What's The Word

Location: Lakeview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2013; 6:30-8 pm

I'd sit alone and watch your light

My only friend through teenage nights

And everything I had to know

I heard it on my radio

Most of my memories of my teenage years are associated with music and almost all of it had something to do with radio.  It wasn’t just the music itself, it was also the shows, the hosts, the commercials…everything.  It’s strange how certain things drift away from your mind for years, but one trigger is all it takes to bring back those memories, and not just a trickle, but an entire wave.  I had not scheduled a project for this evening, but seeing an opening, decided to sign up for this in the afternoon.  If I had not, I would missed out on remembering something long forgotten, something that I needed to remember.

I arrived to find that Jack, Jim, Larry and Mary were already assembled.  Also present was my new buddy Elmer.  He had told me that he wanted to be involved in all of the projects at the center and looks like he was sticking to his word.  Besides Gwyn, there were 3 other volunteers, including Fran, who had been present during our previous Elmer experience.  He did look a bit subdued today, though there were enough strong personalities to keep this interesting.  We would be working on the September/October issue of ‘As We See It’ this evening, the same issue with which I had started my career with Chicago Cares last year.  It had been Jack’s 89^th birthday recently and as usual, Gwyn had baked him his favorite ‘Oatmeal Raisin’ cookies, using dried cranberries instead of raisins.  Whatever was in there, it was a delicious way to begin.

Gwyn paired me with another volunteer Andrea, and we would be working on the computer to do specific research. Fran and another volunteer Rebecca would be working with Jack on ‘Chase Book Of Events’, whereas Gwyn, Jim, Larry and Mary would be discussing the book and restaurant reviews.  Andrea looked like a fun person to work with and I told her that we had been relegated to computer duties because we were either too smart, or too dumb to contribute towards books and restaurant review discussions!  Actually, our task did have something to do with books since we were asked to find something on October being ‘National Book Reading Month’.  Using Google as our ally we set off, but try as we may, were unable to find any history of why, when and where October had been nominated for this honor.  We did find what people could do to celebrate it through book clubs and schools.  This was a bit strange until we found an article that said that ‘National Book Foundation’ had dropped the ‘National Book Month’.  What?  We were mystified at this wondering what poor October – my favorite month of the year - had done to deserve this ignominy.  We could not find any supporting material, but it was enough of a curious thing to include it in the issue.

The Lone Ranger

We had more luck on our next task, which was to research the TV show ‘The Lone Ranger’, which made its debut in September 1949.  I must admit that I had never seen or read anything associated with this show till I went to see the semi-decent movie this summer.  However, according to what I saw on the Wikipedia page, it had been a phenomenon, with almost 3000 radio episodes dating back to 1933!  Elmer, who always likes to contribute, knew most of the actors from the show and started listing them, along with some of the other Western’s from the era.  Gwyn then said that we should find an audio clipping of the show and it did not take Andrea and me long to locate one of the shows online.  Then all of us abandoned what we had been doing and for the next few minutes listed to the radio broadcast.  I was lost in my own memories and I got a sense that everyone else was as well - not least the residents who have lived through the days when a family gathering around the radio was the only entertainment.  It’s a shame that today’s generation, each with their personal mobile device connected to YouTube, will never know what a wonderful experience that was.

We took down some notes on ‘The Lone Ranger’, hoping that Gwyn would be able to decipher my handwriting.  She and the others were passionately discussing some restaurant serving chicken and a thriller book – something that the residents love.  They were also debating which of the staff members to pick for the interview segment and I suggested picking the next person who walked into the room.  It was funny since one of the resident assistants walked in and all of turned to look at him!  For the ‘Time Out’ section, which deals with sports, I said that we should put down our SuperBowl picks on the eve of the football season.  Since we still had some time left, Gwyn asked me to find out some fun facts about ‘Labor Day’ and the couple that we found were that it was when the very first ‘Waffle House’ opened and that there is something known as ‘Moustache Festival’ in California.

Radio Gaga

On that note it was time to leave and Elmer asked about the next Crafts project, even though he claimed that I had “Worked him like a rented mule” the previous time.  As I took the train back, I couldn't help but go back all those years ago, listening to the radio. I remembered how on Sunday afternoons, my Mom and me used to listen to upcoming previews of movies, some of which ran as long as 15 minutes, followed by discussing excitedly how the film would be.  There were times when I visited my grandparents and they had a giant radio perched on top of a cabinet and which could only be tuned by standing on top of a stool.  I remembered many an evening spent at their place listening to the radio shows, as well as some of the sporting events.  Speaking of sports, I remembered how I used to stay glued to the radio, with my hands clenched as my team or favorite player would be playing.  I remembered as a kid going on long drives with my parents in the front and me with a portable radio in back seat and I remembered evenings during my college days, listening to the popular DJs taking calls from lovesick teenagers.  Even recently, in grad school, my roommates and me used to have a radio on as we did our assignments or drove through the night on interstates, trying to avoid rush hour traffic. Radio has been an integral part of my growing up, and as much as I may want to change some things in the past, almost every memory with a radio had been a good one; including that one night as I saw a text message on the phone mounted on my car’s dashboard and I reached out to switch off the radio in order to have a quite moment. Last year, I had gone to see a radio production of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ and it had been one of the highlights of my holiday season.  The way the performers had recreated the era of radio broadcasting, combining it with this beloved story, had made me realize that one does not need a $300 million budget to create magical entertainment.  As we all had concluded ‘The Lone Ranger’ broadcast this evening I had mentioned as much, and though they did not say it back, I could see in the residents eyes that they had agreed.

Let's hope you never leave old friend

Like all good things on you we depend

So stick around cause we might miss you

When we grow tired of all this visual

You had your time, you had the power

You've yet to have your finest hour

- lyrics by Roger Taylor

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy