Author Archives: Philip E Jenks

My mother imagined great things for all five of her children and her support knew no bounds. In high school my younger sibs showed great promise for careers in architecture, medicine, health care, and engineering. My only talent was cartooning … Continue reading →

As Independence Day approaches, our hearts and minds turn to holy writ. At least, it sounds like holy writ. Immigrant Irving Berlin writ it as a fervent prayer, and Kate Smith belted it out: God Bless America, Land that I … Continue reading →

NOTE: Robert McNamara died ten years ago July 6 after a long delayed confession that the Vietnam War had been a terrible mistake. Our leaders then, who were “the best and the brightest” of their generation, didn’t have to listen … Continue reading →

May 29, 2019 – Jack Kennedy – that rich, sex addicted, dissembling, amoral philanderer who charmed a generation and kept the world from blowing up – would be 102 today. I still miss him. Here’s an essay I wrote last … Continue reading →

Sophia Magdalena Scholl died in 1943 when she was 22. That was about three years, psychologists reckon, before her cerebral cortex was fully developed. But despite that, or perhaps because of it, she was one of the most conspicuous heroes … Continue reading →

May 13, 2019 – Mom – Mary Christina Emerson Jenks – would have been 96 today. On a cold, rainy May day here in Port Chester, N.Y., I am remembering how she used to love the warmth and flowers of … Continue reading →