March/April 2009 3 a Fundraiser Reception Was Held on the Lawn of the Little White House with Clifton Truman Daniel on March 13
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2 Message from the Chief Conductor HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. PRESIDENT 20 Boston 8 Key West 16 Conch Tour Train 12 Savannah 14 San Diego 4 St. Augustine 10 Washington, D.C. © 9 CAST Anniversaries W i s c o n s 13 CASTmembers of the Month o n H i s t 18 Famous Faces o r i c a l S 7, 19, 21, 25 If You Only Knew... o c i e t 11 Personality Profile y 6 Pet of the Month Philleo Nash, with guitar, serenades President Harry Truman (with sunglasses and towel around neck) and unidentified members of the Truman White House at Key West, Florida. The woman seated on the chaise lounge is thought to be 22 Safety First Truman's daughter Margaret. 6 Someone’s in the Kitchen With... No, it was not President tion of the state of Isreal. 7 Vendor Spotlight Obama’s birthday, but one The first of our guest was a real American 19 Welcome Aboard closer to Key West’s heart. hero, Col. Gail Halvorsen, on of the Berlin May 8th marked the 125th Airlift’s most famous pilots. He is more N birthday of the 33rd famously known as the Candy Bomber. As President of the United an airlift pilot in Berlin, Col. Halverson saw States, Harry S Truman. a group of hungry German children at the In honor of the occasion, end of the runway and upon meeting them the Little White House host - came to the conclusion perhaps we could ed a week long series of end wars by winning the loyalty of the next events culminating with the generation. Halverson responded by drop - 7th Annual Harry S. Truman ping candy bars attached to miniature para - Legacy Symposium. chutes to the children of Berlin. By the end On Friday, May 8 th a free of the airlift, over 25 plane crews had public program was held on dropped 23 tons of chocolate, chewing the west lawn of the Little gum, and other candies to the war ravaged White House from 9:30 to children of Berlin. In addition to Col. 11:00 am. The event fea - Halvorsen, the Little White House was hon - tured guest speakers repre - ored to have pilots, mechanics and crews senting three of Truman’s from the Berlin Airlift to celebrate with us. most significant accomplish - Representing the Federal Republic of ments as president: The Germany was Brigadier General Walter Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL) was in Key West attending several events, Berlin Airlift, desegregation Ludwig, who bestowed upon the Berlin but started his day with us attending a healthcare roundtable. of the military and recogni - Meek is pictured on the bottom left of the photo. Cover Story continued on page 3... FROM THE CHIEF CONDUCTOR Connectivity, The Great Illusion BY: CHRISTOPHER C. BELLAND Chief Executive Officer, Historic Tours of America, Inc. he wonder, the power, and the and Post-It Notes as an epochal invention. It difference of humankind over represents the apex of man’s extraordinary all other animals on the planet development. Even I can use it … sort of, as is the ability to reason. The long as I’m not too far from my wife or the T ability to reason comes from IT department of my company. Anything the learning we get in the context of social - you want to know, buy or say can be done ization with other humans. We are sacrific - today with this device. The scary part is we ing the trueness of social interaction on the are becoming dependent on them. To have false altar of today’s electronic connectivity. one is to almost be forced to use it. Try It is possible, if not likely, that our new reserving a plane ticket, buying anything at means of communication will change us the best price, getting information or finding and the way we do everything. The tail is a person without one. It’s all gone the way beginning to wag the dog and I am glumly of a set of encyclopedias and, “May I help reminded of the errant computer HAL in you?” 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yet, as astonishing as it is, there is a miss - I was in the airport in Managua, ing piece to its wonder. Yes, you can get Nicaragua, returning from visiting my broth - information and “communicate”, such as it er, Fred. At one table were two Americans is. What we get, however, is as two dimen - madly clicking away on their computers, sional as a photograph. We do not get the probably delighted to, once again, be con - third dimension of a blink, a smile, the sud - nected to the real world with wi-fi after a den perspiration of a lie or the crossed arms stretch in the second of defensive posture. poorest country in the Mark Twain aptly said, addressee hasn’t, in the meantime, skipped Western Hemisphere. “Man is the only animal his cell phone across a pond in a fit of pique Gosh, their e-mail must that blushes, or needs with a decision to give it all up. Not likely. have been mighty to.” You can’t blush in Our belief that we are so important is mani - important. You could an e-mail or text the fested in our new addiction of being in tell by their intensity, warmth of affection and touch. Like most addictions, the more you they sure thought so. we need to do these get, the more you want. It is no wonder At another table sat a things in person in order they call them “Crackberries.” family of five. Dad was to understand each other The saddest thing about it all is it allows us on his computer, big sis - and internalize the to do things that will change us as humans ter was on her cell empathy inherent in and the way we relate to one another. It is phone, brother was human relations. easy to rationalize a cowardly statement in “thumbing” on a game - F.Y.I. there is also, an e-mail because there is no confrontation. boy, or whatever they now, a whole new e- We can get rid of a problem by electronical - call those things this mail speak that perverts ly dumping it on someone else because … week, and the little girl the beauty of language well, we can. It’s easy to CYA (an oldie but was doodling on an that will surely change goodie) because you are on record of saying electronic sketchpad. our literature into what something without the inconvenience of an Mom was staring into … (OMG)? I have no argument. And, next time you think your space. Not a word was idea! (LOL). BTW if you Facebook pals are your friends, ask them for being exchanged and it made me sad. We did or didn’t get this, I have indeed made a favor. go away to get in touch, not to bring the my point (LOL). Sure, it’s not all bad. In Boy, I’d like to continue this but we have world along with us. fact, it is the wonder of our age. You know just landed at Miami International and I I am the first to say that the computer is your message got where it was supposed to need to check my e-mails (LOL). probably right up there with fire, the wheel, go without missing calls or having things get the plough, the telephone, flight, penicillin lost in the mail, assuming of course that your 2 the nation’s storyteller ® March/April 2009 3 A fundraiser reception was held on the lawn of the Little White House with Clifton Truman Daniel on March 13. The Trophia Butterfly Foundation had just restored the botanical gardens to their 1949 appearance. From left to right: Bob Wolz, Jane Vetter, Edith Amsterdam, Kitty Clements, Mary Haffenrefer, Jimmy Olsen, Marny Hienen, John Buchanan, Polly Daniel, Clifton Truman Daniel, Barbara Korns, Prudence Churchill, Peter Bek-Gan and Elena Spottswood. Cover Story Happy Birthday, Mr. President continued... mit American power and forces on behalf of Obama, a t-shirt and hat bearing the slogan Airlift veterans an official thank you from the Jewish aspirations in Palestine." The Key West: Home of Presidential Vacations. the German government and people of State Department was against the creation The Little White House has been host to six Germany. of a Jewish state. At the request of Eddie U.S. presidents: Taft, Truman, Eisenhower, The Tuskegee Airmen were another group Jacobson, President Truman met with Dr. Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton, and hope to of American heroes in attendance. Prior to Chaim Weizmann, leader of the Zionist include President Obama to the list. the Tuskegee Airman, no military pilots had movement and as a result voted for the cre - been African American. Officially know as ation of Mr. Jacobson died in 1955, but the Harry’s Girls In 2002, when the Key West Harry S. the 99 th Pursuit Squadron of the US Army Little White House had the good fortune to Truman Foundation was formed and began Air Corps, the Tuskegee Airmen were one of welcome his daughter, Gloria Jacobson holding educational conferences it was real - the most highly decorated squadrons in Schustermann. Mrs. Schustermann shared ized that ambassadors and hostesses were American history. The Harry S. Truman wonderful stories about her father and needed to meet and greet dignitaries com - Little White House was truly thrilled to have Harry Truman and her memories of the ing for our programs.