Long before I was mayor of Boulder City, before I was a state legislator, I started a long, rewarding career as a physician. Two of the hardest things about being a doctor is, 1) telling someone that their loved one has died, and 2) sharing news about critical, potentially-fatal conditions.
The other day I saw something on how few movie drive-ins there are these days and it got me thinking about my memories of drive-ins.
If you are a homeless veteran, would you care to sleep in an abandoned automobile, in an old vehicle with no heat or A/C?
So the other day, Ron and I were talking about death.
Over the last 200 years, life expectancy worldwide has nearly doubled. Today, many live well into their 80s or 90s and beyond.
Atlantic City needed a change. When I first moved there in 1977, casinos had just been approved. As a musician at the time, I thought there would be an opportunity to expand my horizons. But I was wrong.
When discussions about the U.S. involvement in the Korean War are had, it’s not uncommon to add the term “The Forgotten War.” Pressed between World War and Vietnam, and technically not actually won by other side, many people do consider the battle to be “forgotten.”
Recently, I had some rare down time and decided to watch a movie.
In April 1932, Warner Bros. Pictures and First National Pictures put out a movie titled “It’s Tough to Be Famous” starting Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Mary Brian. Based on the novel “The Goldfish Bowl,” the movie offers excitement and a lesson in what life is like living under a constant spotlight. The movie did well at the box office and it helped both actors improve their careers. The movie also offered lessons that can be applied to today’s culture.
In a world that increasingly is made up of abbreviations, Nevadans may sometimes hear the letters “NRS,” “BDR” and others in regards to the Legislature in Carson City. Those letters could be tossed aside as just more politics, but they are important designations when it comes to getting legislation passed in the Silver State. And they are extremely important to Barbara Rodgick, a Southern Nevada Agent Orange widow who has displayed a versatile expertise in getting a bill passed that could benefit thousands of veterans.
Actor Tony Todd and I have a lot in common. We were both at Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum on Oct. 6. He was there promoting his latest movie, “Hell Fest” (in theaters now), and I was there watching horror fans pour into the Boulder City-based business to get autographs and selfies with the Broadway-trained actor. Todd, who is known for his many roles in horror films, was raised in Connecticut, which is the other thing the actor and I have in common.
Veterans and their representative organizations are a strong part of Boulder City. Throughout the year there are tributes, memorials, celebrations and gatherings that honor those individuals and their families who wear the various uniforms of the United States. One organization, consisting only of family members of fallen servicemen and women, is identified by a Gold Star.
It was brought up during Saturday’s unveiling of the Shane Patton Memorial Monument as to why Shane’s statue stands 11 feet tall.
Even with the mayor absent the dais was full.
Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review
Long before I was mayor of Boulder City, before I was a state legislator, I started a long, rewarding career as a physician. Two of the hardest things about being a doctor is, 1) telling someone that their loved one has died, and 2) sharing news about critical, potentially-fatal conditions.
