I was in Louisville, Kentucky recently to speak at a conference. It was a quick trip, 26 hours on the ground. I had a very good breakfast with a professor from the law school. I got to be a national expert on one of my favorite topics. All in all a good trip, flashbacks and all.
On the way down 4th Street to dinner I passed the Palace Theater. My law school graduation ceremony was at the Palace 19 years ago this month. I have vague memories of it, vague not for the usual reason of the passage of time, or a hangover, like the one from from my college graduation a few years earlier (Professor Levis ordered a second case of Champagne at the honors reception the evening before, he was a trust fund baby, it was really good Champagne, we couldn't let it go to waste) I have a vague memory of my law school graduation because I was stressed out to the max. For the first time, my family and Jay's family were in the same place at the same time. And I decided that I would be a control freak and do all of the cooking for 20 people for two days. I was a mess. One of my classmates asked me if I was stoned - I could barely remember my name.
There is one memory I want to keep from that day, every class has that student that you all wonder "how did he get in, and how on earth did he pass." I don't remember his name, and besides we want to protect the guilty party, so we will call him "Patrick." As "Patrick" stepped forward to receive his diploma, Brad Goheen leaned over and whispered in my ear, "kind of cheapens the whole thing." I started to convulse with laughter. On the third or forth try "Patrick" finally passed a bar exam, the last update I saw on him, he was CEO of a drug company in New Jersey - probably making more money than the rest of the class put together.
Brad, had a near photographic memory and an inoperable brain tumor. A few years after law school he called the police to report a dead body in the middle of an intersection and shot himself in the head - such a terrible loss. I prefer to remember him making me laugh when I really needed it.
What place gives you flashbacks?
oh my (your classmates).
ReplyDeleteI LOVE old movie theaters; we used to have many in philly, now they are all gone. this is as close as we get to "ye olden days": https://thecolonialtheatre.com
to answer your question, john wanamaker's department store in philly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanamaker%27s
TRIVIA TIME: the same person that designed this store also designed marshall field's in chicago AND union station in DC.
whenever I step into wanamakers (now a macy's), I go back in time to the 60s with my grandmother; ALWAYS a good memory.