On this day in history, something must have happened, but I am not going to check to see what it was. I do know we have had many of them.
What does the future of our country look like? Well, we have a plethora of terrorists who wish to see us all killed. They have the technology to put explosives in toothpaste, or to make shoes of explosive material, rumor has it they are making clothing out of explosives, but the problem has been the label, which says, "Dry Clean Only." They have blown up six dry cleaning facilities so far, so testing has been slow.
Explosive prosthetics are also being considered. Air Marshals at many airports have been accused of kicking the legs of boarding passengers while holding their fingers in their ears.
Yesterday I was talking with the meat department guy at Walmart, something I have often done. "You've been around a lot, who are the most interesting people you have met?" That takes some thought. Interesting, memorable, there are some other words ... none of which come to mind right now. The person I met, worked for, was a mentor, and after 82 years rises to the top, Don Eammelli, my Floor Boss at the Primm in Reno in the late 50's.
Don observed me, trained me, and as a mentor, promoted me, as a still young "kid" ... to a Boxman on a crap table. I was still in my 20's when he put me on the box. Someone came in to the club, on one occasions, walked over to the table, we shook hands. They had seen an article in the Las Vegas newspaper about the "youngest boxman" in Nevada. Prior to this, I was relatively shy, yet, personable, but the promotion placed me at a new level in my life.
Don had the sharpest mind I have ever seen. I know at one time, in Steubenville, Ohio, he had his own band, and got his early training in the gambling industry in Steubenville, illegal, but booming. Don had his own "count" system in 21, made quite a bit of money, boughte t real estate, and had other ventures. He lost the lower portion of his leg in an auto accident. I helped him with maintenance on his houses and apartments. He was always in pain where his leg met the artificial one.
Don, in many ways, opened a door for me to a different way of life. So, he tops my list. He is gone, but I have talked with his daughter in Reno ... "Oh yes, Dad talked about you." Don Eammelli talked about me.
I met L. Ron Hubbard in Reno, Del Ray, a magician, actually, he and Don had many "moves" in common. I met Buster Keaton's son in Reno, he was building a town, worked some with him. I have met and/or seen many. Lincoln Fitzgerald, owner of the Nevada Club, hired me, gave me a chance, and I worked with him a few years, should have stayed, damned ADD kept me moving around.
Looking back, Don has probably had the biggest impact on my life. One of my "trainers" in Reno also had an impact. Bettye Johnson, at that time, introduced me to the "Nevada" life, and I rearranged my "sites" after getting to know her. I owe her a lot. Danny Fagan also took me under his wing and helped me.
I have worked for others, been associated with others, but, looking back, those who genuinely wanted to see me succeed, worked in the casinos, they helped me realize all I wanted to accomplish out there.
Gonna give some more thought to this .......................
