Jean Darling 2006
Friday, January 26th, 2007
My first association with Our Gang member Jean Darling came in late 1985 when I sent for a package of photos that she was selling at the time. I’ll talk more about that in a future posting, but lets just say that the package of photos was a steal for the fans (one of the photos is pictured at left). Since that time, I had corresponded with her on several occasions. Living in Dublin, Ireland, she rarely made trips into the states – but often appeared at Laurel and Hardy gatherings in Europe. Read the rest of this entry »
There’s an interesting story of how I first met Chris Demeter. We had just moved to our house on Winterset in April 1978 and I was finishing up my first year of school as a kindergartener. This was the first time I had ever ridden the bus; before I had been close enough to walk to school. Chris rode my bus and it didn’t take long before we began talking. He was older than me, being in first grade. After chatting it up one day, he invited me over to his house and I accepted. He was dropped off before me, so I knew right where his house was. It was just up the street on Birchall, a short bike ride from home. 
During the midst of my autograph collecting spree, there was no question that I was still the biggest Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang fan in the world. So naturally, it was on my agenda to collect not only autographs of world-famous actors and actresses, but also anyone who worked in either of these series. Since I had not yet met Bob at this point, I relied on Carl Ahlm to get me the addresses of such folks. I had been present at Hollywood ’80, the incredible Sons of the Desert convention at which more than twenty Our Gang members had assembled for the biggest reunion in history, and picked up quite a few autographs there. 
Here are some additional shots from my Mom’s surprise birthday party held on February 5, 2000 – previously discussed 
The first time I ever saw a Beatle was on April 9, 1990. Ashleigh was not quite three weeks old – and it was Christi’s birthday. I know that I felt terrible about leaving for a concert on her special day, but I couldn’t help it. Originally, this concert was scheduled for February 22 when Dee Ann Booher, an office clerk at Kroger, asked me if I would like to attend with her and a friend. As a huge Beatles fan, I eagerly accepted. I asked my Dad if he would like to go along too, and he, too, jumped at the chance.