Dallas, Texas

Humor and History

Reflections

As much as anything, our electoral process should be a time of reflection – a time when we process not only the choices before us, but also the influences that dictate how we make them.  In today’s political environment, it seems that the elements of humor and history are in short supply.  If you want to experience

both, here are two suggestions.  Go see “Man of the Year” with Robin Williams,  www.manoftheyearmovie.net, for some poignant humor.  And, if you have time, go to Dallas, Texas.  More specifically, go to the John F. Kennedy Museum for a reconnect with one of our generation’s most defining moments.  John and I had the opportunity recently to do both.

We went to see the movie while visiting our older daughter in Washington, D.C.  Through Robin Williams’ comedic genius, you are challenged to consider everything from a system mired in the status quo to the dependability of voting machines.  His character, Tom Dobbs, has the audience standing and applauding the movie screen as the credits roll at the end. 

As for Dallas, we flew there this summer for a visit with my cousin, Beth Pirtle, and her husband, Rodney.   What started out as a relaxed, fun reunion soon subtly unfolded for us into a living lesson on activism and purpose. 

One morning, Beth took us to the Kennedy Museum, http://www.jfk.org/, located in the old schoolbook depository across from the notorious grassy knoll in downtown Dallas – the one that is forever frozen in our memories as the place John F. Kennedy was shot.  Our visit proved to be a very profound opportunity to go back to that time -- now forty-three years gone -- when the crystalline voice of our handsome, young President challenged us with “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Most of us old enough to know its import can remember as clearly as yesterday where we were on November 22, 1963 when the announcement came that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.  I was in the tenth grade, in my fifth period World History class.  Although I don’t recall the teacher’s name, I remember in vivid detail what happened that day.

About half way through the class, the irritating scratchy sound that foretells an impending announcement over the PA system interrupted her lecture.  There was a fumbling noise like the microphone might have slipped and fallen to the floor.  Then, the voice of Mr. Huggins, the assistant principal, came out of the gray system box over her desk. 

“Today, at 12:30 pm Central Standard Time, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas………”

My teacher dropped her book on the floor, sat down at her desk, threw her body across it and proceeded to bawl.  After a few minutes, she looked up at us and wailed “…. And we think we have democracy in this country…”   

The crispness of this memory can only be attributed to the instantaneous trauma of the moment.  The television coverage that followed for the next few days galvanized it in my mind along with the images we all share – Jackie Kennedy in her blood-stained pink suit standing next to Lyndon Johnson as he’s sworn in to be President; Lee Harvey Oswald, mouth agape and holding his stomach, as Jack Ruby shoots him; the caisson rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue; and John-John holding the small American flag, saluting his father, the fallen leader.

Undoubtedly, the suddenness of the act and the acute sense of loss combined to forever obscure the hard politics of the moment.  It was a time when a test pattern actually signaled the end of television programming for the day.   No 24-hour news channels existed to dissect the events and analyze their meaning for us. John and Jackie Kennedy became immortalized into “Camelot,” a benchmark of grace and sophistication we seem unable to achieve in more recent times. The whole world stopped to mourn.  People could disagree with Kennedy on his policies, but could never doubt his charisma and inspirational qualities.  His persona, both by life and by death, set in motion a wave of awareness and commitment for our generation that somehow makes the current gongs of engagement ring hollow.

As I said, our Dallas trip was intended as a mini-family reunion.  I have three remaining members in my generation of my mother’s family – Beth, Rodney, and Beth’s older brother, Sandy Weems.  All of them are retired from their lifelong professions -Beth and Rodney from education, Sandy from the military.  But, there is no “retirement” in the way in which they live their lives and the commitment they continue to have to our country.

Upon leaving his administrative position in the progressive Highland Park school district, Rodney enrolled in Southern Methodist University to get a Doctorate in Theology.  He is an active Rotarian who spends many days delivering speeches all over Texas on effective methods for dealing with the pervasive problem of drugs.   His avocation has always been singing and he’s in much demand with a regular appearance every season to perform the National Anthem at the Texas Rangers’ games.

Beth taught the hearing impaired for over thirty years.  Whenever Rodney appears for his singing engagements, she is there with him to sign the words to some of his songs.  A few years ago, she was crowned Ms. Senior Texas and was second runner-up to Ms. Senior America.  For her talent, she signed “Wind Beneath My Wings” to Rodney’s accompaniment.  Along with her varied church and community commitments, she currently heads the United Nations Association in the Dallas area.

Sandy rose to the rank of Army Colonel in a career which included two tours of duty in Viet Nam as a helicopter pilot.   He now owns a hardware store in West Columbia, Texas, where he serves as the chairman of the Democratic Party and the president of his American Legion post. 

We had a wonderful time visiting with them, their children and grandchildren.  Many of our conversations revolved around reminiscences of family members either not present or already departed.  Laughter and tears alternated, sometimes even overlapped.  All the while, there was a marvelous revelation occurring, both in word and deed, as to how these cousins continue to live out JFK’s charge.

Sandy talked about how after 9/11, he became aware of the compensation offered to the victims’ families in the tragedies of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.  The benefit averaged $1.3 million.  In his opinion, that was all well and good except that, at the time, the death benefit for a serviceperson killed in the line of duty defending the country was only $12,500.  He brought this discrepancy to the attention of his American Legion post and they began barking up the chain of command for the national organization to lobby Congress for an increase.  After a time, the effort met with some success.  The death benefit increased to $100,000.  But, that still wasn’t good enough.  Sandy persuaded his post to take out life insurance policies of $250,000 on each service member living in their district for as long as that person remained on active duty. 

Beth, when she wasn’t cooking our food or driving us around town, spent time making phone calls to organize a United Nations Association conference on Darfur in Africa.  She pointed out that Darfur has become the poster country for the UN Millennium Goals  – eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development.  I marveled at her passion as I bemoaned the fact that we find it necessary to give the world a thousand years to accomplish these goals. 

One morning at breakfast, we had a lively discussion about Rodney’s presentations on the drug crisis in this country.  He’s a strong advocate for taking drug addiction out of the law enforcement arena and placing it with mental health.  His research shows that law enforcement is ill equipped to make a real impact on reduction in drug use.  Its mission is to enforce the law, capture perpetrators and punish them.  The use of drugs leads to criminal activity, which law enforcement must address.  But, the root cause of this activity rests in a substance dependency clinically defined as mental and physical.  Mental health institutions are much better able to address the problem at its cause. 

Right on the heels of wrapping up that conversation, Rodney looked at his watch, excused himself from the table and said he’d be back around noon.  He had to go pick up his 83-year old partner to deliver Meals On Wheels on their regular route.  Can you say Good Samaritan on steroids?   

On the airplane returning home, John and I talked about what an incredible trip this was.  Obviously, we were inspired by our visit to the Kennedy Museum and the memories it evoked.  But, we were more amazed at how these three people, who by all accounts should be resting on their life’s significant laurels, continued to “ask not what the country could do for them, but what they could do for the country.”