6 • The Putnam County Record • Wednesday, February 4, 2015
The Editorial Page
Sam R Fisher
Terri Simon
Publisher
Editor
The soundtrack of your life “If there’s a Rock and Roll Heaven, then you know they got a hell of a band.” — The Righteous Brothers, 1974. Written by Alan O’Day and Johnny Stevenson. Most people have a soundtrack. Not a recording of “Cats” or “Chorus Line,” but music that touched us in some way in our past that still elicits strong emotions. Whether they’re from a first date, a momentous occasion or just struck you in a certain way, they’re songs where you almost say, “This is MY song.” Being born in the early ‘60s, my soundtrack tended toward rock during my youth COMMENTARY while holding on to some classic artists of the past. Although my soundtrack has changed a lot with the years, some songs never leave it. Unfortunately, as we get older, the artists do too. The year 2014 was a horrific year for the soundtrack of my life. Artists, band members and writers quietly put down their instruments this year and left the earthly concert hall. Band members from ‘60s groups Cream, The Association and the Raiders, and ‘80s bands Devo, Survivor and The Ramones left us this year; and some of the biggest names in music are no longer with us. Blues-rock great Johnny Winter didn’t turn out Top 10 hits, but his music was typical blues — sharp and evocative with echoes of sadness. Joe Cocker received his career boost at Woodstock, and released Beatles’ covers and powerful ballads long after. One of the great pop duos of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s were two brothers from Kentucky. Sadly, Phil Everly passed at the age of 74 in January 2014. Most people have never heard the name Gerry Goffin, but it’s a sure bet you’ve heard his music. As a composer, Goffin wrote music for the Shirelles, Rod Stewart, the Monkees and many, many more; but he’s most notable for the songs he wrote with — and for — his first wife, Carole King. Pete Seeger was a legend in music. “If I Had a Hammer,” “Kisses Sweeter than Wine,” “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone;” these and more rolled off of his fret-board into the folk music of the ‘50s and ‘60s. An antiwar/civil rights activist, the number of musicians who claim Seeger as an influence reads like a Who’s Who of American music. What are the songs that touched you over the years; the ones that still make you laugh, cry or just smile and nod your head? Who recorded the songs that made you think the writer was peeking right over your shoulder? What’s the soundtrack of your life? If you’ll excuse me, I have to listen to some Warren Zevon now. Ken Schroeder can be reached at kschroeder@ putnamcountyrecord.com.
Ken Schroeder
Letters policy Letters to the Editor should not be more than 500 words in length. Only one person can sign a Letter to the Editor. The author of the letter must include his/ her name, hometown and telephone number. The author’s name and hometown will be published, however, the telephone number is only used to verify the authenticity of the author’s signature and will not be published. Unsigned letters are never read or published. No letter will be published until The Putnam County Record contacts the author of the letter to verify the signature. The Putnam County Record reserves the right to edit or refuse any Letter to the Editor.
Kelly Keegan
What is the last TV show you watched: “Chicago Fire.”
Hometown: McNabb.
Name a favorite area restaurant: Granite City and Texas Roadhouse.
Family: Husband, Ken; son, Tristan; daughter, McKenna.
If someone stranded you on a deserted island and you could only have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be: Pizza.
Pets: We have two cats, Aladdin and Sage. Occupation: I’m a bookkeeper for the Putnam County Community Center. What is the last book you read: It was the “Fault in Our Stars.” Last song you heard: We were just listening to “Stay” by Rihanna.
If someone stranded you on a deserted island and you could only bring one thing with you, what would it be: My husband. If someone gave you a million dollars, what would you do with it: I would invest and would anonymously donate to people in need.
First Person Name something you like about your town: We don’t live in town anymore, but when we did live in town, I loved how the neighborhood supported each other. Everyone looked out for each other. That kind of thing. In good and bad times, people in Putnam County are always there. Is there anything you would add or change about your town: No.
Field of Dreams Frank Sinatra grew up in Hoboken, N.J., as a skinny Italian kid. He remembered his teenage days during the Depression with the tough kids on the street corners. Irish, black and Jewish neighborhoods ganged together. He grew up in an immigrant neighborhood with an aversion to prejudice. When you grew up with a name that ended with a vowel, it was easy to feel you weren’t a full-fledged American. He became a professional singer in 1932, doing small gigs whenever he could get them. In 1939, he signed on as a vocalist with Harry James’ new big band. Tommy Dorsey hired him away from James in 1940. His hit “I’ll Never Smile Again” topped the pop charts in 1941. That December, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and many celebrities went off to serve in the military. Sinatra was exempted from service because he had a perforated eardrum. By 1945, Sinatra had a reputation for anti-prejudice. He was asked to do a movie short to promote tolerance. The 15-minute movie short, “The House I Live in,” was about a group of boys chasing a Jewish boy and threatening him because he was Jewish. Sinatra gathers the bullies and the Jewish boy together and tells them religion makes no
Darrell Alleman COMMENTARY
difference except maybe, “to a Nazi or someone that’s stupid.” Then Sinatra sings a song, “What America Means to Me,” which includes the title. “The house I live in, a plot of earth, a street, the grocer and the butcher and the people I meet; the children in the playground, the faces I see; all races and religions, that’s America to me.” At the end, all of the boys walk off together. A few weeks after Japan surrendered in 1945, a public school in Gary, Ind., named after Ralph Waldo Emerson was partially racially segregated. The black students were not allowed to play in the orchestra, swim in the school’s pool or participate in other activities. Principal Richard A. Nuzum decided the black students should equally participate in these activities. White students walked out and boycotted the school. Gary was a tough steel town where the white students’ fathers feared the blacks had come to take their jobs. The school’s administration invited Sinatra and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis to talk to
the student body. Louis could not make it, but Sinatra did. On Nov. 1, Sinatra took the stage in front of a packed house of thousands at Gary Public School Auditorium. Writer James Kaplan wrote Sinatra “was walking straight into a powder keg.” The crowd of rough, tough steelworkers and their kids started catcalling, whistling and stamping their feet. Sinatra folded his arms, looked down on the crowd and stared for a few minutes until there was dead silence in the room. He started talking and called the boycott “the most shameful incident in the history of American education. “I implore you to return to school,” he said. “This is a bad deal, kids. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for the city of Gary, which has done so much to help with the war for freedom the world over.” Eleven days later, the strike was over. ••• There is only one happiness in life; to love and be loved. Be nice, play fair and share. ••• Four of America’s 10 richest people are Walmart heirs. ••• Thought for today: God loves all people and commands us to do likewise. Darrell Alleman can be reached at news@putnamcountyrecord.com.
First Amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Constitution of the United States, 1789