Getting Votes the Old-Fashioned Way

Posted on September 26, 2020 by vanbraman

Almost 32 years ago my picture was on the front page of the Kansas City Star.

Kansas City Star, November 1988, Bush Election, ElectionsYou can see by the date that it was the Friday before the 1988 General Election.

Kansas City Star, November 1988, Bush Election, ElectionsThe headline for the story with the picture was Getting votes the old-fashioned way.

Just after I graduated from college I had some free time before I moved from Kansas City to Omaha to start a new job and I did some volunteer work at the Jackson County Republican Headquarters.

We spent a lot of time putting mailing labels on campaign literature and handing out information to people who stopped by the office. We had a lot of foot traffic as the headquarters were in a shopping mall. There were also phone banks where people were getting out the message to go vote.

Kansas City Star, November 1988, Bush Election, ElectionsMy main task was coordinating the outgoing mail. I had to make sure all the mail pieces were sorted by zip code and put in the right sacks. In the picture above I am sitting on a large stack of mail that is ready to be sent out.

I lost the original newspaper that I had saved. Probably during one of my early moves. However, when I lived in Kansas City I printed out a copy from a micro film so I at least have it as a memory. Unfortunately, the quality is not very good.

Bush Quayle Campaign Button, 1988, Presedential ElectionThe candidate for President in 1988 was George Bush, with Dan Quayle as his running mate. It is interesting that Quayle has been in the news lately as comparisons have been made between the many gaffes that he made and those made by Biden.

Kansas City Crown Center, President Bush, 1988 Presidential CampaignI was also able to go to a big Bush rally at Crowne Center in Kansas City.

It was definitely an interesting experience to work for a short time on a campaign. Of course it was not my first campaign experience. I helped my Dad campaign for Mayor of the city where we lived in Iowa when I was young. See: Election Memories

Today the campaign process is very different with automated printing and mailing, computerized phone calling systems and of course social media. This year it is further complicated with social distancing restrictions, social unrest and mail in ballots.

Oh for the good old days.

Steven

 

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The Thinking Machine

Posted on September 25, 2020 by vanbraman

While doing some reorganizing in my library I ran across a book that brought back a lot of memories.

It is one of the many books in my multi-generational library that brings back memories.

Grandpa and Grandma - Ancestors - Older couple - White Beard - Old GlassesThe book belonged to my Grandparents and I would often read it when I would go visit them.

Big Blue Van, Grandpa's Van, Hamburg, IowaMy Grandparents lived in a big old country house near Hamburg, Iowa. When we visited them I usually had plenty of time to do some reading, especially if it was in the winter and we couldn’t go outside.

books, detectives, Jacques Futrelle, Titantic, MemoriesThe book is The Thinking Machine: Adventures of a Mastermind by Jacques Futrelle.

This book has three short stories that feature Professor Augustus S.F.X Van Dusen who was known as the Thinking Machine. He was featured in more than 50 short stories and a novel, with many of the short stories first appearing in publications like The Saturday Evening Post.

books, detectives, Jacques Futrelle, Titantic, MemoriesI had never checked to see if Jacques Futrelle had written any more stories until today. I now have a book on my way through inter-library loan which has more of his stories.

I am pretty sure that my Grandma picked up this book at an estate sale or a yard sale and the reason why it caught her eye was the name of the professor. My Grandma was a Van Duzor, which is one of the many spelling variants of the descendants of Abraham Pietersen Van Deursen who came to New Amsterdam in the early 1600’s. Van Duesen is another variant and if The Thinking Machine had been a real person he would have been a distant cousin.

When I found out that my Grandparents were going to downsize and move to a smaller place in town I asked if I could take this book and a few others home with me.

I also found out something interesting about the author. He was a passenger on the Titanic. He was able to get his wife on a lifeboat and was last seen standing with John Jacob Astor IV on the deck of the Titanic.

I am looking forward to the arrival of the book at the library, and in the meantime will read these short stories again.

Steven

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