Woodrow Wilson and Me
January 9th, 2008
Woodrow Wilson certainly ranks at the top when it comes to the effectiveness of our United States Presidents. As the 28th leader of our country, Wilson came from a devout Presbyterian family and was a noted intellectual and the president of Princeton University. He authored more than fifteen books, one being about President George Washington in one of the very few writings by a President about a President. With William Howard Taft and Teddy Roosevelt dividing the Republican vote, Wilson was elected in 1912 and guided the country through its first major crisis since the Civil War – leading us to victory in the Great War and in the meantime, being elected for a second term.
The Summer of 1976 was over and my Mom wanted me the hell out of the house. Okay, it probably wasn’t that drastic, but she did try to get me in to Kindergarten that Fall because she felt that I was in desperate need of a challenge. My birthday, being on October 2, was two days over the deadline to get into school, so I needed to be tested to see if I was ready to be enrolled early. I passed every test with flying colors, except for one thing: I cried for my Mom when they took me in to be tested. I had never done that before (at least since I was a toddler) and never did it again to my knowledge. 
William Janney was the dramatic leading man in Laurel and Hardy’s 1934 feature film Bonnie Scotland. Never mind that his scenes as the romatic interest to starlet June Lang were more-or-less distractions to the boys’ comedy in the picture – that’s not his fault. He was there working alongside the boys and that’s enough to thrill any film buff including me. Other than his work with Laurel and Hardy, his film career mostly entailed bit parts and b-pictures, but I am still thrilled to say that I once was able to meet William Janney. 
After our tour of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum on Tuesday, October 4, 2005, Jimmy and I decided to do some exploring around Hollywood Boulevard. When we stopped by the front of the Chinese Theater, we were offered free tickets to see the Jimmy Kimmel Show filming across the street. We only had a couple of hours to kill before they began letting us in at 7:00pm, with taping commencing at 8:00, so we grabbed a bite to eat at the Hollwood and Highland Center, where we opted for the French Crepe Company. 