Posted on 07/13/2007 12:22:32 PM PDT by kellynla
It is this reporter's opinion that it's time to reflect upon 73 years of broadcast journalism. I first saw the light of day July 14, 1914, at a small hospital in Breckenridge, Minn. — just across the Red River from Wahpeton, N.D., where Mother and Dad resided.
The Putnams began in America in 1634 when three brothers — Thomas, Daniel, and John Puttenham — set out from England to find a new home on the shores of Massachusetts. The Puttenhams were part an Old English family, the Aston-Abbotts of Buckinghamshire, England. Soon after arriving in America, the brothers shortened the name to Putnam (as it was pronounced in England).
Among our most illustrious heirs was Gen. Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718–May 29, 1790), second in command to George Washington. He was an American Army general who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775) during the American Revolution.
But let's go back to the year of my birth, July 14, 1914. My good friend, fellow Minnesotan Diane Alden, helps me reminisce about that year:
The U.S. population had grown to 92 million.
The average salary was $750 per year.
Life expectancy was 48.4 years of age for men, 51.8 for women.
A former Princeton professor, Woodrow Wilson, was president of the United States.
A gallon of milk cost 32 cents.
A hard-drinking American could get a gallon of whiskey for $3.50.
The decade of the 1910s was the last gasp of the "progressive era." Teddy Roosevelt had imposed the Sherman Antitrust Act on the "robber barons," big business owners who held tight monopolistic control on businesses. Capital and labor were at odds in the U.S. economic system. Child labor laws and unionism were rallying for the new immigrants.
In 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia, and Germany invaded Belgium. The U.S. intervened in Mexico, and the Panama Canal opened. The United States witnessed the creation of the Federal Reserve and the imposition of what was supposed to be a limited, 1 percent income tax, which ended up with the 45,000-page nightmare of the tax laws we have today.
Henry Ford brought about the fast-moving assembly line and his Model T. The First World War counted 9 million casualties worldwide. Chemical weapons were used for the first time, along with mass bombardment of civilians. America was evolving into a nation engaged in pursuits other than agriculture and survival, and growing numbers of people were employed in factories and offices.
Fashion underwent a major revolution. The "Gibson Girl" was giving way to the "untrussed" modern woman; corsets were dumped for skirts and blouses for comfort. Clothing became lighter and brighter, and necklines went lower. Out behind the barn, women were lighting up and learning the evils of tobacco, and were dancing the fox trot and tango.
The Jazz Age was upon us. A revolution in arts and music was born in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Chicago, with Scott Joplin and W.C. Handy. Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, and George Gershwin were stamping their imprint on music. And along came George Bernard Shaw, Booth Tarkington, and Sinclair Lewis, writing hits for Broadway. Silent movies gave way to the talking picture and color, and the No. 1 film of 1914 was "The Perils of Pauline." Not to mention, horse lovers recall that Old Rosebud won the 1914 Kentucky Derby.
Along the way, I met and interviewed "the four vamps" — Theda Bara, Tallulah Bankhead, Clara Bow, and Mae West — and the most decorated war heroes: Sgt. York, Audie Murphy, Joe Cooper, and Col. Hackworth of World Wars I and II. I was in the daily company of Jack Dempsey, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jessie Owens, Jackie Robinson, and other legends of the 20th century.
I interviewed most all of the presidents from Herbert Hoover forward, and I knew Nixon and Reagan well enough to call them by their first names . . . before they became famous.
Among my recollections: the devastation wrought by the flu epidemic of 1918, the atom bomb, and AIDS ... and memorable interviews with Dr. George Washington Carver, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Golda Meier, W.C. Handy, and dozens of others.
I performed on radio and television from the days of the crystal set to the digital era. And I appeared in many movies — among them, "We've Never Been Licked," "Fourteen Hours," "Helter Skelter," and "Independence Day."
It's been one heck of a ride.
Along the way, working with great musical legends: Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., and from the very beginnings with Frank Sinatra. Wondrous moments! Running the gamut of diverse groups, where I held memberships in the NAACP, the Urban League, the National Rifle Association, and a lifelong membership as a registered Democrat.
Some thoughts and quotes along the way that helped inspire my journey:
"Character is doing what is right when nobody's looking."
William Shakespeare: "This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Emily Dickinson: "If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain: If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin, Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain."
S.I. Hayakawa: "A common language is the glue that holds a nation and a people together."
George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
And who was it who said, "The government that governs least is the one that governs best" ... Jefferson?
And recall the words of Arnold Toynbee: "Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder." And I love to remember a poem that noted African-American composer, poet, and lyricist of such well-known songs as "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose," Andy Razaf, wrote for me. I'd like to share it with you on this, my 93rd birthday:
Brotherhood
by Andy Razaf
Brotherhood means being kind thinking with an open mind judging not by race or creeds but by character and deeds. Brotherhood means decency love of human dignity always doing all you can to lift up your fellow man.
Brotherhood means not to be slaves of hate and bigotry but to wisely realize all are equal in God's eyes.
The weak, the strong, the meek, the brave, the rich, the poor, the king, the slave, the wise, the fool, the good, the knave, are common clay bound for the grave.
The truly great in their brief span are only those who work and plan to benefit the human race so they can look God in the face and hear him say, "Thy fruits were good. You scattered seeds of brotherhood."
My friend Diane Alden told me she found a quote that an old-line Democrat like myself might appreciate.
It is her own tribute to me on my 93rd birthday: One man's definition of happiness, said John Kennedy, is "the full use of your powers along lines of excellence."
I've been privileged to live in one of the most exciting, productive, and amazing generations in all of history. In other words, all the way from the ox cart to the walk on the moon . . . all the way from shortwave to the most highly sophisticated electronic technological modes of communication today. In my career, I've talked about everything under the sun.
Mine is the story of mobility, travel, and communication . . . and in 2007, God willing, we're still going strong and on into the future! And what a future it will be!
From all of us at NewsMax.com: Happy Birthday, George! Many happy returns!
George Putnam is a national treasure. I particularly like the way he calls Mayor Antonio “Mister Villygarossa”.
Agreed, He IS a National Treasure.
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