Author Archives: Philip E Jenks

Sam Rayburn was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, and died 49 years later during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. He was Speaker of the House for 17 years, the longest tenure … Continue reading →

March 23, 2014 – The revival of Les Misérables opens tonight. The Divine M and I saw the final preview last night and plan to see it again (and again) during what we hope will be another long run. The re-imagined … Continue reading →

In politics, location is as important as it is in real estate. Hubert Humphrey was one of the great political and moral leaders of his generation. Unfortunately, he was located too closely to politicians who had more charisma and more … Continue reading →

Fifty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, I wonder how many people remember Everett McKinley Dirksen. If you watched television news in the sixties, you knew exactly who he was. He was an Illinois Republican, … Continue reading →

In addition to U.S. politicians, I began writing to world statesmen (the gender exclusion is deliberate  because I didn’t know any world stateswomen except Eleanor Roosevelt and, if you will, Jacqueline Kennedy). I wrote to the Pope (as reported earlier), … Continue reading →

In October 1967, when I was an Air Force chaplain’s assistant in England, I helped organize a pilgrimage of Catholic airmen to Rome. The itinerary included visits to major statuary, crumbling ruins, and St. Peter’s Basilica. As it turned out, … Continue reading →

When I sent Eleanor Roosevelt a list of questions in 1962, her prompt response inspired me to write to other luminaries. Almost immediately after he became pontiff in June 1963 I sent Pope Paul VI a list of questions and asked … Continue reading →