…So into the “bin” I go…
If I’m going to start a newsletter, I guess the first place I should start is to give you some background about me…
When I was in first grade, I knew all of the Presidents in order from Washington to Carter. I am not sure as to how I became interested in those who lived in the White House exactly, but I can trace my earliest interest to a book that was given to me by Uncle Mario.
You see, in New Jersey, many have an Uncle Mario. I didn’t. Uncle Mario was my Uncle Vinnie’s uncle. If you didn’t have an Uncle Mario, you probably had an Uncle Vinnie. Uncle Mario must have known that I knew of some Presidents or liked history, because at a party at Uncle Vinnie’s house, Uncle Mario gave me a book entitled, Presidents of the United States by Cornel Adam Lengyel.
The colors.
The pictures.
The history.
All thirty-nine Presidents in a row.
Now…I was only about 5 or 6 at the time, so I only understood so much of what I was reading.
But I was hooked.
I remember my reaction to getting the book.
I remember how Uncle Mario would always ask me about the book every time we met.
I remember hearing his stories about growing up in the Depression and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
I remember when Uncle Mario passed.
I still have that book in my house. It’s a constant reminder of how I began my journey.
That journey, with book in tow, has taken me through Sayreville, New Jersey. Through Trenton State College (now known as the College of New Jersey). Through Appalachian State University. Through the University of Illinois at Chicago. And along the way, I’ve taught Political Science and History at Isothermal Community College in Spindale, North Carolina and since 1999 at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois.
Students, from time to time, will ask me how I have voted throughout the years. I guess I’m doing a good job if they can’t figure it out from my teaching. I have voted all over the political spectrum: Republican, Democrat, Independent, Reform, Green, Libertarian, and even Natural Law. I try not to get into my personal beliefs in the classroom, but I will admit that the first person I ever voted for President was Ross Perot.
Ross Perot?
He was an eccentric businessman. Texas twang. Easy to parody. And yet, he set himself a part from the political mainstream. I guess as a soon-to-be college student, this was appealing to me.
Again, I was hooked.
I remember signing a petition for him on a boardwalk in Belmar, New Jersey.
I remember being intrigued by a candidate who did not have an R or a D next to his name.
I remember voting in my hometown for him.
I remember being disappointed when he finished third.
But just like the road that I set off on with a book given to me by Uncle Mario, my vote for Ross Perot set me off on future decisions that I would make at the ballot box.
So there you have it.
Where it all began for me.
Uncle Mario and Ross Perot.
…and back into the “bin” they go.
Photo: Presidents of the United States by Lengyel (1977) from the author’s collection in “The Schreck Bin”
Photo: Perot in ‘92 Bumper Sticker from the author’s collection in “The Schreck Bin”