News of the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts brought to mind the one significant contact I had with him.
It was 1964. President Kennedy had been assassinated the previous November and Americans were still keenly remembering that shocking death.
A Delaware sculptor — I believe it was Charles Parks — created a bust of the dead president and forwarded it to the office of Sen. J. Caleb Boggs where I was working as the senator’s chief of staff.
Sen. Boggs asked me to take the bust to Sen. Kennedy’s office and present it to him.
I made the arrangements to do that and simply walked to Sen. Kennedy’s office carrying the foot-tall bust, The senator was somber-faced as I gave the bust to him, explaining as I did so that it represented not only the sculptor’s great sympathy at the tragedy of his brother’s death, but the sorrowful sentiments of Delawareans as a whole. It was over in a few minutes.
My memory of how Sen. Kennedy looked at that time is a clear one. He was 32 years old, with black, slightly curly hair and a somewhat round, young face. As the years went on he gradually became completely white-haired and a little heavy, winning the sobriquet of “Lion of the Senate.”
Predicting such a significant future for him would have been difficult 45 years ago.
I saw Kennedy at other times while on Sen. Boggs’ staff. Both he and his brother, Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York, were the senators who visitors from Ireland in particular most wanted to see.
*****
All of the attention given to the rare unassisted triple play pulled off by Phillies second baseman Eric Brunlett on Aug. 23 reminded me of the one rare baseball feat I happened to see in the 1940s. Ted Williams, perhaps the best hitter ever, was playing for the Boston Red Sox and he “hit for the cycle” during one Sunday double header in Boston’s Fenway Park.
According to a compilation carried in the Wall Street Journal, the odds of seeing a cycle performance — a batter hitting a single, double, triple and home run in a single game — are 1 in 1,342. Baseball history records 290 such instances.
Odds against achieving an unassisted triple play are even longer — 1 in 25,951. Only 15 times has such a feat entered baseball history books.
I was talking to an enthusiastic Phillies fan named Lisa who said she was just as glad she wasn’t actually at the game.
“I’d have missed it,” she said, explaining that was because the action was over so quickly.
But, like millions of others, she has since seen the swift fly ball catch, base tag and player tag repeated many times on television.
*****
Stories have appeared concerning the current corn crop on the Delmarva Peninsula indicating the crop this year might be a small one.
Perhaps that’s true, but you wouldn’t think so if you travel the back, rural roads and see field after field of healthy-looking corn stalks.
The soybean crop also seems to be doing well, judging from driving those same roads.
Let’s hope these key crops are indeed having a good year. It is sometimes forgotten that for all the many businesses that make up our local economy, agriculture is by far the largest.
Besides, we all like to eat regularly.
*****
In last week’s column I mentioned the compassionate work being done at Dover Air Force Base by USO volunteers and their leader, Joan Cote, the USO Delaware director. Joan has been in charge ever since the agency was re-activated 18 years ago and her expertise is recognized nationally.
Because of Dover’s major role in transporting personnel, supplies and equipment overseas, coupled with the base having the state-of-the-art mortuary handling the return of all fatal casualties to the United States, the USO operations here are arguably the most important in the country.
Adding to that brief mention last week, it is also well to report that USO facilities are being greatly expanded, with the main USO space being made four times greater than it is now. New features are being added that will make the space more interesting and entertaining for not only military personnel passing through but for those regularly stationed at Dover.
With the Department of Defense policy now permitting families of those who have died overseas to come to Dover, steps have been taken as well to help these families with accommodations and details of their trip.
A little more about that annual USO fund-raising golf tournament which precipitated these USO comments:
It drew 76 players, including the three other members of the foursome I was glad to be a part of. One of the players was Staff Sgt. Rob Bentley, a computer expert who regularly helps the USO but a newcomer to the game of golf. Nevertheless, on a par 5 hole he hit a 92-yard shot which wound up in the cup, giving his team an unexpected eagle 3 on the hole.
Also on the team were former Dover Mayor Jim “Hutch” Hutchison and Tom Morris. Tom is someone you should never bet against on a long putt, as I found out.
*****
This newcomer to the big city was walking along a darkened street when he was attacked and finally subdued by two muggers after a battle.
The muggers went through his pockets and found only 69 cents.
“You mean you fought like that for 69 cents,” one of the muggers said incredulously.
“Is that all you wanted?” the newcomer moaned. “I thought you were after the $500 in my shoe!”
Dover, Del. —
