Great American Literature- Robert Frost

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life – It goes on” – Robert Frost

Robert Frost (1874-1963) was born in San Francisco, California but spent the majority of his life living and working in New England. He was a man whose family was challenged by mental illness and disease and who was unable to complete his college education despite many attempts. Yet, he married his love, Elinor, fathered six children and received over 40 honorary degrees, including ones from Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge universities; and he was the only person to receive two honorary degrees from Dartmouth College. At the age of 86 he spoke and performed a reading of his poetry at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. He was honored with four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.

Though Frost tried his hands at many things including farming to support his family, it was always the writing of poetry that called to him. In 1894 he sold his first poem, "My Butterfly: An Elegy" (published in the November 8, 1894 edition of the New York Independent) for fifteen dollars. Of his collection of well over a hundred poems, many easily recall “The Road Not Taken” (often referenced as The Road Less Traveled.) However, it was “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” that Frost himself felt was his “best bid for remembrance.” He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. Frost continues to be a popular and often-quoted American poet as his contribution to American poetry is like the road chosen to be travelled. It “has made all the difference.”

Great Moments in American Sports - Billy Mills

Billy Mills was an American Indian of the Sioux tribe, born on June 30th, 1938, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He was orphaned at the age of 13. He took up running and boxing while attending the Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. He attended the University of Kansas on an Athletic scholarship and became an All American Cross Country runner three times and a member of two Outdoor Track National Championship teams. He was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps upon graduation from Kansas and was a First Lieutenant in the USMC Reserves when he ran in the 1964 Olympics.

In the 1964 Olympics he became the only U.S. runner to ever win the Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters run. It was one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history. Mills, who placed second in the U.S. Olympics trial was a virtual unknown and not considered to be a factor in the race for a medal. The favorite was an Australian named Ron Clarke, who held the world record. Mills' time in the preliminary race was a full minute behind Clarke's. As expected, Clarke set the early pace and at the halfway mark only five runners were still in contention. With two laps left, only Clarke, Mills and Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia were left. It seemed to be falling into place for the world record holder, Clarke. Gammoudi took the lead going into the final stretch and Clarke gave chase. Mills appeared to be out of it. Clarke could not catch Gammoudi, but Mills miraculously sprinted past both of them to win the race in Olympic record time and 50 seconds faster than he had ever run before. I've always thought that the mark of a true champion is to save your best performance for your most important game or race. That certainly applies to Billy Mills! Billy was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1976 and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. He is the subject of the 1984 movie Running Brave starring Robbie Benson.

Great American Artists - Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper was born in upstate New York in 1882 to a middle class family. He knew from early on that he wanted to earn his living as an artist. His family encouraged him but wanted him to study commercial illustration as it offered a more secure and stable way of life. He studied for a time in Europe and was most impressed by Rembrandt's The Night Watch. He first enjoyed commercial success in 1924 at a sell out show of his work in New York City. He became best known as a realist and his paintings were known for their starkness and loneliness. His most famous works were oil paintings, but he was also accomplished as a printmaker and water colorist. Two of his most recognizable paintings are featured above: Nighthawks and Gas. His style as you can see is unmistakeable.

This Week in American History- The Fourteenth Amendment

On July 28th, 1868 following ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed to black Americans citizenship and all its privileges, was officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution. The amendment stated that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside." The amendment then reaffirmed the privileges and rights of all citizens, and granted all these citizens the "equal protection of the laws." Our great Nation has not always been perfect, but it has always recognized its flaws and, over time, has corrected them. It is important when studying history and when teaching it to our children to focus on that fact and not on the flaws.

Great American Heroes - Rush Limbaugh

This may be my most controversial post of the summer, but only because I am writing about the most vilified, misunderstood and misrepresented man on the U.S. political scene. Rush Limbaugh is a Conservative radio talk show host and the brains and driving force behind the Conservative movement. He is on every liberal/marxist/socialist enemies list and that is reason enough to admire him. He is a staunch defender of our Constitution, our Exceptionalism and our traditions, culture and storied history. He has been influential on the political scene for 22 years now, but never more important than at the present. He is often criticized by those who fear him - and they fear him because he is a threat to their agenda, which is more often than not anti-Constitution, anti-American Exceptionalism and anti-tradition, culture and storied history. His critics call him racist, sexist, and homophobic, but he is really none of those things. These are just the typical ad hominem attacks made by those who have no good arguments for their positions. Zev Chafets just wrote and published a biography of Rush. Chafets is not a card carrying member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. In fact, he probably leans left. His admiration for Rush, however, comes across loud and clear in the pages of the book. Here is an excerpt: "People who dismiss Rush as an entertainer, a pitchman, or a hot air balloon are very wrong. He is a passionate and tenacious advocate, a major political and cultural force who can't be wished away or shouted down or sniffed into irrelevance. Smart liberals will listen to his show, even if they hate what he has to say. The easily outraged will be. Those with a sense of humor will find themselves laughing despite themselves. But nobody will fully understand American politics and media culture until they get who Rush Limbaugh really is, what he does and how he does it." Too many people on the right are afraid to admit that they are fans of Rush, "Ditto-heads" as they are known. I am not. I consider him an American Hero!

Great Speeches - Lou Gehrig

One of the most memorable speeches of all time. Most of you can probably quote the most famous line from the speech - Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth - but you probably don't know that there was only a few more lines to the entire speech. It is considered a great speech because it was given by a beloved and humble man on a momentous, life-changing occasion and it was spoken with grace and dignity.

Great American Literature- Kurt Vonnegut

I can't actually say that I am a great fan of either Vonnegut's writing or his politics (certainly not his politics), but he was a very well known and influential American novelist and a veteran of World War II. As a Private with the 106th Infantry Division, he was captured in December of 1944 at the Battle of the Bulge and remained a POW in Dresden until May 1945. His experiences as a soldier and as a POW shaped his political opinions and his writing. He was also influenced by early socialist labor leaders and was a lifetime member of the ACLU. The main reason I am featuring Vonnegut today is his outstanding short story Harrison Bergeron, which surprisingly enough, given his political leanings, is an indictment of egalitarianism and totalitarianism. You can (and should) read it in its entirety here. http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html