Good Morning All & Happy Sunday and Happy Flag Day!
Here’s to that “Grand Old Flag”…”Old Glory”! May you always wave high and continue to inspire us to make this a better country. It is the beloved symbol of liberty and justice for all and many have paid a horrible price to see that it continues to be a beacon of liberty to all.
Speaking of celebrations, here’s to our long-time beloved family friend, Keinyn, on his birthday today! He is a husband and Coast Guardsman extraordinaire, not to mention to being a great hiking buddy over the years. He was best man for my son, Jake. Keinyn is one of the “good guys.” Happy Birthday, Keinyn, and have lots of fun today! We’ll be celebrating with you from Spokane.
Also, Happy Birthday to one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Raban, author of “Badland” among others, who celebrates his 78th birthday today!
Well, our country is in quite a fix right now. Lack of clear leadership on the coronavirus pandemic at both the state & federal levels and the need for fundamental reform of our law enforcement agencies to ensure that bad actors are removed ASAP; the power of the police union in covering up for errant officers is reduced/eliminated; and that faith and confidence in the vast majority of officers who conduct themselves with honor and integrity is restored. My prayer is that all Americans will come to grips with the need to treat each other fairly by considering that all of us…white, black, brown, red or yellow…are made in the image of God, our Creator. May God have mercy on our country…the best hope for the world…even with all of our warts.
I came across a collectible card from 1958 in my collection the other day that features Marshal Matt Dillon from the “Gunsmoke” T.V. series. Matt Dillon was none other than actor James Arness, born James King Aurness in 1923. He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves of “Mission Impossible” fame (he used a maternal family name for his stage name). Arness was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and dropped the “u” in his last name when started acting. His parents were Rolf Cirkler, a businessman, and Ruth Duesler, a journalist. His father’s ancestry was Norwegian and his mother’s was German. During his youth, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler, loading and unloading railway boxcars at the Burlington freight yards in Minneapolis and working in logging for a time in Pierce, Idaho. Despite “being a poor student and skipping many classes,” he graduated from high school in 1942. Although Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot in World War II, his 6 foot, 7 inch frame exceeded the height limit of 6 feet, 2 inches for naval aviation service. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 2, 1944. Due to his height, he was the first man to be ordered off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water—it came up to his waist. He was severely wounded in his right leg during the Battle of Anzio. His wounds troubled him throughout the remainder of his life. He received the Bronze Star for his service during the Battle of Anzio. After his discharge from the service, he entered Beloit College in Wisconsin and began his entertainment career at Minneapolis station WLOL in 1945. Arness went to Hollywood by hitchhiking and soon began acting & appearing in films. He was a friend of John Wayne and appeared in a number of Wayne’s films. He was recommended for the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on “Gunsmoke” by John Wayne. In 1988 Arness was awarded the honorary title of U.S. Marshal and presented with an official badge. Arness marreid Virginia Chapman in 1948 and they had three children…an adopted son Craig; a son, Rolf and a daughter Jenny. Rolf became World Surfing Champion in 1970. Craig founded the stock photography agency “Westlight” and was also a photographer for National Geographic. Jenny died of a drug overdose in 1975, as did his wife Virginia in 1977. He married Janet Surtees in 1978. Despite his stoic character, his “Gunsmoke” stunt double said that Arness frequently laughed “from his toes to the top of his head.” Filming on the “Gunsmoke” set was sometimes suspended because Arness got a case of the uncontrollable giggles. Arness disdained publicity and banned reporters from the “Gunsmoke” set. On the 50th anniversary of television in 1989 in the United States, “People” magazine named James Arness number 6 of the top 25 television stars of all time. He was said to be a sensitive man who enjoyed poetry, sailboat racing & surfing. He died of natural causes at the age of 88 years at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on June 3, 2011. Here’s to actor James Arness and all of those great “Gunsmoke” episodes from 1955 to 1975!
Here is the word definition for the day:
“Bechamel” (bey-sha-mel): A late 17th century French word meaning “a rich white sauce made with milk infused with herbs and other flavorings.” There’s nothing like a great bechamel with your mac and cheese!
Here is the fact for the day:
60% of NBA players are broke within 5 years of retiring from the game.
Here are the thoughts for the day:
“By the end of the 1980s, Seattle had taken on the dangerous lustre of a promised city. The rumour had gone out that if you had failed in Detroit you might yet succeed in Seattle—and that if you’d succeeded in Seoul, you could succeed even better in Seattle…Seattle was the coming place. So I joined the line of hopefuls.”
“Lincoln, steeped in the Bible and Shakespeare, set an impossibly high bar for presidential prose.”
—Jonathan Raban, author of “Badland” (born June 14, 1942)
“Only in God is my soul at rest, in Him comes my salvation
He only is my rock, my strength and my salvation…
My stronghold…my Savior…I shall not be afraid at all…
My stronghold…my Savior…I shall not be moved.
Only in God is found safety when my enemy pursues me
Only in God is found glory when I am found meek and found lowly…
My stronghold…my Savior…I shall not be afraid at all…
My stronghold…my Savior…I shall not be moved.
Only in God is my soul at rest, in Him comes my salvation.”
—John Michael Talbot, “Only In God (Psalm 62)”, in “One Faith: 40 Songs Of Worship By John Michael Talbot” (1999)
Here’s to a great Sunday and Flag Day and lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)