Roger O Green

Cub Scout pictures

Cypress Street

Cub Scouts color Here are a couple of Cub Scout pictures that my old friend Ray Lia recently sent me. I don’t think I was in the Scouts for very long because I wasn’t very good at knot-tying or whatever was required. I think I got through the Wolf level but not the Bear.

Our den mother was Ray’s very nice mom. When Ray married his wife, Pam, in the autumn of 1976, I got to escort Mrs. Lia to her seat. They are good at Christmas letters, whereas I am… not.

I had seen the color picture before. It was in a photo album with a bright red cover I used to own, which disappeared from my grandma Williams’ house on 13 Maple Street in Binghamton, NY, in the 1970s. The kid to the left is familiar, but I can’t place his name. Then there’s me, David Doyle, Ray in the hat, and a guy named Bill Davies also in the hat.

Not surprisingly, Ray, Bill, and David lived on Cypress Street in the First Ward of Binghamton. David lived on the corner of Mygatt Street, while Ray and Bill lived on the first block from Oak Street. Ray’s house was 7 1/2, about halfway between my grandma’s house and mine at 5 Gaines Street.

B&W

I don’t believe I ever owned the black-and-white photo. Most of the kids are vaguely familiar to me, but I have a terrible time remembering their names. I’m to the left. Ray is third from the left, and Bill Davies is to the far right.

Ray thinks there’s a guy named Darren or Darwin Rossi on the back left and John Sleazak or Slezak on the back right.

I’d appreciate it if you were of a certain age and could identify any of these people from Binghamton, NY. I’m also curious about the venues and times of both pictures. Ray, Bill, and I all look younger in the black-and-white picture than in the color one. Thanks for your help.

Cub scouts b&w

Sunday Stealing — Odd Little Meme

Eugene Ionesco

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This odd little meme was stolen from Singularity, who originally posted them in September 2010.

But before that, here’s a picture of my backyard on Monday, April 7, at about 8 a.m. If you look very closely, you can see snow falling.

1. Do you own a pair of cargo pants?

No. I feel as though I did once upon a time.

2. Which of these gifts from a romantic partner would please you most: a) jewelry, b) wine, c) a book, d) something grown in his/her garden?

Definitely not wine. I have several bottles, undrunk. I’d say a book, though my list of unread books is long and getting longer.

3. Who was the last person to toss a harsh word or phrase your way? Do you think that maybe you had it coming?

I don’t recall unless we’re talking online. And to be honest, it wasn’t all that. In response to a Facebook post: “Just more left-wing propaganda. Anybody who can’t see it by now simply chooses not to.”

Theater

4. Did you appear in any plays back when you were in school? If yes, what role(s) did you play? Earn extra, non-existent points for sharing any of your dialog.

One was The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. “In this haunting and blistering play, a wealthy woman offers financial help to her struggling hometown – in exchange for the life of a man who wronged her years before.” I was the train conductor, trying to get the rich woman to comply with the rail line’s rules. My entire dialogue: “But madame…”

My most significant role was in The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco, his first one-act antiplay (1950), which “inspired a revolution in dramatic techniques and helped inaugurate the Theatre of the Absurd. I played the Fire Chief. “Since you don’t have the time here, I must tell you that in exactly three-quarters of an hour and sixteen minutes, I’m having a fire at the other end of the city.”

5. Which Osmond do you like better: Donny or Marie?

I might have said Marie because I hated the Osmonds’ One Bad Apple, a ripoff of the Jackson 5ive. But I saw Close Every Door from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it’s oddly fascinating.

6. Who is your favorite radio host or podcaster?

Brian Ibbott of Coverville, which is “a podcast, produced every Wednesday, that focuses on cover songs – a new rendition of a previously recorded song.” In fact, every month, I suggest musicians whose birthdays are divisible by five.

7. Is your personal workspace filled with fluffy, plastic, wind-up, rubbery, or edible items? Or are you all business and clutter-free?

Well, my home office is mightily cluttered.

#1 hits of 1935, part 1

Blue Moon

There were 27 #1 hits of 1935. Rather than list them all here, I’ll break them in half.

Some notes about the charts. They were partly compiled from these sources: the weekly record-label bestseller charts ran in Variety until 1935. Billboard picked up these charts from November 1935 until early 1938. Metronome carried the charts until the end of 1938.

By 1934, Billboard and Variety began publishing rankings of the top songs for radio airplay and sheet music. Your Hit Parade launched its famous radio-broadcast song rankings in April 1935.

Cheek To Cheek – Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman and his orchestra (Brunswick), 11 weeks at #1. Written by Irving Berlin for the movie Top Hat; here are Astaire and Ginger Rogers from the film

Isle of Capri– Ray Noble and his Orchestra, Al Bowlly on vocals (Victor), 7 weeks at #1

When I Grow Too Old To Dream – Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, Kenny Sargenton on vocals (Decca), 4 weeks at #1. Composed by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1935 film musical “The Night Is Young.”

Red Sails In The Sunset – Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, Carmen Lombardo on vocals (Decca), 4 weeks at #1

Lovely To Look At – Eddy Duchin and his orchestra, Lew Sherwood on vocals (Victor) 4 weeks at #1. Written by Hammerstein II-Fields-McHugh-Kern for the 1935 film treatment of “Roberta.” The song was not in the 1933 stage version.

She’s A Latin from Manhattan – Victor Young and his orchestra, Hal Burke, on vocals. (Decca), 4 weeks at #1. From the 1935 Warner Brothers film “Go Into Your Dance” starring Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler, score by Harry Warren-Al Dubin.

In A Gypsy Tea Room – Bob Crosby and his orchestra, Crosby on vocals (Decca) 3 weeks at #1

Simply because you’re near me

I’m In The Mood For Love – Little Jack Little and his orchestra (Columbia), 3 weeks at #1. From the 1935 Paramount musical “Every Night At Eight” starring George Raft

I Won’t Dance – Eddy Duchin and his orchestra, Lew Sherwood on vocals (Victor) 3 weeks at #1. Written by Hammerstein II-Fields-McHugh-Kern for the 1935 film treatment of “Roberta.” The song was not in the 1933 stage version.

Truckin’ – Fats Waller (Victor), 3 weeks at #1. From “Cotton Club Parade, 26th Edition.” Written by Ted Koehler-Rube Bloom

Chasing Shadows – Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, Bob Eberle on vocals (Decca), 3 weeks at #1

You Ae My Lucky Star – Eddie Duchin Orchestra, Lew Sherwood on vocals (Victor), 3 weeks at #1. From the film “Broadway Melody of 1936” written by Arthur Freed-Nacio Herb Brown.

Blue Moon – Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, Kenny Sargent on vocals (Decca) 3 weeks at #1. “Lorenz Hart had written THREE previously unsuccessful or unused sets of lyrics for this Richard Rodgers melody. Obviously, his 4th attempt was the charm.” Or not. “Blue Moon was composed in 1931 by a 17-year-old, Edward W. Roman, the son of Polish immigrants, after an evening of moonlit skating on a pond in upstate New York.” in any case, I’m a sucker for the version by the Marcels.

“Something they have no control over”

HOPE

The wife of an old friend of mine was touting the Hands Off demonstration in their little town in upstate New York, one of hundreds of rallies across the country that drew hundreds of thousands of people.

Another old friend of mine wrote: “Amazes me how people will spend hours and days on something they have no control over.”

As someone who has participated in civil rights and antiwar demonstrations for decades, I heartily disagree.

The Weekly Sift guy asked on Monday, Is this a turning point?

Marathon

The previous “Monday, Cory Booker began his record-setting 25-hour speech in the Senate, making the case that ‘the country is in crisis'”. The Boston Globe (likely paywall) gave 13 ways of looking at it.

“It was a full-throated expression of outrage.

“It was a display of leadership.” Compare and contrast Chuck Schumer’s recent track record. As a pundit noted: “Any Democratic senator could have done what Cory Booker did, but only Cory Booker did it.”

“It was a superb piece of oratory. Even in his 25th hour, Booker was an elegant speaker, crafting and repeating memorable phrases. ‘This is a moral moment,’ he said. ‘It’s not left or right. It’s right or wrong.’

“It was at once political and transcendent of politics. Booker repeatedly appealed to Republicans to join Democrats in refusing to normalize the administration’s overreach.

“It was an act of physical stamina. Booker spent 25 hours on his feet, with no food or even a bathroom break — a pointed demonstration of strength and vigor in a party that has been criticized for having only leaders who are too old and/or too weak.

Brilliant

“If it was in some part a stunt, it was a brilliant one. If Booker’s speech was designed to capture attention, it accomplished its purpose. If it was intended to inspire and hearten a dejected party, and to speak for and to an angry American public, it accomplished its purpose.

“It included an acknowledgment of past mistakes. This was a neat mix of honesty, humility, realism, and shrewdness. By admitting that the Democrats had made mistakes in the past… Booker was striking a blow against ‘whataboutism.’

“It was a call to action. Above all, the speech was an exhortation to Americans not to let anger and alarm lead to paralyzing despair… He quoted John Lewis: “He said for us to go out and cause some good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul of our nation.”

Protest

Weekly Sift: “Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin… resoundingly rejected a Trump-supported candidate for the state supreme court…

“Saturday, “Hands Off” protest rallies took place in 1400 locations across the country. 800,000 people signed up for the protests, making the organizers’ claim that millions participated credible.

One Gal’s Musing one of my Sunday Stealing compatriots, wrote from the Chicago area: Yes, we live in a nation where Medicare, Social Security, medical research and free speech at universities need defending from our own President…It was peaceful, it was serious, and it helped me feel empowered, less alone, and less like I’m living in Berlin before The War.

Meanwhile, “New York state officials have formally rejected the Trump administration’s order that public schools certify they have ended diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, potentially putting federal education funding on the line…

Daniel Morton-Bentley, counsel and deputy commissioner for the New York State Education Department: “We understand that the current administration seeks to censor anything it deems ‘diversity, equity & inclusion,’” he wrote. “But there are no federal or State laws prohibiting the principles of DEI.”

Hope

The demonstrations give cover to those folks who voted for FOTUS but now have buyer’s remorse. “Yes, you made an…unfortunate choice, but now we need to get democracy back.”

I surely feel better than I did at the end of January. It will take a while – my favorite MAGA gauge is still hanging tough – but A Change Is Gonna Come sooner rather than later.

David Brooks wrote in The Atlantic: “Until January 20, 2025, I didn’t realize how much of my very identity was built on this faith in my country’s goodness—on the idea that we Americans are partners in a grand and heroic enterprise, that our daily lives are ennobled by service to that cause. Since January 20, as I have watched America behave vilely… —I’ve had trouble describing the anguish I’ve experienced.”

Anguish is good. The vile have been there all along; they feel more emboldened. And we need to unembolden them. Foreign Policy’s Michael Hirsh writes: “Smart and strategic trade policy—one that includes surgically targeted tariffs and other threats of trade sanctions—can actually achieve what the president has said is one of his main goals.” Except that he’s seldom been surgical.

During 45’s term, the running joke was that the punditry would declare: “NOW he’s being ‘Presidential,'” until he wasn’t. He’s not going to “grow into the office.” Resistance is necessary as often as possible. Find your local Indivisible group because it is going to be a while…

My late former pastor

Mickey

Trinity My late former pastor, the Rev. Dr. Maurice (Mickey) Drown, died on March 24. He began his ministry in the Troy Conference in 1971.

I started attending Trinity United Methodist Church Albany in 1982, joined the choir in 1983, and became a member in 1984. Mickey became pastor in 1985 and was there until, I believe, 2008.

Early on, I saw him berate the superintendent of the Sunday school in a mean-spirited manner that left her crying. It seemed totally unnecessary.

The tenor soloist, Sandy Cohen, had a heart attack and would not leave because he wanted to, in his words, “finish the gig.” Going to Mickey for some comforting words, Mickey joked that Sandy was just seeking attention; he often inserted “humor” at inappropriate times.

He was a jerk leading up to my and my bride’s wedding in May 1999. He irritated my new MIL.

The events of 2000 that led to my departure were more substantial, and I wrote about them here. Still, while there, I worked with Mickey quite a bit because of my roles in the church.

The good side

He was best at tending to grieving loved ones. I noted to a former Trinitarian that his “dichotomy” ran a much wider range than any pastor I’ve known. They countered that it was a wider range than anybody they had ever known personally.

One thing he was right about was that before we got married, my fiance and I, along with two other couples, were involved in a premarital counseling session. He said that we ought to move into a house that was ours, not hers, because it would feel like I was moving into her space. Sure enough, that’s what happened. A year after we got married, we bought our house.

The last time I saw Mickey was in February of 2020. We were both at the funeral of one of the people who were kids at Trinity in the 1990s but are now in their 40s.