24 North Shore Towers Courier n December 2016 BY PAUL NETTLER Probably the most colorful character to ever assume the Presidency of the United States was Theodore Roosevelt. Although he was only 60 when he died, he crammed many lifetimes into those six decades, and to tell us about them at our last meeting was Milton Ellis. For the past 20 years, Ellis has been involved with activities at Sagamore Hill, the Roosevelt summer home in Oyster Bay. Roosevelt was a sickly child, suffering from asthma. Despite this, he was a scientist, a taxidermist and an ornithologist, and wrote 38 books. Roosevelt was also a big game hunter, whose “kills” were given to museums, an explorer, a conservationist and founder of the Rough Riders. He won the Nobel Prize for brokering a peace treaty between Russia and Japan, and also won the Medal of Honor. In the political arena, he was a Deputy Sheriff in South Dakota, a three-time New York State Assemblyman, a cavalry colonel, New York City Police Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York State, U.S Vice- President, and of course, President of the United States, known for his trust-busting. We all know the expression, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” In Roosevelt’s case it should be, “Jack of all trades, master of all.” If all the above weren’t excitement enough in his life, Roosevelt was hit by a trolley car, got into a fight with a gunman, survived an assassination attempt, fell overboard in the Amazon, was barely missed by a charging rhino, and most notably, charged up San Juan Hill. Our speaker also favored us with a few little vignettes about Roosevelt’s life. His first wife died young, but not before the couple had a daughter, named Alice, who was a bit of a character in her own right. Remember the song, “In My Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown?” Roosevelt remarried and had five children with his second wife. He was a prodigious coffee drinker, and one day while dining at The Maxwell House, the waiter asked him how he liked the coffee. He replied, “Good to the last drop,” and thus, a world-famous advertising slogan was born. In 1902, Washington Post cartoonist, Clifford Berryman, drew Roosevelt in a political cartoon, commenting on an incident concerning a bear cub during a hunting trip the adventurous president took with Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino, and so were born “Teddy Bears.” To this observer, it was the adolescence of our country. We’d had its rebirth, the Civil War, and we were approaching young adulthood, soon to be taking our place as the world’s leader. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a person like Roosevelt in the country today. At our next meeting, we will once again feature speaker Sal St. George, a Playwright and Living History Consultant. The topic will be Jack Benny and Bob Hope, “It’s all in the timing.” Sal will analyze their opposite styles and relive their lives and humor in an entertaining examination of two of America’s most beloved comedians with video clips and anecdotes. Laughter is 100% guaranteed, and coffee and cake will be served. Non-members are welcome with a $5.00 guest fee, payable at the door. If you have any questions, contact Jerry Siegel at 347-235-4513. The mood at the Current Events Group meeting on November 11th, led by Gary Darche, was a somber one. There was no agenda or rather the only agenda was the election. Gary went around the room requesting reactions. Some were quite harsh. Even a lifelong registered Democrat voted for Trump, because he had no use for Hillary. There was a sense that some accommodation between the two parties will have to be made and a majority were optimistic about the next four years, but after that, it’s anybody’s guess. The conversation got around to the value of a Universal Service Program, much like the old CCC, wherein high school graduates would learn the value of a work ethic and a vocation as a substitute for college. Everyone agreed this is a good idea. Another program we all agreed on would have a similar goal: free schooling from pre-K through two years of college. If you want additional information on the Current Events Group, call Gary Darche at 718-225-3060. The final 2016 meeting of the Book Group was held on November 28th. Different in format, it was an open forum to review both fiction and non-fiction books the members were interested in reading in 2017. Curious to know what next year’s literary itinerary will be? Please contact Ralph Edwards at 347-235-0472 to become a part of the discussion in 2017. Future events include a trip to the Jewish Museum on December 6th, our monthly meeting on December 8th, a Comedy Club excursion on December 15th and our popular Bingo night on December 18th. Because of a lack of attendance, we have gone back to the old breakfast schedule, i.e. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:15 at Buffy’s (Towers Restaurant). If you would care for additional event information or have some suggestions, contact our Events Committee Chairman Jerry Siegel at 349-235-4513. If you would like to join our club, please contact Joe DiGiovanni at 516-965-9225.
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