ME & HARRY
ME & HARRY
I was thinking (like I never do that, you know?) that maybe my lack of awe and respect for authority - might not be entirely genetic and astrological. Yeah, some of it might be environmental. Seriously. I sort of grew up here in what might be odd circumstances, that may have helped lead me to be the way I is.
See, when I was growing up, President Harry S Truman attended the same church we attended. He always sat in the very back row, in the hard wooden chairs, so as to not disturb the service in any way. . . He was just a member of the community. I never remember a single time that he was recognized and hailed from the pulpit or where his presence ever caused a stir. My parents said Truman specifically asked to never be recognized or hailed like that. So, people just whispered to each other; “That old guy over there - is President Harry S Truman!” - but that was about it, as far I knew.
Truman only lived two blocks away from the church, in a regular house on the corner lot. We drove by it all the time, and sometimes we would see him out in the yard. Everyone knew the Secret Service owned the house across the street from his house. Truman liked to walk around though. It was not unusual to spot him walking on the sidewalk somewhere smiling at people, wearing a suit and usually sporting a hat and cane. He probably drove the Secret Service guys totally nuts, but that was Harry. Any group of young aimlessly wandering kids-about-town just never knew when they might cross paths with a former President of the United States, doing the very same thing, and I think Harry intended it that way.
I’m too lazy to research it, but I think Harry might have been the last US President to ever hold a regular job and live like a common man. When Truman was young, he worked as a timekeeper on the Santa Fe Railroad, and sometimes he slept in hobo camps near the rail lines. Yes, hobo camps! He also worked several boring clerical jobs, and was employed briefly in the mailroom of our local newspaper, wrapping newspapers. Uh huh, yes, the mailroom! Truman later owned a small men’s clothing store, which is probably why Harry always wore a nicely tailored suit. (Maybe ZZ Top wrote their song “Sharp Dressed Man” about Truman? . . . Well, you know, they could have maybe. . .)
When Truman left office, after two terms as President of the United States, he had absolutely no savings, and his only income was his old army pension of $112 a month, because there was no Federal Pension for Presidents or Senators yet in 1953. But Truman refused to take a corporate job because he believed that being on the payroll of some large company - would diminish the integrity of the nation’s highest office. So, he turned down numerous job offers that would have made him rich, and instead he took out a bank loan, and went into debt, so he could survive. Then he started work on writing a book, so that he could pay the loan back, and have some money to live on.
See, the whole time I was growing up, - it was just normal for me to have a former US President walking all over town like a common guy, being considerate, being humble, and being nice. So I guess maybe - that was my template for how things are supposed to be done, and how powerful leaders are supposed to behave.
Harry died just before I turned 13 years old, but I guess he left a lasting impression on me. Now that I am here writing about it, I guess he can leave a lasting impression on you too.
(C) RLMcCormick
