The Swine Flu Is Not Just A Bunch Of Hogwash!

Wednesday, Egypt began slaughtering its entire pig population (some 300,000 pigs) as a precaution against swine flu even though no cases have been reported there. Farmers were infuriated and blocked streets and stoned vehicles of Health Ministry workers who came to carry out the government's order.

Normally, I do not do news stories here. I get enough of that in my real job. But, with all things considered, I thought I would make an exception.

And then the headlines read:

* Pig flu virus kills up to 86 people in Mexico
* Two people admitted to British hospital as 'precaution'
* Eight New York City children have 'mild form' of flu
* Canada and Spain confirm first cases
* 10 students in New Zealand 'likely' to be infected
* Reports of possible cases in Israel and France
* 1,300 others thought to have been infected

Where will it end?

Tennessee has one unconfirmed case of swine flu, involving a Williamson County child. 19 other cultures are currently being tested. There has been one confirmed case in Indiana, involving a young adult in northern Indiana.

Locally, we have certainly had our fair share of seasonal cases of influenza. So many kids have been absent from our schools, especially at the elementary school.

So far, there are no reported cases of swine flu in Kentucky, but Public Health Commissioner Dr. William Hacker says many are sick and being tested for it and it's reason to be concerned, but not panicky. He said this not the time to overreact, but be cautious.

Did he say it's not the time to panick?

Someone should have called the egyptians. Yesterday, 300,000 pigs went to market and none came home.

The World Health Organization says there are now 64 confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States. None of the cases in the U.S. have been fatal.

The Strother Line

Remember the story of when George Washington cut down the cherry tree? It happened in Fredricksburg, Virginia on a farm once owned by William Strother III.

My great-grandmother, Nannie Koger Boles, was a descendant of William Strother I, who came to America from England prior to the 18th century.

In my story, ‘My Family Tree Has An Executive Branch," I mentioned that my family tree, through the Strother clan, includes John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States; Zachary Taylor, the 12 president of the United States; and, James Madison, the 4th president of the United States and the Father of the Constitution.

Another Strother descendent is Randolph Scott, a star of the stage and screen from 1928 to 1962.

That’s cool right there…I don’t care who you are.

Patrick Henry is also in the Strother line, as is President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, General George S. Patton and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s son-in-law, Charles Robb, former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator.

I just found out about the George Washington connection. I also learned something else...

William the immigrant’s son, Robert, was the 6th great-grandfather of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States!

William the immigrant was already wealthy when he arrived in America. According to an excerpt from “Royal Lineage of Seven Gentlemen Who Settled in Virginia About 1650” by Edward Lewis (1917), Strother was a descendent of King Edward II.

It is amazing how William III’s daughters and others in his line, produced or married into families that produced so many great men. James Madison was the father of the U.S. Constitution. Jimmy Carter struggled during his presidency but won the Nobel Peace Prize for his great humanitarian work. Known as "Old Rough and Ready", Zachary Taylor had a 40-year military career in the U.S. Army, serving in the War of 1812, Black Hawk War and Second Seminole War. Arguably the most famous and significant achievement of John Tyler's administration was the annexation of the Republic of Texas in 1845. The campaign slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too is among the most famous in American politics. Patrick Henry was a prominent figure in the American Revolution, remembered for his "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" speech.

William Strother the 4th had a daughter named Elizabeth, who married Sheriff John Frogge, Sr. (Fro-Jay). Their grandson, Arthur Robinson Frogge, was one of the first people to settle in Fentress County, Tennessee (Frogge Mountain). He was also the grandfather of Nancy Frogge, who was the wife of Elisha Koger, Nannie Boles’ grandfather.

The Strother Coat of Arms, pictured above, is Prius mori quam fidem fallere, which is latin for "Die rather than betray trust."

The Strother ancestral line is filled with so many great men and women who, good or bad but mostly good, helped shape America. To learn more, check out The William Strother Society, Inc.

Samuel Morse

Today, we are celebrating the birthday of Samuel Morse, the guy who invented the electric telegraph and Morse Code. What's interesting to me is that Morse chose to fine tune and later publicly demonstrate his electric telegraph machine in the very area where my ancestors once lived and worked.

My ancestor, James Frost, and other men in his family were ironmakers living in Morristown, New Jersey in the mid 1700's. Speedwell Village in Morristown, sprung up in the early 1800's and became the home of Speedwell Ironworks. It was on January 11, 1838 that Speedwell Ironworks became an historic landmark. That was when and where Samuel Morse first publicly demonstrated his electric telegraph.

Even though James Frost died long before Speedwell Ironworks went into business, still he had worked there in that most historic place. Historic because the ironworks of Morristown is where the weapons the continental army used in the American Revolution were made, and historic because, almost 100 years later, Samuel Morse worked on and tested his telegraph machine there in that ironworks plant.

James Frost had left Morristown twenty years before the Revolutionary War. His son, Captain James Frost, Jr., my direct ancestor, who worked as an ironmaker for Troublesome Works in present-day Rockingham County, North Carolina, fought in the revolutionary war at the Battle of Guilford County Courthouse and at Ramsey's Mill.

(The Notorious Meddler in Morse Code)

At The Drive-In

If you are one of the fortunate ones who grew up in the age of the outdoor drive-in theatre, can you remember the very first movie you watched at one of those places?

The very first movie I can ever remember watching wasn't at Albany Drive-In Theatre, where I grew up. It was in 1964, at a outdoor theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the movie was, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." I don't remember the name of that drive-in, but it had a double screen, and for a 5-year-old boy, it seemed like that place was as big as Texas and there were a million cars there. I remember going to the concession with my aunt, and then trying to find our car on the way back.

"It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" featured an all-star cast; Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters, Jim Backus, Don Knotts, Larry Fine and Moe Howard of the Three Stooges, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis and many others. The movie was about a former jail inmate enroute to the place where he hid $350,000 before incarceration. His car goes over a cliff, and when people come to his rescue, the dying man gives them details of where the money is buried. A crazy chase develops and the movie is just hilarious to watch.

There was something special about growing up at the drive-in. The atmosphere there was like no other place. Sitting in the car, you could smell the hamburgers from inside the concession stand, and you knew....YOU KNEW that Barney Neal's popcorn was in there, too. People would sit on the hood of their car, or on a blanket on the ground, or in the back of their pick-up truck. Absolutely nothing beat watching a movie on that big screen under the stars. The Albany Drive-In Theatre is where I learned how to drive a car. Along the way, I learned a lot of other things there, too. It was the perfect place to grow up, and if I had a chance to go back and do it all again, I would still want to grow up at Albany Drive-In Theatre.

I was joking when I told John D. Sloan that Pam and I were considering tearing down the radio station and building an outdoor drive-in theater on the lot. I said, "But there is just one condition....YOU have to be the one who runs the projector!" He just smiled the biggest ever. John taught his son, Steve, how to operate the projector, and the two of them did it alternately for many years. And, that's the way it was as my whole family chipped in and helped at the drive-in at one time or another. As I wrote earlier, it was our way of life.

Here's what lifelong family friend David Cross had to say upon the passing of Wallace Allred:

"Wallace Allred was a low-key, fine gentleman. He was as good to the young people in Albany as anybody ever was. Living within walking distance of the Drive-In, I don't know how many times, as a young boy, I would walk to the theatre and sit out front of the concession stand where there were always people hanging out, and watching the movie--sort of. Wallace never charged us for walking in. I suppose he knew we'd buy concessions, including the famous Barney Neal popcorn. The Means family, John D. Sloan, and the whole Speck-Allred clan would be on hand in the concession stand. I miss Albany Drive-In to this day. And the older I get, the more I appreciate Cecil Speck and Wallace Allred."

If you would like to share a special memory of Albany Drive-In Theatre or Clinton Theatre, or Wallace Allred, send an e-mail to notorious_meddler@yahoo.com, or click on 'Comments' below.

For more stories about Wallace Allred and Albany Drive-In Theatre, read "Life is a Circle" and "Wallace Allred Entertained Us".

Life is a Circle

They say life is a circle and the inside of that circle is filled with lots of ups and downs; joy, laughter, sadness, and along the way, many different milestones. Marina turned 16 today. I woke up thinking I am not ready for this day. But, it's here and there is nothing I can do about it. I called her to wish her a happy birthday before her school started. She sounded so excited on the phone. And why not? Turning 16 is a happy milestone for her. It means she is one step closer to getting her drivers license, and what kid wouldn't be excited about that? But, when I hung up the phone from talking to her, my mind wandered back to the time when I asked Elijah to stop growing and always be my baby, and he replied, "I'm trying Dad, but God won't let me!"

I remember when I turned 16, and yes I can remember back that far. I failed my driver's test the first time I took it because I didn't know how to parallel park. At the time, I thought it was unnecessary and I still think that today. I can count on one hand the number of times I have had to parallel park in my life. Praise the Lord for shopping center parking lots! I've already been letting Marina drive on the (ahem) off-roads, and she does a great job. I'm just not ready to admit I have a child that is 16-years-old. It's more of a ME problem than anything.

See, this year, I turn 50, and before you start trying to give me a hard time about it, in the words of President Richard Nixon, "Let me make one thing perfectly clear." THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS!

I received a piece of snail mail a while back and from the outside it looked 'governmental' or official, but it also had the words: 'OPEN IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE BETWEEN THE AGE OF 50 AND 85.' I should have known better, but before thinking, stupid me opened it. Well, it got worse on the inside. It was from some insurance company, etc. etc. etc. But, then I saw it. Near the bottom of the letter, were these words in large, bold print: 'NOW THAT YOU'VE TURNED 50, YOU QUALIFY FOR THIS PROGRAM!' A-ha! Qualify? I had them and I knew it. I hadn't turned 50 yet. That's not for another several months. So, I wrote, "I THINK YOU HAVE THE WRONG GUY" on the letter and promptly mailed it back to them! My friend, Amy, is always calling me old, but she is usually so pre-occupied with some craziness in her life, I think she has me confused with someone else!

On Monday, my uncle, Wallace Allred, passed away. Two days later, Marina turns 16. I guess that's the way of that circle of life. 16 or not, Marina is always going to be my baby. Nothing will ever change that. I love you, Sissy! Happy Birthday!

Black Elk was a famous Sioux holy man who lived from 1863 to 1950. This guy got around. He was second cousin to Crazy Horse. He participated in the Battle of Little Big Horn...was injured in the Wounded Knee Massacre...and even traveled to England with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Somewhere along the way, he managed to write the following. Please read it.

Life is a Circle
Everything the power of the world does
is done in a circle

The sky is round
and I have heard that the earth
is round like a ball
and so are all the stars

The wind in its' greatest power whirls
Birds make their nests in circles
for their's is the same religion as ours

The sun comes forth and
goes down again in a circle
The moon does the same
and both are round

Even the seasons form a great circle
in their changing
and always come back
to where they were

The life of a man is a circle
from childhood to childhood
and so it is with everything
where power moves

Captain James Frost

On March 15, 1781, American and British forces clashed near Guilford Courthouse at present-day Greensboro, North Carolina. The battle was the culmination of several months of hard campaigning by the armies of Nathanael Greene and Lord Charles Cornwallis. On the morning of the battle, Greene deployed his army in three lines. The first consisted of nearly 800 North Carolina militia arranged on the edge of a field with “their arms resting on a rail fence.”

One of the militiamen was my 4th great-grandfather....

Captain James Frost
Greene ordered the North Carolina militia to fire two volleys and then fall back. Cornwallis took the bait. His men advanced on Greene’s first line after a thirty-minute artillery barrage by both sides. The British broke through but suffered severe casualties in the advance. One American noted that, after his regiment fired a volley, the British “appeared like the stalks of wheat after the harvest man passed over them with his cradle.” Despite their losses, Cornwallis’s army continued to push against the americans. Unwilling to the risk the destruction of his army, and realizing that he had inflicted massive casualties on the British, Greene withdrew his army to Troublesome Ironworks nearly fifteen miles away. The battered British army did not pursue. Some researches have stated that the experienced ironmaker, Captain Frost, worked at Troublesome Ironworks.

American forces outnumbered British troops almost three to one, and although Cornwallis’s army had held the field, the Americans had punished them severely. One-quarter, or twenty-seven percent, of Cornwallis’s army lay dead or wounded on the battlefield. By comparison, Greene lost only six percent of his force. Cornwallis withdrew to Ramsey's Mill, on the site of the present Lockville Dam, where they encamped for two days caring for the wounded and burying their dead. At Ramsey's Mill, Cornwallis' troops used the rocks of the mill dam to create a bridge over the Deep River, allowing for the army to continue toward Cross Creek. Then, they destroyed the makeshift bridge so Greene's men could not follow. It was a clever trick and a sly way to excape the Americans and hopefully give his troops time to recover from the Battle of Guildford Courthouse. But, fully recover they did not. Five months later, Cornwallis surrendered his army to George Washington, speeding along American victory in the war.

Captain James Frost was born in 1762. He moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, where he died in 1808. His son, James Frost, Jr. migrated to Monticello, Kentucky, and was one of Micah Taul's volunteers in the War of 1812. James Jr.'s son, Stuart Corydon "Cord" Frost, fought against the Rebels in the Civil War. His son, Ulysses Simpson 'Grant' Frost, was the father of my grandmother, Vada Frost Boles.

Wallace Allred Entertained Us

Wallace Allred died Monday at the age of 85. He was a local icon if ever there was one. Wallace stayed away from the spotlight. He never made headlines. You never saw his name in the paper. Most people probably never even knew him by his name. But, if you tell them he's 'the guy who sat inside the ticket booth and sold tickets at Albany Drive-In Theatre, they go, "Oh yeah, that guy!"

For 30 plus years, Wallace Allred entertained us. Albany Drive-In Theatre was owned by Wallace, my uncle, and Cecil Speck, my grandfather. I literally grew up there. Just like the radio station, the drive-in was a way of life for my family. For years, I guess I probably watched every single movie that played at the drive-in, many of them more than one once. Before I was old enough to drive, one of my aunts would park their car next to the concession stand and the younger generation of our family, me included, would sit in it and watch a movie. We did that a lot. Later, as I grew older, I would occasionally help out at the drive-in. I would accompany Wallaces' daughter, Pam, to Byrdstown, Livingston and Burkesville to pass out flyers of upcoming movies. Sometimes I would fill in for Wallace if he had to go see about one of his tractor-trailers. One summer, I popped the popcorn when Barney had to be out for surgery. It was also during that summer, that my brother, Mike, and I swept the field of all its trash 'and otherwise,' from the night before. For a while, we even cut the grass. I didn't mind helping out, but my favorite thing to do at the drive-in was to just sit in the car, with the speaker hanging on the door, and watch a movie. What a life!

Wallace Allred was not only an icon, but he was also an innovator, as well. He was not the first to bring entertainment to the Clinton or Overton counties, but when he did bring it, he stayed the course and held it all in place for 30 plus years....quite an accomplishment! While others came and went, Wallace stayed. In the early 1950's, Wallace, his dad Leland, and his partner, E. Kuell Stephens of Livingston, owned the Skyline Drive-In Theatre outside Livingston. In 1953, Wallace Allred and Speck bought Clinton Theatre, and then later, Albany Drive-In Theatre. In 1956, Leland Allred purchased the very popular Ritz Theatre on the square in Livingston. Built in 1938, the Ritz brought great entertainment to Overton County and beyond. Entertainers like Howard Masters, the best guitar player in Overton County at the time, and Ira Louvin, one half of the future Grand Ole Opry legend, the Louvin Brothers, would climb up on the roof of the Ritz and entertain a multitude of people on the sidewalk and street below, while inside, the theatre would be packed with people enjoying the latest movie. It seemed like every kid in Overton County showed up for the Saturday Matinee. The same thing was true in Albany. Wallace hired performers to entertain on top of the drive-in's concession stand, while the town square was always full of people from early to late every Saturday, and the main attraction was the Clinton Theatre.

The Clinton Theatre eventually closed and by the time the Ritz was destroyed by fire in 1962, Wallace and his partners were down to owning just the two outdoor drive-ins. Allred owned a 1940's model Harley-Davidson and it is a fact that, on many occasions, he would show the same movie on the same night at both drive-ins using just one set of reels - usually four per movie. He would start the show at Albany about a half-hour earlier than Livingston. As soon as one reel would be complete, he would hop on his motorcycle and take a new reel to Livingston. The distance between Albany and Livingston back in the days of the old Highway 111 with all the curves was about 35 minutes. It is legendary that Wallace made his motorcycle run to Livingston a lot sooner than 35 minutes.


A big trick for teenagers back then was to see if they could get by with sneaking into the drive-in. Former WANY disc jockey Art Pryor said, "Surely he knew us boys were sneaking in the drive-in!" Former WANY disc jockey Robin Halcomb said, "Wallace Allred was a gentleman!" Yes, and he was also a gentle man. My guess is that most of the time he did know when people were sneaking in.

The food at the drive-in was so much better than any place else. Maybe it had something to do with the atmosphere there, which was an experience unlike any other. There was just something about it that made it extra special for me. I can still smell Barney's popcorn and taste those delicious orange drinks! When Walking Tall part one came to town, the vehicles were lined up in both directions every night for several nights in a row. It was the biggest movie ever shown there. One of the funniest moments at the drive-in occured late one night when one of the Friday the 13th movies was showing. Just as a very intense moment in the film began to build, a cat found its way onto the lot. Right when the scene in the movie was reaching its climax, suddenly the cat jumped through the window and into the car. Instantly, the car doors were flung open and a boy and a girl emerged from the trans-am screaming for dear life.

In 1983, Albany Drive-In Theatre was sold to make room for a miniature shopping center. Even today, when I pass by Westview Shopping Center, I can't help but look in that direction and imagine the Albany Drive-In Theatre sitting there. One day, several years after the shopping center had been built, as I drove past the shopping center, I saw Wallace walking through the parking lot, and suddenly I was back in my youth again, and Wallace was walking from the ticket booth to the concession stand. I had seen him do that so many times before. It was a special moment for me and I was thankful for the gentle reminder of a great memory from my childhood. I decided right then that I was fortunate to have grown up at Albany Drive-In Theatre.

Monday morning was a sad day for all of us, friends and family alike. As the last reel was played and the movie had ended, the credits scrolling on the screen read...'the part of Wallace Allred was played by a gentle man, who entertained us.' You knew him best as 'the guy who sat inside the ticket booth and sold tickets at Albany Drive-In Theatre.'

Here's a free ticket to Albany Drive-In Theatre. Click here.



When WANY celebrated its 50th anniversary last October, the biggest highlight was when Wallace Allred showed up to help us celebrate. He mixed and mingled with friends for a couple of hours and ended up being on the air with us. As the photo shows, he ha while before making his way back to the studio, where he joined us on the air for a nice walk down memory lane.


You may leave your thoughts and comments on Wallace Allred and/or the Albany Drive-In Theatre or Clinton Theatre by clicking on 'comments' below, or by sending me an e-mail.

Dale Hollow

Dale Hollow Lake is one of the most popular man-made lakes in the South. But how did it get its name? The Corps of Engineers had the policy of naming dams for their location. In this case, studies proved the best site for the dam was in the narrow point in the Obey River valley adjacent to the mount of the Dale Hollow on Obey River.

Originally, Dale Hollow was the name of a farm that had been a full-fledged plantation in ante bellum times. It was settled in 1808 by William Dale, a government surveyor who came to this area to assist in surveying the boundary line between Tennessee and Kentucky. In 1808, he bought the first 449 acres of Willow Grove and named the area around him, Dale Hollow. When Dale Hollow Lake was impounded, some well-intentioned government employees approached Secretary of State Cordell Hull and offered to change the name of Dale Hollow Lake to Cordell Hull Lake, but Mr. Hull, a life long friend to the Dale descendants, said, "No, you have named it correctly already."

Ironically, the man for whom Dale Hollow Lake is named, drowned in the Mississippi River when his flat boat overturned.

Play Ball!

I love baseball. I'm not one to watch a game on TV, but put me in the stands and I LOVE IT!

Today was opening day for little league, and it was a beautiful day to be at the park. I broadcast the opening ceremony live.

Before the games began, Elijah was one of three players who stood at home plate and recited the Pledge of Allegience.

The smell of hotdogs in the air, the sound of the ball hitting the bat, the umpire yelling, "SAFE!" and the crowd roaring in approval...aaah! it's finally that time of year again! !

Today, I watched my niece, Chrissy, play her t-ball game. As the game began, and her team took the field, Chrissy took her place behind home plate as the hind catcher. When the other teams' coach walked up to the plate with his first batter, Chrissy proudly introduced herself by proclaiming,

"I'M THE BEHIND HERE PERSON!"

PLAY BALL!

Nixon's Night Out

So far, there have been 11 U.S. Presidents in my lifetime, beginning with Eisenhower. I have only seen one of them in person. The date was May 28, 1970. The place was Neyland Stadium on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The event was a Billy Graham crusade.

550,000 people attended the ten day crusade. As many as 500 buses rolled into Knoxville each evening. There was a 5,500-person choir. It was a time of unrest throughout the country. There were protests against the Vietnam war on college campuses, including at Knoxville. 24 days earlier, four students had been shot dead by National Guard troops at Kent State University in Ohio. Suddenly, the war in Vietnam had taken the lives of young U.S. citizens in their own country. Hundreds of colleges reacted angrily to the terrifying news from Ohio. Many campuses closed.

President Richard Nixon was in seclusion at the White House after sending U.S. troops to Cambodia nearly a month earlier. He was needing to break out of the isolation. Since he felt comfortable in the South, and since his popularity here was considered 'stable,' because his wartime policies were heavily favored, he decided the Billy Graham crusade at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville would be a perfect way for him to connect to the people at a time of devastating national tension. Besides, Nixon and Graham were the two most admired men in 1970, so it was a perfect setting for Nixon to come out and be seen and feel safe doing it.

A group from my Church had tickets to the crusade for the night of the 28th of May, and it was only a few hours before we were to leave that we, and the rest of the nation, learned that a last-minute surprise guest at that evening's crusade would be the 37th President of the United States of America, Richard Milhous Nixon. He was going to be the first sitting president ever to speak at a Billy Graham crusade, and I was going to be there to witness it.

In the first days of the crusade, music legends Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and the Carter Family had been among the special guests. For Billy Graham, the Knoxville crusade was another chance to echo the themes he had pursued in other recently meetings - that the youth of America, hungry for identity and sense of family, could rally around a revolution for Christ. There had been a few protesters mingling outside the stadium handing out antiwar leaflets, but no one had gotten out of line. Little did everyone know that was about to change.

When we arrived at Neyland Stadium, one of the very first things I saw were the protesters chanting antiwar slogans and holding signs that read, "thou shalt not kill." For a 10-year-old boy, it was pretty overwhelming. Back in those days, we only had one hippy in our town. His name was Gus Samaras. You could see him sitting on the sidewalk near Branham Motel just about every day. He had the long hair and the beard, and the holey jeans, and he was always barefoot. I reckon that's how hippies dressed. At Neyland Stadium that night for me, a 10-year-old boy, who judged by what I saw, it was like a whole bunch of Gus Samaras' had shown up. For me, that was pretty wild. Not groovy, just wild.

Soon, a helicopter landed near the stage, and President Nixon and his wife, Pat, exited from it and were led to the platform. It was revealed that President Nixon's chief foreign policy adviser, Dr. Henry Kissenger, was seated near the stage. Also present were presidential advisor H.R. Haldeman, who would later be found guilty of conspiracy and obstruction of justice and imprisoned for his role in the Watergate break-in and subsequent scandal. Nixon's long-time friend, Bebe Rebozo, who became involved in the Watergate crisis when he was investigated for accepting $100,000 on behalf of the Nixon campaign from industrialist Howard Hughes, was also there, along with Nixon's long-time personal secretary, Rosemary Woods, best known for her role in the infamous 18½-minute gap in a secretly recorded audio tape she was making of an Oval Office conversation between Nixon and Haldeman that took place three days after the June 17, 1972 break-in at the Watergate Hotel, and might have shed light on whether Nixon knew about the break-in.

That night on May 28, 1970 at the University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, it wasn't Watergate that was on peoples minds. It was the Vietnam War. 75,000 people were in attendance. Just before Graham spoke, some of the 1,500 protesters sang John Lennon's song, "Give Peace A Chance," as they filed out of the stadium. As Graham began his introduction of the president, the 300 or so demonstrators that remained, began chanting, "Politics! Politics! I just stood there staring at them, watching their every move and listening to their every words.

When Nixon came to the podium, the demonstrators began chanting antiwar slogans, only to be drowned out by a roar of pro-Nixon boos. As he began to speak, the protesters began chanting, 'Peace now, peace now!' Someone in the 5,550 choir held up a finger and began chanting, 'One Way! One Way!' Pretty soon the entire choir was doing it. So, you had 'Peace now' on one side, and 'One Way' on the other." When Nixon would speak the protesters would chant. When he was quiet, they were quiet. Finally, singer Ethel Waters walked up to the platform and delivered this message to the protesters, "You chillun there, you hush now! If I was sittin' by you, I'd give you a smack! Then she added, "Then I would hug you and tell you that I loved you." Her sweet spirit seemed to have won out as the protesters quietened considerably.

At the invitation, in a staged event as the Rev. Graham prayed, the protesters stood silently with their heads bowed and one arm extended into the air with two fingers raised in a peace sign gesture.

The crusade ended three nights later. Over 12,000 people came to Christ during that ten-day period event.

For Nixon, his 'night out' in Knoxville was a triumph. Time magazine called his speech the greatest of his presidency. He said, in part, "I'm proud to say that the great majority of America's young people do not approve of violence. The great majority of American young people do approve, as I do, of dissent..." He said, "we can have what can be described as complete cleanliness and yet have a sterile life" without spirituality."

The Good Stuff

Easter Sunday was a nice day. The cantata seemed to go well. Marina had a little problem with her allergies, so we took time out to tend to her and then afterwards, enjoyed a nice meal at The Lighthouse, thanks to Papa and Nana. Later, Elijah and I went back to Church, where the Lord's Supper was being observed. As they were bringing the grape juice around, Elijah leaned over and said, "Here comes the good stuff!"

It was a simple reminder that, at Easter, we do indeed celebrate "the good stuff" - the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Growing up, although I know I hunted easter eggs as a toddler, I never really celebrated Easter for anything else other than what it's really all about. When I was five years old, I told my older brother and cousin that the man with the big bag and the red suit was all made up. I'm sure that the following Easter I was shipped off to Siberia or some place for a few days, so I couldn't inflict any further damage. While I was disappointed when I first learned there was no such thing as Santa Claus, I have had several opportunities in my life to never be disappointed in Jesus. There is no charade in Him.

As Elijah so eloquently stated, it is "the good stuff!"