The "So Which Is Correct And Witch is Not? Story

It was another ordinary day.  Halfway through another story for my blog when I found it necessary to decide if I should use the word "who" or the word "whom."  Have spent many hours over the years struggling to decide about the correct grammar which should be used in my stories.  Should I use "Who" or "Whom"?  How about "Lay" or "Lie"?  And then there is "Badly" or just "Bad".  And, also have to make sure I don't end a sentence with a preposition or use the word "None" as singular when it should be plural...or is it the other way around?  If only Mrs. Eisenhart was still around today I could give her a call for help.  Mrs. Eisenhart was my 11th grade English teacher who seemed to pick on me all the time.  At least it seemed that way to me.  She is the one teacher who helped me the most in High School.  If it hadn't been for her you probably wouldn't be able to read too many of my stories without trying to figure out what I meant due to my poor grammar skills.   I'll list a few of the grammar rules that she taught me in my junior...or is it Junior...year in high school so you can see what I mean about using proper grammar while writing.

1. "Who" or "Whom":  This rule is fairly simple, even for me.  "Who" refers to the subject of a sentence or clause, while "Whom" refers to the object of the sentence or clause.  Examples of this would be:  "Who went to the game with you?"  rather than "Whom went to the game with you?"  A good way for me to determine the correct word is to substitute the word He (Who)/Him(Whom).  Would you say "He went to the game with me" or "Him went to the game with me"?  Got it? 

2.  "Me or "I":  This rule I believe I learned way before I ever had Mrs. Eisenhart as a teacher.  What would you say..."Jim and I went to the store", or would you say..."Jim and me went to the store?"  I realize it is is easy for me to say it is "Jim and I", but if you're still not sure...take out the other person's name an see how it sounds, such as..."I went to the store" or "Me went to the store."  You can see that "I" has to be the answer.

3.  Then there is the rule of ending a sentence with a preposition.  Would you say, "It's not something I want to argue?" or "It's not something I want to argue about" with 'about' being a preposition?  In this case adding the 'about' is not necessary.  But, I have read that this may just be one rule you may have to argue with someone about.

4.  How about "Good" and "Well."  Now this is a tough one and I don't think anyone will argue with you no matter which you choose.  Would you say "I'm doing "good" or  " I'm doing "well'?  "Good" is being used as an adverb in this instance which means that "Well" is the correct answer, but in most cases no one will know the difference anyway.  

5.  And...should you say, "I could care less," or "I couldn't care less."?  Don't they both mean the same thing?  Not really!  Saying "I couldn't care less" means that you actually care as much as you ever will while "I could care less" means you can care more.  Now, are you lost?  Well, I could care less!

6.  When should you capitalize and when should you not capitalize?  If you are talking about western states in the United States, should you capitalize the word western?  If you had used it as an adjective then you don't need to capitalize it, but if you use it as a noun it should be capitalized, such as Western United States.  Same as...I went to the "doctor" the other day is correct just as I went to see "Doctor" Smith is correct.  

7.  And, finally...are the words "Neither" and "None" singular or plural?  When you say "neither" you are referring to more than one.  If you would say, "Neither the boy or girl knew the answer", it would be plural, but if you said "Neither child knew the answer it would be singular.  Right?  Same with the word "None."  That, too, can be both singular and plural, so the rule for this one, as I had been told by Mrs. Eisenhart, is use your judgement.  Now, that means I can use either word and Mrs. Eisenhart won't mark it wrong.  Wow, that never happened!   Mrs. Eisenhart passed away a few years ago and I believe she is still watching down over me each and every time I type a story.  So, if I make a mistake, it's her fault!

I'm sure there are many other rules in the "Grammar" world, but these are the rules I come upon the most while writing my stories.  That, and the problem with spelling.  But, I asume youse know that bye now!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

PS -  Mrs. Eisenhart passed away a few years ago, but I believe she is still watching down over me each and every time I type a story.  So, if I make a mistake, it's her fault!

The "If It's In Print...It Must Be True! Not!! Story

It was an ordinary day.  Picked up the morning newspaper at the foot of my driveway and opened it.  There it was, in black and white, the story that our beloved Franklin & Marshall College was going to change it's name.  How can that be?  Well, it seems that a Mr. Paul Finkelman, President and history professor at Gratz College near Philadelphia had just told the Lancaster Newspaper that F&M was changing their name since one of it's namesakes participated in slavery years ago.  Claimed in his June 15 article in the "Atlantic Magazine" that he had heard from an F&M alumnus that the school was considering a name change.  Only problem was that he didn't take the time to verify the information before he passed along the story to the world.  The Lancaster Newspaper got in touch with him to ask for more information about the name change and he had to apologize and take full responsibility for his error.  Wasn't long before "The Atlantic" also posted a correction to the article indicating that it had learned that F&M had no "official" discussions about renaming the school.

An early photograph of Franklin & Marshall College

 F&M did recently establish a "study group" to examine issues of how slavery is represented on campus, but the establishment of the group was not inspired by Mr. Finkelman's article.  Shortly after the article first appeared in "The Atlantic", F&M began to get inquiries from alumni, faculty and staff asking what was going on with the name change.  According to F&M spokesman Gregory Wright, "F&M takes very seriously our role in confronting systemic racism and the historical roots that continue to harm our society today."  Well, Mr. Finkelman got carried away and posted the news before he should have.  He had already told of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall's slave purchasing in his recently published book, "Supreme Injustice: Slavery in the Nation's Highest Court."  

Old Main at Franklin & Marshall College

It was in the early 19th century that Justice Marshall gave 27 enslaved people to one of his sons, sold more than 30 to pay off the debts of another son and gave 40 slaves to yet another son.  By the time Mr. Marshall had died he had owned more than 150 slaves.  And, to top that off, Marshall is said to be one of the most influential Supreme Court Justices in history.  It was he who established the Supreme Court as the third branch of government in the United States.  Mr. Finkelman was right in one respect, The John Marshall Law School at the University of Illinois at Chicago will no longer carry that name, but will be called the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law.  Perhaps that is what led him to think that Franklin and Marshall would also change their name.  I do see how he might have thought that, but it should have been just a thought and not in print.  

Present statue of John Marshall

A present, there is a statue of John Marshall in front of Old Main which has administrative offices and a lecture/recital space with several of his quotes etched around the bottom half of it.  A similar statue of Benjamin Franklin sits beside it.  Perhaps a study group will begin in the fall of next semester which can begin to talk about the campus climate and their approach to slavery problems.

Present statue of Benjamin Franklin

 It will certainly give the students a real-life experience that could never have been created.  The working group is part of the schools ongoing effort to reckon with their own history.  Actually Mr. Marshall's name wasn't part of the school when it first began as in 1737 as Franklin College.  Then Marshall College was founded 49 years later in Mercersburg.  It eventually was moved to Lancaster and merged with Franklin College to form what is now known as Franklin & Marshall College.  

Did you also know that Benjamin Franklin owned slaves at one time, but renounced slavery and forged his identity as an abolitionist and humanitarian whereas Mr. Marshall sold and purchased slaves his entire life.   It was said that he called for the removal of all free Balck people, who he called "Pests", from the Union.  Now F&M will have to discuss the merits of allowing such a figure to continue to represent the college and its people.  Gonna be a tough decision and it's possible that Mr. Finkelman may be right.  But that doesn't give him the choice to predict history by himself.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Breaking news! - I just heard on our local television channel that someone had vandalized Mr. Marshall's statue at Franklin & Marshall College.  Mr. Marshall may have been incorrect in his logic to have slaves, but that still doesn't make it right to vandalize his statue.  The best way is to protest him having slaves and have the statue removed by the school.  Don't reduce yourself to vandalism.  It doesn't help your cause in the long run.  

The "Searching For A Unique Replacement" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at site after site that displays rather unusual mailboxes that can be placed in front of your home to collect your U.S. Mail each delivery day.  You may have already read my story about the demolition of my very nice wooden mailbox that was destroyed in early September of 2016.  My wife and I loved that mailbox, since it was easy to give directions to our home by telling about the large wooden mailbox that sat at the end of our driveway that was made of the same wood as the home and painted the same color.  For years Carol would decorate the box with Christmas lights for Christmas or ghosts for Halloween.  We got many compliments over the years until someone decided to stray from the road and totally destroy the mailbox.  Can't imagine what it might have done to their car, but it was the last time that our mailbox collected our mail.  We decided to buy a plain mailbox just as all the others in our neighborhood so I purchased one at Home Depot and installed it with concrete where our other mailbox had resided.  Nothing really neat...just a plain brown mailbox.  Then over the next few years we talked about perhaps buying or making a new mailbox that would make our home slightly different than all the rest in the neighborhood.  We looked around the county as well as searching the Internet for ideas.  We printed out images of mailbox after mailbox, but have still not decided what to do.  I have posted a few of our choices at the end of my story so you can get an idea as to what we might want to have as.a new mailbox.  If you have something unique that would be a good fit for a contemporary home, please add a comment on my story and included a photo of the mailbox.  We may love your choice and will try to find a duplicate to place in front of our home.  We are open to just about anything as you can see in our photos we have taken from other sources.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy

Our large wooden mailbox

Decorated for Halloween

After being destroyed by a driver.

Ideas follow:

 

The "The Porches Of Lancaster County" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  The date is June 27 and I am posting a story written by a former resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania who still loves Lancaster even though he no longer lives in the Red Rose City.  John's story which I am posting today tells of the porches of Lancaster County and what they meant to those who lived in the city and had the chance to sit on their porch during the summer and get to know the neighbors.  How I long for that time long ago when life seemed so much easier and everyone knew each other.  Enjoy John's story!  It will give you a glimpse of how life was like years ago when he and I were both kids living in the city of Lancaster.  Please read on...

THE PORCHES OF LANCASTER COUNTY 

by John Earl Hambright

Up from the Chesapeake, once the heat sets in, creeps humidity. And the need to escape it. The creeks and cottages offered some Lancastrians relief. The pools and beaches drew others.

But for decades and decades in town and country alike -- all day long and deep into the night -- most Lancastrians came out of their hot houses and on to their porches.

Colonial Lancaster inns and the hotels built in the days of the early Republic set the pattern of a rear place for the kitchen. Back there, behind the house, first floor porches and second floor balconies provided the comfort and solace of fresher cooler air.

The big red brick farmhouses that began to be built at the tail end of the 1840s fairly bristled with porches -- side, rear, and now a front porch, too. Every member of the family could find his own shady outdoor retreat.

Side porches off the kitchen gave a place where women could hang up wash, men smoke cigars and children play when the rain made mud in the yards. The front porch was where courting couples billed, cooed and murmured sweet and low.

And everyone in the family enjoyed natural air-conditioning -- free of charge.

The streetcar suburbs at the turn of the last century took the porch to a new level, both architecturally and culturally. The porch was moved from the rear sides and back of the house and placed squarely out front. You see them lining the streets not only in Lancaster city but out in the county towns as well.

It was the beginning of a whole new era. Call it Lancaster's "porch culture."

From Grover Cleveland days to as late as my post-WW Two boyhood, the porch was the place, as the saying goes -- "to see and be seen." No longer was the escape outside just a quest for cooler air. In the NEW ERA era, the porch quickly became a whole new way of life.

Porch furniture was manufactured. Wicker rocked. People took their plants outside -- and their pets. No porch was complete without a Boston fern. Or a Boston terrier.

Or a Scots collie. English spaniel. French poodle. Leashed to a front porch rocker, the family's best friend curled up at the top of the porch's tall steps and waited for the postman. The milk man. The bread guy. Or a passing kid.

Almost everyone had a carpet of some kind. Woven mats mostly. Some folks put in electrical outlets, so they and the dog could have fans and radios. Some tried lamps as well -- till they learned it attracted bugs to the Saturday Evening Post you were trying to read.

What a stylish array East New Street displayed when porches still had awnings. Remember awnings?

Canvas. Striped. Green and white were common colors. Stretched on plumbing pipes and controlled by ropes, they could be raised and lowered, though most remained down for the duration from April to October.

They shaded the south-facing porches and living rooms against the sun. And they also made it possible for residents to sneak peeks unseen at whatever was happening second to second on the sidewalk and street below.

Lancaster's awnings are said to have been manufactured by the Rotes. "C.V. Rote & Co. was founded by Charles V. Rote, Jacob F. Bender, and John W. Holman on 3 March 1881, specifically for the manufacture of awnings," says the LCHS website. "Bender and Holman provided the financing, space for the shop, the time they could commit, and the use of their horse and buggy. Rote provided his labor and time in manufacturing the awnings."

Andrew B. Rote took over the business in 1894. Affectionately known as Andy -- with a retreat of his own called Green Acres on the Old Philadelphia Pike -- Rote was a fixture on Lancaster's civic scene for decades. The business was then located at 111-117 E. Chestnut Street, Lancaster and it continued until 1947.

In 1947 -- the beginning of my school years -- New Street porches concealed beneath their Rote awnings, a solid phalanx of widowed grandmothers across the street from us. On the shady side of our busy thoroughfare, hidden in total darkness, Mrs Smith, Mrs Fisher, Mrs Friday and Mrs Ingraham never left their porch chairs, it seemed, and didn't miss a trick.

They saw who was late for work. Or school.

Who was going to the grocery store. Who was coming home with how many bags. Who was going back to the store because they forgot the bread.

They never missed the Black Mariah.

Like all good spies, our New Street grande dames were prepared for any contingency.

They always occupied the chair right by the front door so they get in the house quick when nature called. Or Ken Kreider.

WGAL radio personality Ken was the Kelly and Ryan of his epoch. If you remembered the key phrase of the morning when he rang you up -- you listened for it blaring through the open living room window -- you might be in for serious money. Five bucks, say,

If Ken didn't make your day, you could always compensate with a visit from the grandchildren. Often the little nippers lived just around the corner and could pop in any minute to sit beside you on the metal glider, drink lemonade, and watch the Sixth Ward trolley go by.

I didn't have a grandmother among New Street's watchful widows, but I knew those ladies were there in the shadows. You felt them as an unseen audience.

You knew when they laughed at some tumble you took. Or sneered when you missed a catch. Or went tsk, tsk when your mother came out and yelled at you for not coming quick enough when she called.

They often went tsk, tsk with me and Hughie Higgins and Billy Gilbert 'n their sights.

And our mothers were grateful for the surveillance. As they say in Africa, it takes a village to raise a child. In the Sixth Ward of Lancaster, in the first half of the twentieth century, the village sat on front porches and watched you from under striped awnings.

One thing those ladies knew for certain. The best month for porches was June.

You could see kids going off to the prom. Or graduation. But the biggest fun was Here-Comes-the-Bride.

Saturday afternoons in the month between Memorial Day and The Fourth, families all up and down the block came out on their porch, leaned over the railings and craned their necks. The suspense built. And built. Until, finally, the little girl who'd grown up three doors down emerged from beneath her own awning. Veiled in bridal white.

On Here-Comes-The-Bride days the matriarchs always brought out their best handkerchiefs, maybe two.

All those people, all those porches -- what banished them to the dim ethers of memory? Air-conditioners, certainly. And working mothers. And busy lives.

My mother would have told you what doomed the porch was television. She used to lament that TV was killing good conversation: "Nobody talks any more," she'd wail when we came back from an in-law's house late Sunday afternoon. She hated that we once voluble Hambrights could sit in complete silence watching Bud Collyer on BEAT THE CLOCK and SUPER CIRCUS with Mary Hartline.

But Susie Hambright lost that crusade. Did Lancaster lose, too?

In the summer of 1955, TV brought us its first big coast-to-coast sensational quiz game. The CBS show was called THE $64,000 QUESTION. Contestants had mastered categories of their own choosing and answered questions in their field of expertise -- boxing, opera -- up through multiples of 8-thousand to the top prize of what would today be almost a million dollars.

We're not talking Ken Kreider here. The following season, NBC offered even bigger money -- $100,000 -- on a show they called TWENTY-ONE.

Suddenly porch culture got cancelled.

I've often thought Hal March, the dapper CBS emcee, was the man who killed Lancaster City's front porch joys. I remember the moment.

On a warm night that summer of 1955, I walked down to Yarnall's corner store for a Creamsicle and the whole way along New Street and back -- from every lit-up living room up and down the block, as I passed them by -- I could hear Hal March through the open windows clear as a bell: "And now for THE" -- drum roll -- "$64,000 Question!!"

Every dark porch out front lay empty.

Thank you John for your great story once again. I can still remember the front porch with the orange cloth awning at 929 North Queen Street. My mom and dad had a three-foot wide rubber floor mat that ran from the front door to the edge of the porch. The slight slope of the porch from the front door to the edge of the porch was just enough for me to run my cat's eye marbles from the house to the edge of the porch. Directly next to the front door sat our milk box. We had a metal swing and two metal chairs with arm rests that sat on our front porch. Each had cushings that were taken in each evening after we were done sitting on the porch. The entire last block of North Queen Street had porches that were filled with furniture and had a canvas awning and all were filled with neighbors most every evening during the summer. And...it was just as you described it in your story. What is so sad is that no one ever sits on their porch anymore. All the houses in the last block of North Queen Street are still there, but whenever I pass the homes, not a single one has an awning or porch furniture. How sad! Don't they realize all the good times they are missing? As many of us say..."It's so sad!" Oh, for the good old days when life was more simple and everyone in neighborhood knew each other. Can you name the people who live on your street today? Does you home even have a front porch today? I now know what my parents and even grandparents meant when they would say, "I miss the good old days!" Times have changed...but, not always for the better! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The History Of One Of My Favorite Board Games" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading about one of my all-time favorite board games, Monopoly.  Game was actually known as "The Landlord's Game" and was developed by a young woman by the name of Elizabeth (Magie) Phillips who was an American game designer, writer and feminist.  

The Landlord's Gameboard.

The Landlord's Game was meant to illustrate teachings of the progressive era economist Henry George.  Elizabeth was born in Macomb, Illinois in 1866 to James K. Magie, a newspaper publisher and abolitionist who accompanied Abraham Lincoln as he traveled around Illinois in the late 1850s debating politics with Stephen Douglas.  After moving to the Washington, D.C. and Maryland areas in the early 1880s, she worked as a stenographer and typist at the Dead Letter Office.  

Elizabeth (Magie) Phillips

She also wrote short stories and poetry, was a comedian, stage actress, feminist and engineer.  At the age of 26 she received a patent for her invention that made the typewriting process easier by allowing paper to go through the rollers more easily.  She also worked as a news reporter for a brief time in the early 1900s.  At the age of 44 she married Albert Wallace Phillips.  In 1903 she applied to the US Patent Offie for a patent on her board game she called The Landlord's Game.  She was granted U.S. Patent 748,626 on January 5, 1904.  The game was designed to demonstrate the economic ill effects of land monopolist and the use of land value tax as a remedy for it.  Originally, the goal of the game was to simply obtain wealth, but in following patents, the game developed to eventually have two different settings: one being the monopolist set up (known as Monopoly) where the goal was to own industries, create monopolies and win by forcing others out of their industries and the other being the anti-monopolist setup (known as Prosperity) where the goal was to create products and interact with opponents.  The game would later go on to become the Monopoly board game.  

The board game of Monopoly as we know it.

In 1906 she moved to Chicago and formed the Economic Game Co. to self-publish her original edition of The Landlord's Game.  In 1910, the Parker Brothers published her humorous card game Mock Trail.  Then, the Newbie Game Co. in Scotland patented "The Landlord's Game" as "Bre'r Fox and Bre'r Rabbit."  There was no proof that the game was protected by British patent.  In 1924 she and her husband moved to the East Coast and patented a revised version of the game in 1924.  In 1932 her second edition of The Landlord's Game was published by the Adgame Company of Washington D.C.  This version included both Monoply and Prosperity.  In 1937 she developed "Bargain Day" and "King's Men."  Magie died at the age of 81 in 1937 and was buried with her husband in Columbia Gardens Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.  She was not credited for the impact that she had on the board game community and American culture.  Actually, Charles Darrow claimed "Monopoly" and "The Landlord's Game" saying he had invented the games in his basement.  Maggie spoke out against Mr. Darrow, but it didn't seem to make much difference.  Darrow was given the credit for the invention of Monopoly until a Mr. Ralph Anspach discovered Magie's patents and her relation to the Monopoly game.  Eventually her game known as "The Landlord's Game" was given more attention and she posthumously received credit for one of the most popular board games.  As far as the game of "Monopoly," I assume Parker Borthers and Darrow were credited with the invention of that game.  

Mr. Darrow's Monopoly board.

She did receive acknowledgement for the invention of the circular board game which concentrated on interacting both socially and competitively with opponents.  Her board game not only laid the foundation and inspiration for "Monopoly," but also provided entertainment that taught about Georgist principles, the value in spreading wealth, and the harmfulness of monopolies which evidently was missing from Mr. Darrow's version.  She was also given credit for inventing word games during a time when women held less that one percent of U.S. Patents, and political material in newspapers to speak against the oppression of women and Black communities in the United States.  I have loved the game for most of my life and still enjoy a game of "Monopoly" from time to time.  Just love to beat my brother at it!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This is a Monopoly Game board made in a home.

  

The "Do You Remember UFO Sightings From The Past?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  August 20, 1952 and three young boys aged 14 were manning the Neffsville, Pennsylvania Ground Observation Post at around 4:00 A.M. when they spotted a single light in the sky.  Then, a second light slid underneath the first before going out a few minutes later!  The boys quickly notified Olmsted Air Force Base and later prepared an official report to the U.S. Air Force on what they had seen.  The following day there was a story in the Lancaster New Era telling about what the boys, Gordon James, Bill Ford and Tom Groff, had seen.  To this day nothing has ever been discovered that can explain the unusual sighting.  Was it a UFO?

Bill Ford and  Gordon James were two of the boys who saw the UFO

Were aliens flying in their spaceship?  Had the there young boys been drinking more than water while they were on duty?  But wait...a similar light was spotted that same evening about 9:45 by two other Neffsville teens.  This time the light was in a different position and just faded into the sky.  Both cases remain among a handful of unresolved, unexplained UFO sightings in the state of Pennsylvania.  Declassified records tell us that the United States military investigated 12,618 UFO sightings worldwide between 1947 and 1969.  Most were explained, but to this date 701 have never been solved.  Other sightings in the state of Pennsylvania were from Allentown on September 13, 1952; Altoona on July 23, 1952; Corsica on March 26, 1959; Kutztown on July 9, 1952; Pleasant View on May 26, 1964; Pittsburg on February 11, 1952; Stroudsbury on October 2, 1958; noon on July 11, 1966; and one incident listed only as Pennsylvania on March 2, 1954.  Bill Ford and Gordon James were among the teenagers who had volunteered as spotters at the Neffsville Ground Observer post in 1953 as part of the national Civil Defense program.  The two were among five teenagers who spotted UFOs from that location.  

Air Force Lt. Joseph Riding, security officer for Olmstead Field

in Middletown, PA points to a map were there was a UFO sighting.

There were also many spotting throughout the United States.  One image provided by the Civil Defense was known as "The Blob" and was captured on fuzzy video by Navy pilots.  But, wait!  There's a whole fleet of them, one naval aviator tells another.  The images was labeled as unexplained.  So, what's going on?  What ever happened to all these sightings back in the 1950s?  The U.S. Government has been taking a hard look at unidentified flying objects, under orders from Congress, and a report summarizing what officials know is expected to come out in June of 2021.  Now, what you just read was from a story I found in the Lancaster Newspaper in 1952.  We are now in June of 2021 and I am awaiting the news we were supposed to have as stated in the article from 1952.  While I sat typing this story, I talked to my wife about it and asked if she had heard anything about it and she too had not heard anything about it.  Could it have been forgotten or swept under the carpet?  Maybe I'm the only one waiting for the latest news on the UFOs.  Perhaps I need to look out our skylight more often and see for myself if there are any funny-looking lights moving around in the distant night-time sky.  I'll let you know if I see any.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Back When You Could Dance To Music" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking back at the songs that were popular 50 years ago when I was in my mid- 20s with a wife and young son and a job teaching high school in the school district from where I had graduated.  The 1970s rock music emerged because of monumental events, and cultural shifts such as the counterculture movement of the late sixties, The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War protests...and a lot of new ideas that influenced life and changed many aspects of traditional culture.  The 1970s also saw the rise of disco, which became one of the biggest genres of the decade, especially in the mid-to-late 70s.  In Europe, a variant known as Euro disco rose in popularity towards the end of the 1970s.  Aside from disco, funk, smooth jazz and jazz fusion, good 'ole Rock & Roll remained popular throughout the decade.  Some of my favorite songs from 50 years ago were "Here Comes The Sun" by Richie Havens, "I Am...I Said" by Neil Diamond, "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" by The Fortunes, "Sweet City Woman" by The Stampeders, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers and "You've Got A Friend" by James Taylor.  At the time I was singing in my church choir, but couldn't seem to find time or money to attend local live music concerts or travel to nearby cities for traveling rock concerts.  A new house and a new son had me working weekends and summers with my cousin's husband putting aluminum siding on as many homes as we could find to do.  I was good friends with the local photographer who did the class and team photographs for the school yearbook for which I was the advisor and he had a huge record collection and we talked music from time to time.  Even gave me a few of my favorite 45s from time to time to listen to at home.  I recently found a list of the top 100 favorite songs of 1971.  I must admit that there were quite a few songs that I had never heard before or if I had, had forgotten them by now.  Same goes for a few of the musicians or artists who performed the songs.  Artists such as Denise LaSalle who sang "Trapped By A Thing Called Love", Dave Edmunds who sang "I Hear You Knocking" and Honey Cone who sang "Stick-Up" were performers whom I didn't remember.  I still remember watching American Bandstand, but not sure if it was still on daily or whether it had changed to just Saturday afternoon by 1971.  The show ran from 1957 to 1989 and was a staple for those who loved music and Rock 'n Roll.  A list of the 100 best songs from 1971 follow so you too can see how many you may remember or so you can see the names of the songs that we old-timers listened to 50 years ago.  "Goggle" some of the songs and you can more than likely listen to them.  May bring back some long-ago memories from days when music was at it's best;  long live Rock 'n Roll!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Songs and artists follow with the best music from 50 years ago...1971!

Artist & Song

1

"Joy to the World"

Three Dog Night

2

"Maggie May"/"Reason to Believe"

Rod Stewart

3

"It's Too Late"/"I Feel the Earth Move"

Carole King

4

"One Bad Apple"

The Osmonds

5

"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"

Bee Gees

6

"Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)"

Paul Revere & the Raiders

7

"Go Away Little Girl"

Donny Osmond

8

"Take Me Home, Country Roads"

John Denver

9

"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"

The Temptations

10

"Knock Three Times"

Tony Orlando and Dawn

11

"Me and Bobby McGee"

Janis Joplin

12

"Tired of Being Alone"

Al Green

13

"Want Ads"

Honey Cone

14

"Smiling Faces Sometimes"

The Undisputed Truth

15

"Treat Her Like a Lady"

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose

16

"You've Got a Friend"

James Taylor

17

"Mr. Big Stuff"

Jean Knight

18

"Brown Sugar"

The Rolling Stones

19

"Do You Know What I Mean"

Lee Michaels

20

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"

Joan Baez

21

"What's Going On"

Marvin Gaye

22

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"

Paul & Linda McCartney

23

"Ain't No Sunshine"

Bill Withers

24

"Signs"

Five Man Electrical Band

25

"She's a Lady"

Tom Jones

26

"I've Found Someone of My Own"

The Free Movement

27

"Superstar"

Murray Head & The Trinidad Singers

28

"Amos Moses"

Jerry Reed

29

"Temptation Eyes"

The Grass Roots

30

"Superstar"

The Carpenters

31

"My Sweet Lord"

George Harrison

32

"Sweet and Innocent"

Donny Osmond

33

"Put Your Hand in the Hand"

Ocean

34

"Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)"

Daddy Dewdrop

35

"For All We Know"

The Carpenters

36

"Help Me Make It Through the Night"

Sammi Smith

37

"Rainy Days and Mondays"

The Carpenters

38

"If You Could Read My Mind"

Gordon Lightfoot

39

"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves"

Cher

40

"Never Can Say Goodbye"

The Jackson 5

41

"Rose Garden"

Lynn Anderson

42

"Don't Pull Your Love"

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

43

"It Don't Come Easy"

Ringo Starr

44

"Mr. Bojangles"

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

45

"I Love You for All Seasons"

The Fuzz

46

"Whatcha See is Whatcha Get"

The Dramatics

47

"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"

Carly Simon

48

"If You Really Love Me"

Stevie Wonder

49

"Spanish Harlem"

Aretha Franklin

50

"I Don't Know How to Love Him"

Helen Reddy

51

"Yo-Yo"

The Osmonds

52

"Bridge over Troubled Water"

Aretha Franklin

53

"Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted"

The Partridge Family

54

"Draggin' the Line"

Tommy James

55

"Proud Mary"

Ike & Tina Turner

56

"Beginnings"/"Colour My World"

Chicago

57

"Stay Awhile"

The Bells

58

"Sweet City Woman"

The Stampeders

59

"Me and You and a Dog Named Boo"

Lobo

60

"Another Day"/"Oh Woman, Oh Why"

Paul McCartney

61

"If"

Bread

62

"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"

Marvin Gaye

63

"One Toke Over the Line"

Brewer & Shipley

64

"She's Not Just Another Woman"

8th Day

65

"Bring the Boys Home"

Freda Payne

66

"I Just Want to Celebrate"

Rare Earth

67

"Never Ending Song of Love"

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

68

"Easy Loving"

Freddie Hart

69

"Liar"

Three Dog Night

70

"Stick-Up"

Honey Cone

71

"Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"

Mac and Katie Kissoon

72

"(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story"

Andy Williams

73

"Wild World"

Cat Stevens

74

"When You're Hot, You're Hot"

Jerry Reed

75

"Funky Nassau"

The Beginning of the End

76

"If Not for You"

Olivia Newton-John

77

"Groove Me"

King Floyd

78

"Watching Scotty Grow"

Bobby Goldsboro

79

"Woodstock"

Matthews Southern Comfort

80

"Amazing Grace"

Judy Collins

81

"I Hear You Knocking"

Dave Edmunds

82

"Lonely Days"

Bee Gees

83

"Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again"

The Fortunes

84

"Won't Get Fooled Again"

The Who

85

"Trapped By a Thing Called Love"

Denise LaSalle

86

"Mama's Pearl"

The Jackson 5

87

"Timothy"

The Buoys

88

"I Woke Up In Love This Morning"

The Partridge Family

89

"Theme from Shaft"

Isaac Hayes

90

"If I Were Your Woman"

Gladys Knight & the Pips

91

"I Am...I Said"

Neil Diamond

92

"The Wedding Song (There Is Love)"

Paul Stookey

93

"Don't Knock My Love"

Wilson Pickett

94

"Love Her Madly"

The Doors

95

"Here Comes the Sun"

Richie Havens

96

"Sweet Mary"

Wadsworth Mansion

97

"Right on the Tip of My Tongue"

Brenda & the Tabulations

98

"One Less Bell to Answer"

The 5th Dimension

99

"Riders on the Storm"

The Doors

100

"It's Impossible"

Perry Como