|
David Mitchell
Since we have finally had our security net penetrated by John Jackson, I feel sufficiently free to open up and share this. Back in the dawn of time - when this forum was but a mere couple hundred pages, I gave credit to my older cousin Jim and his legendary pillow fights, and to my buddy Tom Litzinger, regarding his skill (at age 5) with a book of matches .
But there is another "giant" who's shoulders I stand on, and this is as good a time as any to pay him homage.
John Jackson was a friend with whom I walked part-way home from school every day from about 5th grade on (when I was old enough to not have to ride with our Yaronia car pool), along with Litzinger. We three strolled up Schreyer Place and had many great conversations, about life's deeper mysteries - about "You Asked for It" episodes, or about the "Jets" game last night on WMNI radio, or about Lucas and Havlicek, or about how fast Father Foley could say 6:30 Mass - (I think Kerry Ryan or Jerry Cox once timed him at 12 and a half minutes). But John made two very unique contributons to my life:
First;
By about 2nd grade, John and I realized that we were both stamp collectots (or "Philatelists", as John was wont to say). Our fathers had been collectors, and we had inherited the gene (and our dad's stamp albums). I still have my dad's 1921 "Scott's Worldwide" album (with quite a few gems still mounted inside - some mint "Columbians", "Trans-Mississippi's", and a letter from Bishop Issenmann to dad from the Vatican during the 2nd Vatican Council - covered with Vatican commemorative stamps).
So John calls the first meeting of the club, and in attendance are John, myself, and the two Cullinan brothers, John and Jack (I think?). The first order of business is to vote on our officers, and would you beleive, John was voted President? -- by acclamation! ---(and on the very first ballot! )
Next comes the voting for V.P. - and after some lengthly deliberation, the Cullinan brothers formed a coalition with John and voted as one huge political block to "push" me over the top as V.P. (note: there was no suggestion of hackers during the entire 6 or 8 minutes of the convention)
After that, we held regular Saturday morning meetings in John's basement about 4 or 6 times a year. And once or twice a year, my mom, or John's mom would drive the four of us over to Grandview to a little "Stamp & Coin" shop on west 3rd - (or maybe W. 5th ?). We each had a few bucks in our pockets (I usually had the most 'cause mom would slip me a $5 bill before we got in the car). What fun collecting new and used stamps, "plate blocks", "First Day Covers" and all that stuff. A few years back John sent me our old "Club Album" - with it's few pages and a few dozen samps still in there. I swear I learned most of my hisory and geography (but not my spelling, dammit) because of that wonderful hobby. I used to know some of the "states" of India. I can actually recall what Admiral David Farragaut, or Walt Whitman looked like. And I still remember what S.E.A.T.O. stands for. (I double dare ya' to guess that one without googling it, Nina -- or Theresa, or Susanne)
But alas, there is more. As time wore on John was perceptive enough to realize that our group needed more to sustain our Saturday morning meetings. So John wrote a play for us to perform ourselves. It was something about some polar bears who were lost in the Gobi desert. (I SWEAR, I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP). We even performed it for our class at school. And in the plot John somehow worked in a bit about Wombats. This, I now confess, is the source of the legendary querries about Wombats in John Jackson's past.
Sorry, I ran long - again ("No s - - -, Dave"), so I will save his other "contribution" to my life for another post.
TBC
|
