Let’s start with me. I am the author of this piece, after all. At the start of this fantastic year, I was a young Air Force lieutenant navigator in a C-130 airlift aircraft. That kept me busy flying to many parts of the globe, carrying high-priority cargo to wherever it was needed. I had been stationed at Charleston AFB in beautiful South Carolina for about two years now. My roots were still in that small town called New York, and I still had some New Yorker blood flowing in my Yankee veins.
My mom was staying with me, but sadly, she was fighting a terrible cancer, which had her in and out of the hospital. I was trying to provide for her care, while also fulfilling my flying duties with the Air Force. I needed help, but was reluctant to ask for it.
Enter a young lady I was dating, who, without my asking, became very close to my mom, and was a wonderful help to me. She, actually, admitted my mom to the hospital one time while I was making my way back home from an overseas mission. Yes, it was a crazy, difficult time for my mom, me, and now, my girlfriend, Marjorie. I do believe, it was during this tough time that I fell in love with her. Alas for her. She was stuck with me.
After a too long, valiant, painful struggle, my mom passed and could finally rest on May 16 of that crazy, sad year. She is now resting at a local cemetery in Charleston, my hometown now. May God bless and keep her in the palm of his hand.
In less than a month, June 9 to be exact, I ginned up enough nerve to ask Marjorie to spend her life with me as my wife. She said yes and we laughed a lot while she told her wonderful mom and dad that she was gonna marry a Yankee from New “Yawk”. Believe it or not, they always accepted me, and we had a loving, respectful relationship for many years.
The next big milestone (not millstone) was August 29. Our glorious wedding at the Charleston AFB chapel. What a wonderful day!! My side of the chapel was filled with several of my New York friends, in their neat, dark suits and swarthy complexions. Marjorie’s side was made up of beautiful, fair young ladies in lovely pastel colored dresses.
After a memorable ceremony and modest reception at the Charleston AFB Officers’ Club, we left on a glorious honeymoon to my then hometown of New York City.
On the way, we spent a couple days in my birthplace, Washington, DC.
We visited the cite of the Eternal Flame. A memorial to our martyred President John F Kennedy. His assassination about a year ago still burned painfully in our memories.
Then, we were in for a delightful surprise. While walking in the vicinity of the National Theater in DC, we noticed an interesting show was previewing prior to a planned October opening on Broadway. There was a matinee starting in a few minutes, and tickets were available. We went in, enjoyed the show a bunch and said to ourselves on the way out. I wonder if it’ll be a hit on Broadway. You ready? Here it is. The show was “Fiddler on the Roof” starring the great Zero Mostel. What a start to a marvelous two weeks. We’ve talked about that surprise a lot in the last 60 years.
Now, we’re in New York. My goal was to show Marjorie the total glory of my city in just 2 weeks. She had been here before but only for a short visit. Now I’ll share a little secret. Many things I showed Marjorie, I was seeing for the first time. Most native New Yorkers don’t do tourist things often, if at all.
Let’s talk about money a moment. Remember, it’s 1964. I had some dollars. I had some Traveler’s Checks (Remember them?). I had some money in my checking account. But, I had no credit card. Never needed one. I learned two things quickly upon checking in at the Sheraton. A credit card is handy. And two, an ID card as a military officer gave me credibility.
After some questions and answers. The hotel agreed to accept my check to pay for our stay and I started the process to apply for a credit card.
Our daily morning ritual was to drive from midtown Manhattan to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. At the Officers’ Club there I could cash a $50 check, the maximum allowed per day. Believe it or not $50 could cover a day’s expenses.
Remember, no such thing as an ATM.
Here are some of the highlights of our adventure. Let me know if I did ok.
– 10 Broadway shows in 14 days. The highlights were probably “Funny Girl” with Barbra Streisand and “Barefoot in the Park,” Neil Simon’s great Comedy hit about newlyweds.
– Ate at German, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Peruvian, Mexican, Thai, and some very expensive American restaurants like The Four Seasons and Top of the Sixes.
– Went to Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, The Circle Line cruise around Manhattan Island, Coney Island, Central Park.
– Tops of Empire State Building, RCA Building. Inside Chrysler Building Grand Central Station.
– Walked Wall St, Chinatown, Little Italy, and where I lived in Flushing, Queens.
And more I’m sure, but that’s all I remember from 60 years ago.
After that whirlwind adventure, we arrived back in the Holy City of Charleston at our small downtown apartment on Courtenay Drive. We stayed in Charleston for about 3 more years and then started our Air Force adventure in 1967. I promised Marjorie I’d bring her back to Charleston. I did… 22 years later. We came back to Charleston AFB in 1989, two weeks before Hurricane Hugo. Welcome back y’all!! Enuf