A Real Doozy!

1935 Duesenberg Convertible SJ LA Grand Dual-Cowl Phaeton. Image source: Wikipedia.

1935 Duesenberg Convertible SJ LA Grand Dual-Cowl Phaeton. Image source: Wikipedia.

I remember in the fall of 1974 venturing north to Auburn, Indiana for the annual Auburn Classic Auto Auction. Auburn is where the Duesenberg Automobile manufacturer thrived in the earlier decades of the 20th century. The factory still stands and is now a museum and host to the annual event.

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A Giant Leap for Mankind …

Neil Armstrong in LEM, July 20, 1969. (NASA/Newsmakers)

Neil Armstrong in LEM, July 20, 1969. (NASA/Newsmakers)

Flags have been at half-mast with the passing of astronaut Neil Armstrong this week, which brought back fond memories of the summer of 1969. Looking back, I recall the enormity of the achievement as it marked the victorious end of Kennedy’s space challenge in which he vowed to “put a man on the moon by the end of the decade”. The awesomeness of the feat has faded considerably over the decades since.

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Indiana 84th

For about as long as I can remember, the diary of Samuel B. Smith has been a cherished asset to the family. The first time I laid eyes on the relic was sometime in the early 1960’s and the manuscript was falling apart then. The last I saw of it, the heirloom was in the hands of Wanda Murphey, Jim’s wife. Jim Murphey was Lorraine’s brother. Lorraine was my Grandmother. Samuel B. Smith was Lorraine and Jim’s Grandfather. The scope of the diary is the days while Samuel served in the 84th Regiment Indiana Infantry during the American Civil War. His enlistment was for a 3 year term. Copies of the original diary were made in the 1970’s for all immediate family members. I have had 2 in my possession through the years and have read it so many times that I practically know it verbatim. At the back of the diary is a family tree which is fairly modern, the manuscript was actually penned many years after the events from Samuel’s notes.

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