Upcoming Events

Hello Dear Readers--Welcome to 2017--it promises to be a year of unknown surprises in the political realm.  So hang on for dear life and hopefully we can all enjoy the ride.  

I'm looking at my story telling bookings for the first few months of our new year and want to invite my bloggers to join me for a good story if they can get out to any of these events.  I'll also have two new publications coming off the presses soon.  My first children's book is at the publishers for final detailing and will be released soon.  It is about an adventure my 6 year old granddaughter, Kennedy, and I had one day three years ago.  I was babysitting and wanted some fresh air so we went for a walk near my place.  We managed to see several animals in the wild.  The book tells the story of how I and the computer answered all the questions she had about those animals.  The second publication s my second booklet about Happy Chandler.  It reviews a couple of key questions about Happy in his first term as Governor and as Baseball Commissioner. If you would like to now more about either publication send me an email at richard.crowe@ymail.com.  

As for my speaking engagements.  They are all free and open to the public so please attend one if possible.  Introduce yourself to me as one of my bloggers.  I will love to hear from you.  First upcoming event will be at Owensboro on February 9 at 6 pm.  I will talk about the Giants Love Affair at the Library.  I will tell the same tale a few days later on Valentin's Day at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes.  There will be a noon luncheon with Bill Goodman, formerly of KET, speaking followed by my presentation to the students in Campbell Hall at 1 pm.  Both of the Giant presentations will be Kentucky Humanities sponsored events and you are invited to attend. In March you can hear me tell Happy Chandler stories at Lindsay Wilson College in Columbia.  I will speak in Hodge Auditorium at 3:30 pm.  Remember that they are on Central time if you will be driving from the east .  Then on the 23rd I will tell another story about Happy Chandler at 5 pm in the Graves County Library at Mayfield.  Both of the Chandler appearances will also be Kentucky Humanities events and are free and you are invited to come, listen to my story and by all means introduce yourself.  

I look forward to hitting the road  to tell my stories and hope some of you can join me.

The Giants

I am excited to share my latest adventure with you my dear readers.  As many of you know, I am a story teller.  Love to talk to groups about some of our Kentucky characters.  Happy Chandler, James Still, Bad John Wright are a few along with the Kentucky River Giant, Martin Van Buren Bates. 

Bates was born in Letcher County in 1837 and grew to probably 7'5" and was considered to be the tallest man in the world at that time.  He married the tallest woman in the world--she still is--and together they were and still are the tallest couple that ever lived.  They led exciting challenging lives which is what makes them interesting to me.  She was from Nova Scotia and he was from Kentucky but they settled in Saville, Ohio about 22 miles from Akron.  Their farm was 160 acres (1/4th of a square mile).  They built a house and barn to fit them--14 ' high ceilings, 8 1/2 high doors, a 10 ' long bed and then stocked it with the largest animals they could find.  Their horses stood 18 hands high and their cows were giants as were the rest of their animals. 

So my adventure was to visit Ohio last weekend to raise some funds for the Giants Museum there.  The people that operated the Museum and Historical Society treated us like royalty.  They took us through the museum and drove us out to the farm to see the barn that still stands.  They still raise the Budweiser sized horses there and they gave me one of the horse shoes--it is big enough to fit around a girl's basketball.  They also treated us to a very nice lunch and took us to the local cemetery where the giants are entombed. 

Anna died first and Martin had an 8' tall likeness of her sculpted in Italy.  The sandstone statue stands atop a 10' high marble base so together her monument reaches 18 . into the sky. 

After the tours I spoke to a nice group of people at a nearby hall.  We raised some money for the museum and had a wonderful time visiting with the giants museum supporters in Saville.  Bonnie Aker went with me to take photographs.  Together we plan on developing a coffee table book to tell the love story of the two giants. 

Ernie Benko from ARC Television in Norton, Virginia also met us there to film the events from which they will produce a DVD of our time there.  The museum will be able to sell the DVD's to raise more funds for their museum.  If you would like to help their museum by buying a copy of my booklet called A Giant Love Affair for $6 or to order a copy of the DVD when they are ready for distribution just send me a note at Richard.crowe@ymail.com.  The good news that  we got when we returned home was that the Letcher County group hoping to build a museum for the giants here, had made their last payment on the land for the museum site.  Now just a building and a statue to go and they will become one of three giants museums and his story will continue to be told.

Autumn In Kentucky

Here we are on the eve of November breaking high temp records in Kentucky.  Halloween looms just ahead and I've bought just enough candy to  rot my granddaughters teeth which will keep my daughter and son-in-law in debt for many years to come.  Speaking of son-in-laws I'm wondering if fathers of daughters ever really get to liking and trusting their

daughter's choice for the new man in their lives. Just being honest.  Dale is the father of my granddaughters and has been wed to my daughter for over a dozen years and I'm just now letting my fatherly concerns ebb a little.  Is that human nature or is it just me.  Would love to hear what my readers of this blog feel on the subject. 

Returning to  temps in October and early November in Kentucky, we all know that the temps bounce all over the place like a basketball being dribbled toward the goal.  For me these swings of temps also result in changes in garb.  I like to go to sleep with no clothing and one blanket to keep the shivers away.  The ceiling fan is on and the bedroom outside door is open.  Now that is perfect sleeping weather and attire for me.  Around 3 am nature calls and while I'm up I turn off the fan and close the outside door.  I take the meds I'm supposed to take well before breakfast and head back to bed.  Around 6 am the furnace kicks on alerting me to the fact that it has turned cooler outside.  I ignore it for as long as I can then get up and quickly don sweat pants and shirt.  I move from my bed to my favorite chair and snooze some more if I don't have any early appointments.  About 8 to 9 am I arise to make the most of my day.  I prepare breakfast and devour it while watching Kelly and whoever her co-host is for the day.  I enjoy their banter for the first 15 minutes of the show. I feel apart of their conversation and when they spin the wheel to see where the call in contestant may be going if they know the answer to their question about something someone said on the previous show I'm up and busy writing--if I'm lucky or paying bills if I'm not so blessed.  By 11am I notice that I'm sweating so I remove the sweat suit pieces and open the outside door again. Now is the time for shorts and a tee shirt and the ceiling fan is turned on again.  This becomes a pleasant time of day until the late afternoon sun hits full force about 3 pm and lasts till about 6 pm.  During this time period he door is shut and the air conditioner is turned on reducing the inside heat from 85-90 degrees down to 70 degrees. Now I know it's getting to be supper time so I either go out to eat or search the frige for whatever savory delight I can find.  It is also time to turn off the a/c and reopen the outside door.  This condition will take me to bedtime and I start the process over again.  Don't get me wrong, I love spring time and I love fall and much prefer all the tinkering it takes to be comfortable  to the too highs of summer and the too lows of winter.  If I didn't love Kentucky and my granddaughters being close enough to spend time with I might return to Hawaii where the temps are a constant 82 degrees enhanced by the sea winds that carry the aroma of island flowers with every breath.  But as for me, I'll stay right where I am, write and tell my stories whenever someone wants to hear them.

When Titans Play Politics

Someone asked me the other day if I had watched the first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.  I replied that I watched the whole thing--but then couldn't fall asleep the rest of that night.  Yes, mark me down as one of those U.S. citizens who is fearful for our country no matter which of the two candidates prevails.  I will also admit to having met each of them one time in my life.  I had dinner with Trump in Philadelphia in 1994 when he

presented me with a national teaching award before a large crowd sponsored by the Freedom Foundations at Valley Forge.  I met Hillary when she came to our town to speak against Mr. Obama in his first run for President. 

My thoughts for this piece come from a comparison of how two American Titans found themselves as political candidates. The two Titans emerged from  different eras and backgrounds.  Donald Trump is a self-proclaimed mogul in real estate first in New York City and now worldwide.  His properties are exclusively for the high end market even though one of his first properties was a massive low to middle income apartment operation in Cincinnati.  Its success depended on attracting Kentuckians, new to Ohio as long term tenets.  When the march of southerners slowed he sold out before the new buyers knew that the game had changed.  Good for Trump.  After that he moved his ownership to upwardly mobile tenants in the densest  apartment market in the world.  To succeed in that rich environment,  it was only necessary to find undervalued properties,  tear them down and replace them with higher end buildings  While many leasers in the older buildings felt secure with rental contracts that could not be increased under NYC law they did not envision the day that Trump would buy up their building and the one beside it  and the next one to it and the next one to that one and  raze them all  to make room for a new luxury housing unit usually with the Trump brand across its face.

The other titan that ran for political office was Henry Ford.  Ford quit school in the 8th grade but never stopped learning.  His goal was to help farmers  have a better life.  He grew up on a Michigan farm and knew how remote  they were from other farms and towns.  He didn't invent the car or the assembly line but he developed both from their infancy to full maturity.  He made the Model T famous by manufacturing 15 million of them.  He did this by  keeping the assembly line running night and day.  He put car ownership within reach of farmers who could now take their crops and families to town.  Many of those farmers figured out how to remove the back wheels and attach a belt to the running car that would then power their logging saws and other labor saving devices.  "They can have them in any color they like", he said, "as long as they want black".  Nothing could change on his assembly line for years, which allowed Ford to continually lower his cost and the price of his cars to the eagerly awaiting public. Later, Ford would be pushed by his son and other Ford executives to change the Model T because of competition from Plymouth and Chevrolet.  After the 15 th million T rolled off the assembly line they closed the doors and began retooling to produce the bigger, better Model A, with more colors and options.  Ford did sell 5 million of the newer design but the competition was knocking at his door which would demand changes in his business that he fought all of his life.  As the nation prepared for World War I Ford pleaded for the United States to stay out of the conflict. 

His pacifist stance was practical, for a man who by that time was manufacturing cars, trucks, planes and other vehicles throughout the world.  A war would decimate Ford sales for years to come.  The U.S. did , however, enter the first world war under President Woodrow Wilson. The war was long and expensive in all of the resources used to fight the enemy. When it came time to wind down our efforts and our boys were coming home "from over there,"  Wilson offered up his dream of A League of Nations which many saw as taking power and choices away from  the United States  We would have less power  in future world decisions.  Many also felt that we had sacrificed too much to just give away these  new powers.  Wilson was a Democratic President whose party controlled only 47 per cent of the vote in the 66th Congress.  The election was approaching and Wilson was pulling out all the stops to swing Congress back to his party having the majority to ensure passage of his Peace Plan.  In that effort, he asked Henry Ford to change parties and run as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate seat from Dearborn, Michigan.  Surely with all of his prominence and number of employees, Henry Ford would be a shoo in to increase the Democratic edge in Congress. The first thing Ford did was, however, was to purchase the local Dearborn newspaper.  Think about what a powerful candidate Henry Ford had just become.  He employed more voters, by far, than anyone else in the race, he had millions of dollars to spend if he wanted to and now he controlled the local press.  Sounds like a one-sided election, I know. But just as Donald Trump would do about 100 years later, Ford began picking on people because of their heritage.  It would be hard to find any group of immigrants that weren't beholding to Henry Ford because his companies encouraged mass movement from many European countries to Michigan or Ohio. Cities that produced glass for him in Toledo or tires and rubber products in Akron, besides all the auto parts and cars in Michigan. 

Today Trump  complains about many nationalities based upon their perceived threat to our way of life.  His "Make America Great Again" slogan captures that sentiment along with other ends he desires that will  change  the way we approach our daily lives. Henry Ford chose to attack all Jews as our enemy  in his campaign. After buying the Dearborn paper he wrote and published enough anti-Semitism editorials to fill a four volume set of books that he called The International Jew. Taking another page from both titans actions, they chose to like and support dangerous anti-social strongmen.  Trump upholds the powerful Russian leader, Vladimir Putin--a former KGB spy and currently the iron fisted  Ruler of Russia--still a demigod in a nation that disagrees with just about every U.S. policy  worldwide.  Henry Ford chose to support Adolph Hitler, another anti Jew enthusiast.  In 1938, Ford accepted the Grand Cross of the German Eagle award from Hitler, it was the highest medal Russia could present to Her supporters.  So, what happened to Henry Ford, the politician?  Because of all the enemies he managed to make during the election he lost in a close election to Truman Handy Newberry by about two per cent of the vote.  Just as now, voters were torn between not voting at all or voting for one candidate or the other--both with unsightly warts. Even though Newberry beat Ford he would later have to step down for election irregularities.  The Republicans held power and denied President Wilson the honor of  creating the League of Nations. 

What is my take on these two titans running for public office?  First, it is very interesting that the country was split asunder in both cases.  The two equally powerful  national parties were strong enough to resist any success the other party might gain.  When these  groups resemble two ice bergs pushing against each other with no progress being made by either, it frustrates our citizens who want progress to be made for their benefit.  Just checking--has congress acted yet on our current Zika health threat--didn't think so.  Shouldn't they show more urgency in ridding our nation of such a potential threat to mothers and babies?

My final thought on titan politicians is this, politics is a game of compromise played to make incremental improvements in the lives of American citizens. Being a titan seems to mean that strong personalities can enrich themselves by controlling all aspects of their companies.  One doesn't replace the other and if progress is to be made we need both skills but in different arenas.

Exploring the Hatfield-McCoy Fued

Spent two separate days in Pikeville recently.  Wanted to see what their Hatfield-McCoy Museum was all about and was not disappointed.  

The first day I went there I found the museum located on the 4th floor f their jail building which was their government building.  that building now sits behind a new government building both located in downtown Pikeville.  This was a bit confusing to find but once I found it I had to deal with more confusion as to when they are open. The museum is not open on Sunday or Monday--and I'm not sure about Saturday so check before you drive there.  

Once you find the entry the trip becomes well worth the effort.  Not only does the museum host artifacts from the feud but it is also an ongoing history of the region, the coal industry, the railroads and the people who were the residents of the area.  Not content to let you browse unattended through the collections the museum provides an expert in local history to sort of story tell you through the various exhibits which added to my visit.  

On my second drive over there I followed the road signs to various locations to see cemeteries, cabins and wells that played a part in the feud story.  I read in the paper that this trail  just received big bucks to improve the experience so future visitors should find  an even better trail than the one I found.  My interest was based on my story telling of Bad John Wright who lead a gang to Pikeville and into West Virginia on horseback looking for a bunch of Hatfield's to kill as he favored the McCoy side in their feud.  He couldn't find any that day so his gang returned home to Letcher County without any scalps to show for their efforts.  

The Hatfield's were large timber barons with a lot of political clout which is one reason the West Virginia Governor took no action against them during the feud. And surprisingly only 12-13 people died during their hostilities.  For instance, during the French-Eversole feud in Perry County it is estimated that 75-100 people died.  It was hard to nail down an exact number since there were so many ambush attacks where bodies and names were not recorded.  The Hatfield-McCoy feud occurred just after the Civil War when the nation was trying to heal its wounds  It involved two states not cooperating with each other so there was tension that these states might lead other states to separate again from the nation which created national headlines.

Thanks for visiting Richard Crowe, Storyteller.