Thursday, December 9, 2021

AN UNFORGETTABLE STORYBOOK HOLIDAY


 Last week I hung out with a group of dedicated literary Christmas angels at the 18th Annual Storybook Holiday hosted by Frostburg State University's Children's Literature Centre. It was truly an inspiring, jolly, and unforgettable experience.

There are many organizations that promote children's literature—and then there is The Children's Literature Centre. They celebrate their 40th anniversary next year. Not only do they do groundbreaking work culturally and academically, they are great supporters of home, school, and the community.  Each year the CLC hosts many events involving books and authors that are fun.  Fun for children! 

In early October I received an invitation from Dr. Bill Bingman, the founder of the Centre, to have my book Santa's Underwear featured at the event! An author visit with the PreK-2nd graders at Beall Elementary (the CLC's adopted school) was scheduled on Friday morning, then a presentation and book signing at the historic Hotel Gunter during the Storybook festivities on Saturday. I was also invited to ride in the town parade—a first for me! I looked forward to the event for the next eight weeks!

Thursday, December 2: My husband and I arrive in Frostburg, Maryland—a beautiful Allegheny Mountain college town. FYI: I am directionally challenged and my kind, tolerant, understanding husband, Paul, usually drives me to out-of-town events. Otherwise, I might be wandering across the countryside for an undisclosed length of time—perhaps forever. My car's GPS voice sounds disdainful—not helpful!

Right away we felt the festivities.  I spied these signs on the street!


We made our way over to City Place where preparations were ongoing. Handmade snowflakes hung from the ceiling!

Three hard-working volunteer angels, Peg Kealey, Majorie Nelson, and Ellen Arnon were making clever crafts for the Frostburg children.


The Director of the Children's Literature Centre, Dr. Sarah O'Neal, revealed the wonderful window painting by talented local art teacher, Marne Troutman.  


Dr. O'Neal is also artistically talented. She designed this window display at the local bookstore Main Street Books. Notice she matched all of Santa's underwear from my book!

It was a pleasure to meet the fabulous Graduate Assistant Elves, Taylor McCarty, Ellie Bolton (Lead Graduate Assistant), and Erica Hill. These hardworking, charming graduate students did brilliant work for Storybook Holiday—and were very helpful to me during this event! Also, thanks also to Kelly Claxton, the Mass Communications Intern.

Friday, December 3: I presented at Beall Elementary School. I must say they were some of the most attentive and well-behaved children I have ever dealt with. And, I signed some generously donated books for them! 

There was excitement in the town all day Friday. Frostburg was alive with Christmas cheer! Even the parking meters were decorated!


Paul with his favorite!

Saturday, December 4: STORYBOOK HOLIDAY TIME!

There was a wonderful time to be had by all.  Here's the schedule of events!


Dr. Bingman and co-founder of CLC, Dr. Barbara Ornstein, were ready to celebrate!
The Elf Olympics with fierce cookie tossing and marshmallow catching, all officiated by the town's own Jack Frost, were exciting!


I felt like a celebrity in the parade. My driver was the very kind and patient husband of Dr. O'Neal— popular 6th grade math teacher, John! The sign bearer, daringly perched on top of the roof of the car, was graduate assistant elf, Erica Hill.

Of course, the man of the hour eventually made his grand and important appearance!


I loved meeting up with Rick Stevenson, aka Jack Frost, who is actually a talented teacher and aspiring children's book writer. And Fred Powell who owns that wonderful Frostburg book store, Main Street Books.

Back at City Place everything was almost ready!



One of the examples of numerous crafts (with instructions) that were made for the children to enjoy!


I visited the police station during the "Cocoa with the Po-Po" event. I was honored to be given the tour by Police Commissioner Kevin Grove.


I'm running out of room. My presentation that afternoon at Hotel Gunter was well-received. Everyone was lovely and the children were adorable.

A Christmas Carol author Charles Dickens once wrote, "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year long!" The folks at the CLC and Frostburg have certainly done both!    

                      MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

LADDIE BOY, THE 1st FIRST DOG


"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."  Attributed to Harry Truman, U.S. President

People, not dogs, are politicians. But that’s not always true.  Many have forgotten about Laddie Boy, the first presidential pet to became a star.   He tail-wagged his way into the hearts of many Americans.  The dog was so popular during his lifetime that if he’d run for office he surely would have won!

 Laddie Boy was “in office” during a time when the modern information age began.  The number of newspapers sold increased 75% between 1910-1930.  Movies and the radio made celebrities out of silent actors, sports figures, and even dogs.  Stubby the war dog heroically took part in 17 battles in World War I.  Strongheart was the first dog movie star.  Along with Laddie Boy, they paved the way for later animal “stars.”

Laddie Boy’s master was Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States.  He won the election in 1920.

  
 Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3, 1920

 It was the first presidential election where women were allowed to vote.  Some people said the ladies voted for Warren Harding because he was handsome.  But he also promised to return the country to “normalcy” after World War 1.  Many voters were tired of the turmoil and death war brought.  They wanted to lead normal, peaceful lives again.

Born July 26, 1920, Laddie Boy was a 7-month-old puppy when he became First Dog.  He arrived at The White House on March 5, 1921—Harding’s first full day as President. The purebred Airedale terrier was a gift from one of the President’s Toledo, Ohio friends.  Laddie Boy’s father, Tintern Tip Top, was a champion at dog shows.  Even as a pup Laddie Boy seemed to know he was a “tip top dog!”

President Harding and the First Lady, Florence, loved animals and wanted to promote animal welfare during their time in office. Harding howdy-doed his new pet to several cabinet members, and then took Laddie Boy outside to show him off to the reporters.  Laddie Boy was a hit!  (Since he was a teenager, Harding had been the publisher and editor of a newspaper in his hometown, Marion, Ohio.  He knew what made a good news story!)  

                                                                                                                        New York Times, March 5, 1921                                             

Warren and Florence Harding had no children together. Laddie Boy was their “baby.” The Hardings loved their dog, but also knew he was valuable politically as a symbol of “returning to normalcy.” What was more normal than a dog running around in your yard?

And that dog was smart!  Within days after arriving, Laddie Boy learned to fetch the paper for Warren and to retrieve his golf balls when the President practiced on the White House lawn.  

New York Times, March 11, 1921

Former President Woodrow Wilson’s cat was still hanging about after Harding won.  Laddie Boy decided as First Dog his duty was to chase her up a tree.  After all, it was his yard now!

Soon, the First Dog was asked to perform for the public.  Laddie Boy shook paws with hundreds of people during his time at the White House.  What a politician!

Laddie Boy also practiced shaking hands with the First Lady. (That was his homework).

Walter Whitman, The World's Work, 1921

Newspaper publishers gave President Harding a beautiful chair made of wood from a historic battleship.  Laddie Boy, who apparently liked fancy seats, tried it out.

Ohio Historical Society 

Maybe that’s why Harding had Laddie Boy sit in on most cabinet meetings. The President seemed to enjoy having a real friend there with him!  



The Sun, September 30, 1922

As the country’s First Dog, Laddie Boy constantly had his picture taken.  He even had his portrait painted.


Library of Congress, July 31, 1922

Laddie Boy made many public appearances.  In May 1921, he led the “Be Kind to Animals” parade.  He rode on his very own float. 

Library of Congress, May 13, 1921 

The distinguished man seated on the float was “Master of the Hounds,” William X. Jackson, who helped take care of Laddie Boy.  

A fancy celebration took place at the White House when Laddie Boy turned two.  The owner of Laddie Boy’s dad sent him a giant birthday cake made of dog biscuits! Every dog’s dream.  


Library of Congress, July 25, 1922

A letter arrived with the cake, supposedly written to Laddie Boy by his dad.  Many times the press pretended that the first dog, or his relatives, wrote things—then used them as newspaper articles.

Occasionally, even President Harding pretended to be his pet.  When a dog named Tiger supposedly sent Laddie Boy a message, Harding wrote back. 

 


New York Times, Feb. 7, 1922

Young admirers wrote letters about Laddie Boy too.  In 1922 Betsy Clark and Katherine Jones of New York wrote Mr. Harding asking about his dog.


Ohio Historical Society

The President wrote back. 


Ohio Historical Society

In 1923 Laddie Boy was the main attraction at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn. President and Mrs. Harding were out of town.


Library of Congress, April 22, 1923

Did Laddie Boy write that he was tired of kids . . . and the annual Easter Egg Roll?  NO!

 


Los Angeles Times, April 3, 1923

Even though Laddie Boy was First Dog of the Land, he sometimes misbehaved.  When a prize sheep named Ohio Belle visited the White House with her owner, Laddie Boy gave her the run around!  How dare she eat the grass on his lawn!


Chicago Daily, April 11, 1922

If food was around, Laddie Boy’s manners were lacking.  He regularly begged for scraps from the dinner table.  President Harding and Florence were both softies and sneaked him lots of treats!  

 


The Sun, January 7, 1922

People sent the President and Laddie Boy unusual gifts.  Maybe they thought Laddie Boy was lonely.

 


Washington Post, May 19, 192

Probably wasn’t a good idea.  A company named their chicken dog food after the First Dog!


 Laddie Boy missed his best friend when he traveled.  On April 9. 1923, he joyously greeted Harding after he returned from a presidential trip to Florida.


Library of Congress, April 9, 1923

Warren Harding was a good master, but like most of us, he wasn’t perfect. He gave some of his friends important government jobs, and trusted them to do the right thing. The President was loyal to them when he should have seen they were crooks.  He forgot that some people weren’t as loyal as his dog was."The Teapot Dome Scandal" would be linked to the President's name forever.

The President decided to take a train trip across the country to Alaska in June 1923.  He wanted to tell the American people of all the good things his administration had accomplished. 


Washington Post, June 21, 1923

His economic policies helped end the Depression by 1921. Harding created the Bureau of the Budget, limited arms, and signed a treaty with Germany and Austria formally ending World War 1.  In 1921 he gave a speech at the University of Alabama urging an end to racial injustice.  It was the first time a president had spoken about race in the South since the Civil War.

Harding planned to be away for two months.


Library of Congress, August 1, 1923

Laddie Boy waited for his return.  But he never came back.  On August 2, 1923, Warren Harding died of a heart attack while he was in San Francisco.  He had been President for less than 2 ½ years.  


Laddie Boy surely missed his master who had been such a kind and caring friend.  

Finally, Florence and Laddie Boy both left the White House forever.  Laddie Boy’s last official act as First Dog was to greet the new President—Calvin Coolidge and his wife.  Warren would have wanted him to be a good sport.

 

New York Times, August 17, 1923

After that, Laddie Boy retired.  For the rest of his long, happy life, he lived with Florence’s favorite Secret Service agent, Harry Barker, and his family in Newtonville, Massachusetts. 

Because he fetched the Hardings’ newspaper, Laddie Boy had been called a “newsboy.” The real newsboys of America (young boys who sold newspapers on street corners) donated 19,134 pennies to be melted down and made into a magnificent life-sized statue. (Now, that was when a penny was worth something!)  He had to pose 15 times for the artist Baska Paeff.

 


National Museum of History, Smithsonian Institution

 In 1927 the bronze statue of Laddie Boy was presented to the Smithsonian Institution, and is included in the collections of the National Museum of American History. 

Laddie Boy’s widespread popularity was a result of the America’s newfound fascination with celebrities as well as the President and Mrs. Hardings’ efforts to promote their dog and the animal welfare movement.  But it was also because Laddie Boy was an intelligent, handsome, charming, friendly, well-trained dog.   For a few glittering years an Airedale terrier from Ohio enchanted the press and the public.  

Laddie Boy was indeed The First Dog of the Land—and a great politician!


 NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS

The old newspapers and photos I used in Laddie Boy’s story are primary sources. People who had first hand knowledge of the events they wrote about and photographed made them.  They lived at the same time as Laddie Boy.

Some other examples of primary sources are diaries, letters, speeches, paintings, personal papers, old documents, newsreels, and official records. 

Primary sources are a wonderful way to study history. Become a history detective and explore those primary sources for treasures from the past.

That’s how I came to know and love the great Laddie Boy.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adam, Samuel Hopkins.  Incredible Era;: The Life and Times of Warren Gamaliel Harding. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1939

Dean, John. Warren G. Harding.  The American President Series, ed. John Schlesinger, Jr.  New York: Henry Holt and Company Times Books, 2005.

Emery, M., E. & Roberts, N. L.  The  Press and America:  An Interpretive History of the Mass Media (8th ed.).  Boston:  Allyn and Bacon, 1996.

Parrish, M.E.  The Anxious Decades:  American in Prosperity and Depression, 1920-41.  New York: Norton, 1992.

Prycior, Helena, “The Making of the ‘First Dog’:  President Warren G. Harding and Laddie Boy,” Society & Animals 13.2 (2005).

Truman, Margaret.  White House Pets.  New York: D. McKay Co., 1969.

The Harding Home Presidential Site


Friday, December 30, 2016

THE DOGS I HAVE LOVED—FLEAS AND ALL

My mind is on dogs because of my newest book THE TRUE STORY OF JIM THE WONDER DOG.  It’s about an amazing—perhaps clairvoyant—Missouri Depression Era hunting dog.  Yes it is!
I love dogs and can’t imagine my life without them.  They are truly our best friends and perhaps, except for fleas, in many ways superior to humans in their capacity for love and forgiveness. Another amazing Missourian, Mark Twain, once said, “Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”

In this blog I want to celebrate the four dogs that have graced our family’s lives.  But, I don’t want to be too hagiographic.  I’ll also celebrate their foibles.

Zelda (named after Zelda Fitzgerald) was our first dog.  She was a gorgeous Samoyed. Samoyeds are also called the smiling breed, and Zelda seemed to smile all the time. We bought her when my husband was still in law school.  She was my buddy and went everywhere that I did—she loved Big Macs and jogging.  We bred her and she delivered puppies on New Year’s Eve.  Zelda was with us until my first child turned one.  She died in an accident and left a hole in our hearts.

Foible:  Zelda loved Bic ballpoint pens.  She ate them, but never seemed to suffer any ill effects.  I found their corpses in the yard and throughout the house.  I guess that was the pen my husband used for his studies, but somehow she always got them.

Uncas (named after Fennimore Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans) was Zelda’s grandchild.  Our neighbor had bought one of Zelda’s pups and bred her.  We were able to add another wonderful Samoyed to our family in less than a year after we lost our beloved first dog.  Uncas was my daughter’s favorite.  A calm, wonderful pooch, he was probably the most beautiful dog we ever owned.
Foible:  We never had Uncas neutered.  That handsome devil made many escapes over the fence or through the front door during his life looking for love.  Only problem was that he could never find his way back.  He was so good looking that he attracted attention and kind people always called (our number was etched on his tag) when they found him. We were lucky.

Duncan (we just liked the name) was a dignified Scottish terrier with a killer sense of humor.  After Uncas died of old age our Samoyed dynasty ended. We decided to try a terrier.  Duncan was short and black and loving.  But, like all terriers, always seemed to be snickering to himself—muttering, “You really think I’m going to do what you say?”  He was my son’s favorite dog and would constantly nag that teenage boy to come out and play.  Duncan could dribble a soccer ball across the yard at lightening speed.

Foible:  When we brought little puppy Duncan home he immediately went over to an electric light cord, bit it, and got shocked.  It was on a Sunday.  I went to church and reported to another member of the congregation.  She said our dog would probably lose his teeth because of that.  That upset me and I felt new dog owner guilt—why hadn’t I kept my new little puppy safe from harm?  Of course, she was wrong.  Duncan sported beautiful, rather intimidating big terrier teeth his whole life. 

Scarlett (named after Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind).  After Duncan went to dog heaven we decided we loved the sassiness of terriers and acquired Scarlett.  She was incredibly gentle and loving with every one of our five grandchildren.  Scarlett was the official dog for three families.  I think as dog owners we evolved and made fewer mistakes with her.  She lived 12 and ½ full and happy years years and we treasure our memories of her.  

                                            A younger Scarlett with admirers.
Scarlett as a treasured old pet
                                                          What a beauty!
Foible:  We found out that Scarlett loved pumpkin—especially in a pie. Our wonderful neighbor who bakes the best pumpkin pie gave us one for Thanksgiving.  All our dinner guests enjoyed the main course while Scarlett slept on her rug beside my husband’s chair.  (Perhaps he bragged too much about her controlled, reliable behavior during meals.)  The desserts were on the kitchen table.  When it was time to cut the pie I discovered the crust had been licked clean and Scarlett had a suspiciously gooey moustache.  Lesson learned, now pumpkin pies are kept high and safe from the long paws of any Airedale.

Emily is named after the poet, Emily Dickinson.  We decided to revisit the lovely Samoyed breed that we started off with.  Makes us feel young again.  She is gorgeous, smart, full of love and enthusiasm and wants to please us. We are both totally smitten with this delightful 5 month old fur ball.


Foible:  She is just too cute with that soft fur . . . and those dog kisses.  There's a great danger during her puppyhood that we might spoil her, but we will do our best to remain alpha with our newest canine family member.

Dogs to me are a blessing.  They have enriched my life. Mark Twain also said, “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's.”  Well, I might not go that far, but if there is a heaven and I make it there, I hope my dogs are included.