Memorial Day and Colonel Frederick Wagg

 

    I get to enjoy reading my choice of material, preaching the text that I choose, drinking the soft of my preference and so many other easily taken for granted privileges because there are folk who put on a uniform and surrender their own personal day-to day freedoms.

    Many of us live relatively privileged lives in large part because of the value created on the backs of those who take the orders rather than give the orders.

And while that sentiment applies broadly in our society to waitresses, janitors, factory workers, and others who are in a position to take orders, it makes its most fundamental manifestation in the soldier, the seaman, the airman!

I often begin funeral tributes with the following words because I believe that to honor the person who has died is to honor God who created that person.

 

Psalm 139: ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

And so, as I honor those who have served in the military, accept that as honor to God as well.

It was Jesus himself who modeled for us the service of sacrifice.

To the families of military folk who have passed, I say “Thank You!”

I really, really, really enjoy that First Amendment which your family member protected for me!

Again, I enjoy so much in life because of that person in your family!

 

Also, many of you who know me know that I am quite the Beatles fan. But also, allow me to sympathize with Colonel Frederick Wagg who is mostly remembered in Beatles communities for “ sending back all the decorations he picked up from service in both world wars to the queen herself in protest against the Beatles’MBE “( see link at bottom).

I would hate for that fellow who served so sacrificially to be remembered only as an angry man in protest of Beatles.

I say, let us remember this fellow as someone who, along with our uniformed folk, defended us and maintained our freedoms!

This weekend take a trip to a local cemetery, find the area that serves as a memorial for those who have served in the military, speak a name or two from your own family or from the grave stones you see.

My friend Mr. Hunter, who served in the Navy, has mentioned, regarding his oath he took upon joining, “It does not have an expiration date”.

Know this all who serve…My respect for you does not have an expiration date!

 

For info on Colonel Wagg visit: https://philscoblehistorian.wordpress.com/tag/col-wagg/

Rotary Phones and the Resurrection of Childhood

 

 

    While visiting Tecumseh Antique Appeal in Tecumseh Michigan last week I ran across an old rotary telephone and snapped a photo of it that I may use the photo to promote positive messages in the area that would present the phone number.

I have erased the number which was present that I may insert my own affirmation, aphorism, or alternative moment of inspirational umph!

Today, while visiting an antique store in Schoolcraft Michigan, I saw another old rotary phone.

I did not photograph this one.

I did, out of a sense of nostalgia, engage with it.

I lifted the handset, placed my right index finger into the number “8” circular opening of the dial and rotated the dial clockwise until my finger hit the stop. I then released and allowed the dial to return to rest. As it made its counterclockwise trip I heard the mechanical clicking of the internal guts of the phone.

I then rotated with another number, and so on.

The playful operation of this old phone stirred up memories from the 1960s during which I commonly used such phones.

I remembered calling for time and temperature.

I remembered calling for delivery pizza.

A flood of memories returned to me as I held the handset and rotated the dial.

My childhood, I discovered, is not lost to the fog of time. It remains in my mind just waiting for some unpredictable moment and impulse to allow it to play once again.

Visit Tecumseh, Proud Home of the Teenage Julie Parrish

 

At Brookside Cemetery

    This blog post began as a tribute to  Ruby Joyce Wilbar who was born in Middlesboro Kentucky. She lived for a while in Tennessee and lived her teen years in Tecumseh Michigan before becoming a successful actor by the name of Julie Parrish starring in movies and television.

   Upon research of Ms. Wilbar, I discovered that she legally changed her name to Julie Parrish and preferred being called by that name.

   And so, in respect of her wishes, this blog post is affirmingly about Julie Parrish.

    Oh, how uncooperative the work of the biographer!

Much of the material by which they compose a biography evaporates by the time the search is launched to discover that evasive material.

To complicate matters, during investigation of facts and details, one runs into conflicting information. One then must decide which of the sources of information upon which to base their conclusions.

I shall revisit that conundrum later.

It was one day many weeks ago I was searching Youtube for obscure sitcoms of the 1960s that I ran across “Good Morning World” which was about two morning radio personalities ‘Lewis and Clark” and decided to give it a view. Fun show!

One thing I noticed was that the lead female role played by Julie Parrish had credit at the opening credits of the show along with the two main characters. Goldie Hawn, not yet famous of Laugh In, had lesser credit at the end of the show.

Who is this woman with higher credit than Goldie Hawn!

And so, I researched just who is Julie Parrish. I found much about her acting career and subsequent profession as a Chemical Dependency Counselor.

It seems many people want to make comment on her as a celebrity. I list some resources at the end of this blog post that you may view them yourself.

I aim in this blog post to recognize her as an energetic, high school girl excited about the world, and also to promote Tecumseh Michigan as a place worth visiting.

Since Julie passed away in 2003 and much of her family has passed away or is unreachable by this amateur (very amateur) biographer I have little to go on as to stories, memoirs, and such about her. And so, my wife, Sherry, and I took the trip to Tecumseh Michigan to try to get a “snapshot” feel for the town in which she was a teenager during the 1950s.

Our first stop in town was the Tecumseh District Public Library. The History room was a great source of information.

The Robinson’s City Directory of 1956 listed the family address as 210 E. Chicago. That would be a must to visit and photograph. That location in town is now a parking lot.

 Also, according to Gary Naugle, Tecumseh City Council Member and volunteer at the Historical Museum, the family lived on Evans Street. I am going to trust the information of one who lived in the town all his life and knew the family personally over the address reported in an impersonal publication of names and addresses.

Robinson's Tecumseh City Directory 1956 listing Wilbar family at 210 E. Chicago.

The History room of the Tecumseh District Library also had Tecumseh High School yearbooks of 1956, 57, and 58, Julie’s year of graduation.

Julie, short hair...woman in the middle.

Starring in the senior play, we see that Julie had an interest in acting by personal design, not, as with so many, incidental and fortuitous.

Our next stop was the Brookside Cemetery in town. Though it took a while, my wife, Sherry, and I discovered the burial place of the family.

Amateur Detective and Biographer

We can see from the Brookside Cemetery burial listing (found at the library History Room) that  Joyce “Julie” is listed. She does not have an actual gravestone bearing her name. But, there is a memorial marker provided by the class of 1958.

Burial listing according to records found at library 

Again, Gary Naugle informs me that Julie is actually buried somewhere in California and the memorial plaque provided by the class is just that …a memorial.

Jeanne Sheldon offered many informative points of interest about the history of Tecumseh.

Both, Gary and Jeanne, were wonderfully hospitable to Sherry and myself as we asked questions and snapped photos.

Gary, with display of Julie memorabilia.

 

left to right: Jeanne Sheldon, Sherry Borglum, Gary Naugle

Sherry and I then moved on to the Artwalk in town.

We visited Tecumseh Antique Appeal self-described as selling antiques, primitives, jewelry, and furniture. Sherry found some hand-made jewelry.

Having reported the reason for my trip to Tecumeseh, and telling Juli Jones (proprietor of the Tecumseh Antique Appeal) that Julie Parrish had been in an Elvis movie, Juli, with smile and pride, reported that she was related to Elvis! “Wow” said I, “How?” I pressed.

The great- great grandmothers of Juli and Elvis were sisters! Yes, what a well -connected world!

Also, Juli remembered the name of the town bakery before it was Lev and Son…Van’s!

As Juli was very informative and welcoming, I very much encourage you to visit her store when in Tecumseh. The store is located at 101 E. Chicago Boulevard.

The telephone number for the store is 517-424-2152. She is open Monday through Saturday 10 AM -5:30 PM.

The Tecumseh City Historical Museum and the town itself seem pretty danged proud of Julie Parrish. One can tell by the display of photos and information at the Museum.

I encourage any fan of Julie Parrish to visit Tecumseh and see where she lived as a teenager and meet the town folk who are proud of her.

Even if you are not a fan of Julie Parrish, this town is worth the trip.

I visited Lev’s Bakery to get treats (Julie had worked there during high school when it was Van’s Pastry Shop). Do remember to take cash with which to make a purchase. I had no cash with me. But, and this speaks highly of the kind of people that live in Tecumseh, a customer in the store, Carmen, purely from the pure goodness of her heart, offered to pay for my treats!

Carmen

Yes, she is a personal indicator of the type of town this is!!

Julie worked at Van's while in high school. Same location as current Lev and Son Bakery.

As I concluded my visit in Tecumseh, I imagined Julie as a high school girl walking from her home to work at Van’s bakery, perhaps on a Saturday morning with inches of snow on the sidewalk and a cold wind that threatened to distract her from her thoughts about a career, yet she did not surrender to immediate and ephemeral discomfort. I imagined her with each crunching step upon the snow plotting a career as a successful actress of whom the city of Tecumseh would be proud. I envisioned her listening with transistor radio to CKLW, originating from Windsor Ontario, on her way to work eagerly hoping to hear the latest release by Elvis Presley.

Evans Street looking south toward town. Julie's perspective as she walked to work at Van's Pastry Shop

Yes, model, actress, counselor, Julie Parrish also once was an American teenager with an American dream in the 1950s.

May she always be an inspiration for teenagers in Tecumseh and all over America that small town hopefuls can make their dreams come true!

 

To find out about Julie’s movies and tv appearances visit:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0663554/

 

To get a general idea of who was Julie Parrish visit:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Parrish

 

To learn more about Tecumseh Michigan visit:

http://www.downtowntecumseh.com/

 

 

I would like to thank Craig Burkeen of the First Presbyterian Church who supplied me with the obituary for Willam Wilbar (Julie’s father, who probably worked with my grandfather in Oak Ridge Tennessee. But that will be a different blog post).

Thanks to Pastor Brian Jones of the Missionary Baptist Church for giving me direction as to the original church site where the family attended.

And, thank you Mike Hrivnak, Vice President of  the Tecumseh Historical Museum.