The year 1965 has been brought to mind in this October of 2005. The first instance was due to my writing a history of our church, LCC. It was started in 1965 and is now 40 years young. My history covered the years from 1990 to today, October 2005. The Church’s monthly news report “Cross Currents” for October includes information as to the coming celebration on October 23rd. Pastor Dave, in his column asks the questions, “Where were you in 1965? Starting a career? Living up North? In grade school? Were you even born yet?” He goes on to reminisce about songs he recalls. One “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, and the other “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher. I recall the one by Sonny and Cher but not the other. According to my calculations Pastor Dave would have been 17 or 18 in 1965, so it is not surprising that these are the songs he might recall!
In 1965 I would have been 36 and the father of seven children, ages 2 to 10, five boys and two girls. The girls were the youngest and oldest, Mary T. at 2 years of age and Suzanne at 10 years of age. I had by that time been practicing law for about 6 years. I remember somewhere in there a few years of teaching at the St. Joseph’s (College then) University night school to supplement my income. I had had become active in the local politics having been elected a democratic committeeman from my ward. Later I was named a member of the License and Inspection Review Board. It was not a paying position, but kept me in contact with our new Mayor, James H.J. Tate. (He always insisted on the ‘H.J.’ when in print,) He had become Mayor by default not an election. It happened that in 1964 the then Mayor Richardson Dilworth decided to run for Governor. He had to resign as Mayor to do so under our City Charter, (Incidentally he lost.) The Charter provided that the then President of the City Council, in this case Tate, was to be Mayor until the next election. The Mayor was the titular head of the local Democratic Party. My activity thus naturally led to more contact with the new Mayor as I had thoughts of running for election to the State Legislature in 1966. Mayor Tate was familiar with my father and his past activities for the party. My dad had been active when to be a Democrat in a Republican controlled city was seemingly a waste of time and energy. He ran for office several times, but not with the hope really of winning. He explained how the active Democratic leaders would sit around before an election and decide who should run for what. So you would hear, “Well, it’s your turn Dick so you’ll have to file!” One time I recall driving around City Hall, which is built on a circle, to keep looking for his name to arrive in an electronic bulletin board on the Evening Bulletin Building across from one of the corners of City Hall. Ultimately we saw a listing of the number of votes he received and incidentally immediately before or after, it listed FDR’s votes. So Dad felt he was in good political company.
In 1966 I entered a primary race for a Legislative seat. The primary was caused by the party not naming a candidate and two former legislators filed. I won the Primary so I was now the party candidate in the general election in November. About four weeks before the general election the Republican Party named Tom Gola as their candidate. He had been a basketball star in a Philadelphia high school and college and played for the Philadelphia pro team. He was now resigning from a team in New York (I think). He had undoubtedly ‘name’ recognition. Along with that, one ward of the district had a majority of Republican registered voters. Despite door to door campaigning I lost. But I did so well that the party chiefs congratulated me.
Thus in 1967 when Tate was filing for election as Mayor and he needed to form a ticket. The then party chairman, an old friend, refused to endorse him. I was asked if I would file for one of the positions and I did. I filed for Register of Wills. The then Register also a candidate for reelection was a friend of my Dad and myself. He and I had tried a murder trial together in 1960. In fact an appeal which I filed was still pending. He came to the office to talk to my Dad and me about my withdrawing. I told him I paid my $25 to file and until Tate said I could step down, I would stay. My Dad advised John, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll be voting for you, John! ” Later the party relented and Tate became the candidate and I naturally did nothing about the Register of Wills position since I was now excused. This led to my serving under the newly elected Mayor Tate first as a Deputy Commissioner of Property and later as Commissioner of Records. My decision in 1965 to become more politically involved resulted in my losing an election and in serving in the city government under Mayor Tate.
In 1965 there was another local election that made national news, the run for Mayor of New York City. I watched and read with interest since William Buckley was running. I remembered him from his best seller “God and Man at Yale. It was an attack on his alma mater for failing to find God anywhere in the curriculum or for that matter almost anywhere at Yale. He founded the magazine “National Review” at age 29 and was its editor. It was a conservative organ and known as such through out America. He wrote a column, which appeared in about 150 papers weekly. I watched him on TV one time debating Gore Vidal. I forget the issues but will never forget the speech and manners of Mr.Buckley. As it was reported in a recent New York Times magazine article reporting on the those election debates, that “Buckley exuded civility and wit…Buckley offered comic exuberance. It came through in the gold-plated vocabulary and in the languid accent – a piquant blend of British intonation and Southern drawl. And there was the mercilessly adroit debating style, honed over the years before many audiences.” In his debate with Vidal, Buckley’s style was the same. They were the standard Buckley traits. He was a Latin scholar. In a book of Latin sayings I have he wrote the introduction. He was very upset with his church, the Roman Catholics, going to the vernacular after Vatican II approved it. He wrote a faith biography called “Nearer, my God ” which I read. I copied a chapter from it to use as a mediation on Good Friday. It was entitled, “The Crucifixion, As Seen, Or Imagined By Marian Valtorta”. It is the most gruesome and realistic description of the agonies of Christ I have ever read.
Buckley was running against John Lindsey, a former congressman. He was the endorsed Republican candidate and Abraham Beame, the Democratic candidate. He had entered the race, it was reported in the Times article, by accident. In 1965 the conservative Republicans were still writhing over the disastrous loss by Barry Goldwater to LBJ. Conservatives were literally on the ‘outs’. How Buckley entered is that he had written a column offering some thoughts on the election and the task facing its winner. It was in terms of “What might we offer if we were running for Mayor?” The column was reprinted in the National Review with a front cover tease, “Buckley for Mayor” It was intended as a joke and for the most part was received as one. But the then leaders of the newly formed statewide Conservative Party of New York took the idea seriously. Their thought was to have him run to spread the Conservative’s beliefs. Buckley agreed. So he filed. In one of the first question and answer periods following a debate someone asked, “Did he have any chance of winning?” “No”, Buckley said. “How many votes did he expect to get?” “One”, Buckley said cheerfully. “And who would cast that vote?” “My secretary”. Later at one of his news conference he made a statement I would never forget, nor anyone else who heard it. He was asked what would he do if he were elected? Buckley replied “ Demand a recount!” So much for the year 1965, now back to the present, 2005. October saw the end of my Physical Therapy sessions. I had 35 in all from July 15th to October 5th. It worked wonders with my energy even while causing some muscle soreness and pains in my shoulders and upper arms. With the coming of cooler weather (Florida cooler usually means just less humidity) I plan to get back to a bit of walking. I am also considering joining a gym to continue some of the exercises inside away from the heat.
We spent the week of October 8th to the 15th at Anna Marie Island Beach Cottages. Marge and Dan were with us as well as a couple from Church, the Doto’s, Jim and Lynn and their two guys. We had perfect weather. Anna Marie Island is located in the Gulf just off the coast from the city of Bradenton. It is about 5 to 6 miles long and at most a half a mile wide is some places. It is covered with mostly one-story cottages. It has a few small shopping areas, but no large hotels, motels, etc. The eastern coast of the Island runs along the Tampa Bay and the west along the Gulf. It is a beautiful and quiet paradise. It has some excellent restaurants. One we like as well as Dan and Marge, is the “Rod & Reel” located on the northeastern corner of the island. From it you can see the Sunshine Skyway and the coast of St Petersburg along the Bay. It serves fresh seafood in great quantities and at reasonable prices. We had a wonderful time only I spoiled a few nights sleep for June with a respiratory infection which with a new prescription on Tuesday we got under control. The only thing June missed was the view of the Gulf while sitting on the porch like we could do at St.Pete’s beach where we stayed. Until next time, Pax tecum!