Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hubert Humphrey and the Moral Test of Government

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

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 →

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Lincoln and Dirksen

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

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 →

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Nehru

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

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 →

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The Pope and the Patriarch

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

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 →

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Dear Pope

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

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 →

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Dick Nixon, Soda Shark

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

DIck Nixon was attorney for Pepsi Cola when I wrote to him to request an autographed picture. His generous response was probably accompanied by a cover letter from his secretary, Rose Mary Woods. If so, I discarded her letter because … Continue reading →

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Mister We Could Use a Man Like Hoibert Hoover Again …

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

In 1962 I read an article about Herbert Hoover in Parade magazine. The article described his austere life in the Waldorf-Astoria towers, and noted the ex-president still received a half dozen letters each day. He would write his responses on … Continue reading →

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Sadly with Adlai

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

Adlai Stevenson would have been 114 this month. I once took a girl I admired on a “date” to see him speak at Colgate University, circa February 1963. The effort did not sweep her off her feet, and I began … Continue reading →

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Smokin’ Joe and Typin’ Phil

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

With one exception, I haven’t solicited a celebrity’s or politician’s autograph since 1964. That exception was Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier. In retirement, Joe represented a furniture company that happened to have a display room beneath my apartment on Charlotte Street … Continue reading →

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JFK Campaign Pin

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Philip E Jenks

I can’t remember where I got this pin because Democratic campaign items were not plentiful in Morrisville, N.Y., in 1960. I remember that I wore it throughout the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon campaign, wore it throughout the Kennedy years, and was wearing … Continue reading →

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