pick it up. That would be unthinkable at an earlier time… a time when a penny meant something.
When I was ten-years-old, five pennies could buy […]