Reminisce Extra

tell us your story!

BEAN THERE Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole recipe turns 65 this year. Is this famous side a staple of your Thanksgiving table? Do you make it in a special casserole dish? Is the recipe entrusted to the same person each year or do you share the responsibility? Tell us about the first time you made it, why you love it (or not) and what it means to you. Label your story and pictures “Green Bean Casserole.” SHRINE ON Did you belong to the Shriners, Masons, Elks or a similar society that had secret vows and strict rules for joining? What was it like to join and was it all you were expecting? We’re gathering stories for a longer feature, so be sure to expand on your experiences. Pictures are welcome. Label your story and…

to mom, with love

My mother was unconventional in ways that could make her stand out in our very conventional suburban neighborhood. She was the only mother on our street who worked full time; she was one of just two who drove her own car; and she was the only mother—the only parent, surely—who could sing any show tune you could throw at her. She was unbeatable at bridge and a crossword whiz. And she had such acute memory and recall that she could name the actors in even the smallest bit parts of a movie and recite the other movies they’d been in—all decades before the magic of Google, of course. There are so many things I miss about Mum, but certainly her voice. It was full of color and heart (not to…

1945 blip, ejection seat and job-hopping

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies a few months after being inaugurated to an unprecedented fourth term. New commander-in-chief Harry S. Truman orders the atomic bomb dropped on Japan, prompting that nation’s official surrender on Sept. 2 and the end of World War II. Menswear uses more fabric, as if to celebrate the end of rationing, while women’s fashion leans to a more feminine look, resulting in the longer skirts, sweater sets and fitted waists at the decade’s close. And these terms are added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary or are in common use for the first time. BLACK BOX: A term coined by pilots in WWII for radar and navigational devices, later applies to flight recorders, top right. BLIP: In WWII, the spot on a radar screen for an approaching object—a bomber, submarine or…

how cole porter went cowboy

When he wasn’t promoting tourism for the state of Montana, Robert Fletcher was writing poetry and music about the American West. During the Depression, he published several of his poems in a book called Corral Dust. Fletcher had a movie producer friend named Lou Brock, who was set to shoot a film called Adios, Argentina for 20th Century Fox, and when Fletcher mailed Brock a copy of Corral Dust, one poem—“Open Range”—caught the movie man’s attention. In 1934 Brock suggested Fletcher write a song based on the poem and call it “Don’t Fence Me In.” Fletcher did as asked and, at Brock’s request, mailed the tune to Cole Porter, who saw potential in it and offered Fletcher $250 (about $4,800 today) for the rights. That done, Porter rewrote many of Fletcher’s lyrics…

games we played

Slinky sprang onto the scene in 1945, when Gimbels in Philadelphia, PA, let inventor Richard James and his wife, Betty, demonstrate how Slinky could “walk” down a ramp. The pair sold out of their supply in 90 minutes and toy marketing would never be the same. Can you name the toys from these marketing taglines? 1 It was billed as “a royal game of India.” 2 In the early 1900s, it was called “an artist’s crayon at a scholar’s price.” 3 This collection of raw building materials was the “world’s greatest construction set!” 4 A 1940s version called it a “real estate trading game.” 5 Introduced in 1935, she hit the height of her popularity in the 1950s. Her box declared she “drinks, wets, cries real tears.” 6 This Milton Bradley game aimed at preschoolers was…

slideshow opener is just the right stuff

As a relatively new professional with the Boy Scouts of America in 1969, I was intrigued by a program called Career Exploring. It gave boys and girls in high school hands-on experience with potential career opportunities. My plan was to present the program at high school assemblies in my rural service area in New York. An opening slideshow would point out the different options in fields like law enforcement, medicine, law, firefighting, aviation and more. I wanted to add a recorded introduction from a well-known person. Anchorman Walter Cronkite declined, but Col. John Glenn agreed to do it. A date was set for me to meet him in New York City. I packed a tape recorder, a camera and my script. My wife, Judy, came with me, and we went to the…