Patty Duke Show Intro

In honor of the late Patty Duke.  Thank you to Lee Goldberg for this video.

Patty Duke Dies

Patty Duke, who played a wacky teenage girl and also her lookalike cousin, Kathy on The Patty Duke Show in the 1960s has died.  Hollywood writer and blogger Ken Levine, penned this tribute. 
She won an Oscar for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker.   She was also an advocate for mental health issues.  Patty Duke was 69.

More On Joe Garagiola

Joe Garagiola played major league baseball from 1946-1954, but was more famous for his broadcasting career.  This is similar to figures like Frank Gifford and Pat Summerall.
Garagiola was a Major League catcher for 4 major league teams, best known would be the St. Louis Cardinals. 
He was a panelist on the Today Show. He was also an occasional substitute host on the Tonight Show.
 He would later become the lead announcer on the NBC game of the week.  He had a 30 year association with NBC.   He was also a TV pitchman for Chrysler-Plymouth in the 80s.  
An establishment figure, Garagiola appeared in court to defend MLB's reserve clause, a stance he later deemed "a terrible mistake."
He later headed a crusade against the use of smokeless tobacco by Major League players.
His son, Joe Garagiola, Jr.  was an executive for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Democrats Fill The Maple Valley Caucuses

The Maple Valley Democratic Caucuses filled Tahoma Jr. High School to capacity, even as attendees were invited to turn votes in and leave.  Some precinct caucus members even met outside in the school yard.  The library and some upstairs classrooms were opened as the 800 capacity room was met in minutes.   A huge thank you to the Tahoma School District and all of the volunteers who helped make the caucus a success.

The Turtles perform the theme to It's Garry Shandling's Show

Howard Kaylan posted this as a tribute to the late HBO comedy character Garry Shandling.

Maple Valley Democrats To Caucus

Join me at the Maple Valley Democratic Caucus at Tahoma Jr High  25600 Summit-Landsburg Road at Ravensdale 98051.  If you do not live in Maple Valley, you can find your location by clicking here.Caucuses begin at 10:00am today (Saturday, March 26th).  You may want to show up early as a big crowd is expected. 

Joe Garagiola Dies

Former Baseball catcher and TV personality Joe Garagiola has died.  More later

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Fun At The Hockey Game

Last Saturday, we celebrated my nephew Ethan's 17th birthday at the Seattle Thunderbirds game.  The T Birds came from behind and beat the Portland Winterhawks  after a three on three overtime and a shoot out. 

A Tribute Picture From A Family Friend

My Dad (left) and college buddy, Dave Slotnick stroll down a Tacoma street.  The two remained lifelong friends.  Thank you to Dave's daughter for this picture.

Dad

My father Alan Barer passed away yesterday at 86.  This picture was taken at his winter home in Rancho Mirage.  My dad was diagnosed with cancer last summer and fought it valiantly.
He was a graduate of Walla Walla High School.  He received a degree from University Of  Washington where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity. 
He served in the US Army during the Korean Conflict.  After working in the Bay area,  he returned to Walla Walla and entered the family business B. Barer and Sons.  After his father's death in 1967, he partnered with his Uncle David Barer.  In 1985, he became sole owner of the firm.  He married my Mother, Jean Granek in 1956, I was the first of 4 children.  When my mother became ill, my Dad took care to make sure the family could carry on as well as run the business.  About this time, his Mom had become ill with Alzheimer's.  It became a real juggling act to keep everything on an even keel.  He did it with a smile and without complaint.
He was a community leader, active in Toastmasters, Kiwanis, Rotary, The Walla Walla Little Theatre and the Democratic Party.  He loved morning coffee in Walla Walla with other business leaders in town. He was a member of Congregation Beth Israel in Walla Walla. 
After my Mom's death, he retired and moved to Kirkland in 2000. B.Barer And Sons was sold to Oxarc.  He met and married Jean Austin.  They enjoyed world travel.  My Dad loved to share memories which he was able to do on his blog. He joined Herzl Ner Tamid in Mercer Island.
A service will be held this week in Walla Walla and there is talk of another memorial service in Seattle.  He leaves three sons, one stepson, one stepdaughter, grandchildren, one great grand daughter, and his wife, Jean Austin Barer.  His daughter passed away last year.

Son Of Legendary Singer, Frank Sinatra, Jr

Frank Sinatra, Jr, whose looks and voice were similar to his famous dad, died yesterday of a massive heart attack in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sinatra was scheduled to perform on stage later in the evening at the time of his passing.
 His career seemed to be jump started after his fathers' passing. Audiences wanted to keep memories of his father alive.
 Sinatra was his father's bandleader in the elder Sinatra's last years of touring
 He was a victim of a kidnapping in the early 1960s, a ransom of $240,000 was paid for his release.  Frank Sinatra, Jr was 72.  He is survived by two sisters, Nancy, who had also had a very successful music career, and Tina.  He is also survived by son, Michael.

Merrick Garland Tapped For Supreme Court

Merrick Garland has been named by President Obama to replace Judge Scalia on the US Supreme Court.  Garland appointment has to be approved by the Senate in order for him to serve in that position.

Seattle Based Jazz Star Ernestine Anderson

Distinguished Jazz Singer Ernestine Anderson died in a Shoreline nursing home at 87.  Anderson was a 4 time Grammy nominee and her career spanned 6 decades.  She performed at the first Monterey Jazz Festival and at the Kennedy Center.  She was friends was music producer Quincy Jones, another Seattle native.

Peter Jordan Brings "Saxy Jazz" To Renton

Deb and I spent an evening last night at Shuga Jazz Bistro in Renton to hear the sounds of Peter Jordan and his jazz combo 2Saxy And Urban Flo.  Jordan, a sax virtuoso,played with the '70s pop group Heatwave, known for such hits as "Boogie Nights" and "Always and Forever".   Jordan is a local artist originally from Cincinnati. He has also played the The Emotions, The Stylistics,  Sister Sledge. and many more well known bands. 
The combo, also featuring a drummer, a percussionist (bongos), and two guitarists, played 3 strong sets including a rousing version of Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On" a very appropriate song considering what's happening in the political scene.
Shuga Jazz Bistro located at 317 Main Ave South in downtown Renton, serves up many Southern dishes as well as jazz entertainment.

Pat O'Day Featured Speaker at 2016 Eastside Heritage Center Benefit Dinner

From the SeaTac Media blog, Pat O'Day spoke at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue for the Eastside Heritage Center.  As you would expect, he gave a rollicking speech.

Signs Of Spring

The tree in front of the house is in bloom

Legendary Beatles Producer George Martin Dies At 90

Outside of the Fab Four, who is the best known name involved with the Beatles?  Would it be Linda McCartney?  Yoko Ono? Brian Epstein?  If the question was, who was the guiding force behind the music,  it would have to be George Martin the producer.  Many knew the name because it was on every album. He was credited with being the "5th Beatle". I liked to call him the "2nd George".
Martin had an ear for the times.  He sped up the tempo on "Please Please Me", one of the Beatle's earliest hits. Against Paul McCartney's wishes, he added a string quartet to "Yesterday". He kept the guitar feedback in "I Feel Fine" and made it sound like it belonged in the song.  Martin himself played a piano riff  in the Rubber Soul song "In My Life".  He produced the groundbreaking "Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.
He is perhaps due a lot more of the credit for the Beatles success than he received, but he was fine with that. The Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil Beatles tribute "Love" was a collaboration of  Martin and his son Giles.
Sir George Martin died in his sleep on March 8th.  He was 90.

KOL-FM Soundcheck 1970

I'm told that KOL-FM was Seattle's first "Progressive" FM station.  Instead of high energy uptempo DJs, this genre had the opposite, and if you listened, you probably would have heard music from artists that you had not heard before.  While I was not around Seattle at the time, I believe this genre spawned KZAM, KZOK, and KRAB.  Later KISW and KEXP.
This format or lack of in shape or another was also prevalent of college campus radio stations.  It later became known as Album Oriented Rock and eventually surpassed AM radio, by then, the playlists had gotten tighter and it was less experimental.

Local Firm Gets Investment On Shark Tank

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A rather unique company received an investment on ABC's The Shark Tank, one of my favorite TV shows.  Combat flip flops, based in nearby Issaquah, features clothing created in war torn countries like Afghanistan and Laos.  It's motto is "business not bullets".
Former Army Rangers Matthew "Griff" Griffin and Donald Lee came up with the idea after seeing locals with jobs making combat boots in Afghanistan. 
The shark investors were Mark Cuban, Damon John, and Lori Granier, combined they put up 300,000 for a 30 percent investment in the firm.  You can find the Combat Flip Flop Facebook page here

Cantwell Celebrates Former Congressman Tom Foley's Achievements

Tom Foley from Spokane was a Democrat who represented Eastern Washington, one of the most Conservative areas in the nation.  His ability to compromise allowed him to stay afloat. He was able to rise to become Speaker Of The House, but in doing so, was painted by his opponents as representing a body that was out of touch with it's constituents. He became the first sitting house speaker to lose an election.  He was replaced by the very partisan Republican Newt Gingrich when the congress flipped in a GOP landslide in 1994.  Thank you to Mary Westlake for this video.

2016 5th District Democratic Caucus Locations Announced

Locations for Democratic Precinct caucuses on Saturday March 26th have been announced.  The contest between Secretary Hilary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders is very much still in play. The locations are

Upper            Mt Si High School Freshman Campus
            9200 Railroad Ave
            Snoqualmie, WA  98065-9640

May            Maywood Middle School
            14490 168th Ave SE
            Renton, WA  98059-7951

Maple            Tahoma Jr High School
            25600 SE Summit Landsburg Rd
            Ravensdale, WA  98051-9732

Issaquah        Issaquah Middle School   
            400 1st Ave SE
            Issaquah, WA  98027-4246

Lower            Tolt Middle School
            3740 Tolt Ave
            Carnation, WA  98014-7537

Klahanie        Challenger Elementary School
            25200 SE Klahanie Blvd
            Issaquah WA  98029-5763
For more information click here.  Caucuses will begin at 10:00 am. 

Anne Frank Exhibit Arrives In Area

A traveling Anne Frank exhibit has arrived in the area and will be on display at Seattle's Holocaust Center For Humanity at 2045 2nd Ave.  Anne Frank is, of course, the girl who was holed up in an Amsterdam warehouse with her family.  Anne recorded her experiences of the family who were eventually arrested and interred in concentration camps.   Visitors will be able to view a replica of her diary and read her writings.  The exhibit will leave the area on May 18th.

Afternoon Drive Time Radio Hosts Ron And Don Help Raise Life Saving Money

In one of the great area radio stories of all time, KIRO 97.3FM Ron Upshaw and Don O'Neil helped raise over 140,000 dollars to help Seattle Detective Dave Clement to go to Chicago for a potentially life saving operation. 
Clement suffers from CIPD, a disease where the immune system attacks the nervous system.  KIRO 7 TV, which is no longer tied with KIRO radio, ran a story in the middle of February that the officer was denied his insurance company  the funds who have a surgery at Northwestern University.  Clement's employer, the city of Seattle, which is self insured, also denied the claim on grounds that the surgery is "experimental".
Hosts Ron And Don, used their bully pulpit and huge drive time audience to hammer on Clement's 26 years of service to the community. They used an "us against them" technique to get it's listeners to go to the "go fund me" page and make small donations.  At the time of this post, over 158,000 dollars has been raised, well exceeding the target 145,000.

Former Sonics Co-Owner Dies In Car Crash

The KIRO radio web site, mynorwest.com reports the death of Aubrey McLendon, the former part owner of the Seattle Super Sonics.  McLendon was found to be complaisant in principal owner Clay Bennett's plan to move  the NBA team from Seattle to Oklahoma City.  The emails became public as the city of Seattle went into a court battle over whether the Sonics could be held to their lease.  The city in a controversial move, decided to allow the team to break the lease in a settlement which allowed the move.  The team is now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. 
McClendon, the former CEO of the Chesapeake Energy Corporation was just indicted for orchestrating a scheme between two unnamed energy companies.

Los Angeles Radio Icon Dies

The SeaTac Media blog reports the death of LA DJ legend, Charlie Tuna.  Tuna, whose real name was Art Ferguson, was known in the Northwest from a syndicated radio show. He also hosted game shows like the 25,000 Dollar Pyramid and did voice overs on shows such as Mike Douglas and Thicke Of The Night.
Tuna began his LA radio career in 1967 at KHJ. He raised millions for a Los Angeles Children's Hospital with his "Tunathons".   He has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.