He's been the subject of more than two dozen posts on this blog, so there's not much more I can say about this man (who sadly is well on his way to being forgotten in his own hometown).
Below is the front page of the Lorain Journal of June 26, 1956 reporting his death, along with the other pages of that edition paying tribute to him. There are articles about his life; his accomplishments; his personality (which was reportedly pretty crusty); his friends' thoughts about him; the home he was born in; the failure to name a highway after him; his relationship with President Roosevelt; and how Lorain was planning to honor him.
Dan - It's, uh, admirable that you are keeping his memory alive. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteDan... I went a'looking for some documentaries of Admiral King and ran into this one:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGq4s2946PY
You don't have to listen to the whole thing, but I think, right around the 12:30 mark, they quote you as a "local blogger." Give a listen!
Wow, Don – that's a great little documentary! Thanks for posting the link. It really encapsulates everything about Admiral King and how he is neglected by history. And it is funny (and quite nice) to hear my words quoted in this fine tribute to King!
Delete"his personality (which was reportedly pretty crusty)"
ReplyDeleteHis daughter once said that FADM King was the most even-tempered man she ever knew:
He was ALWAYS angry.
And his most famous quote was probably urban legend - King was actually not far from more-or-less-mandatory retirement on Dec 7 41, but his reputation for ruthless command put him at the head of the list for CINC US Fleet. Legend had it that when he got the good news, he laughed out loud and said, "When they get in trouble, they ALWAYS call for the sons of bitches." King only addressed that once, and that was to say that he didn't say it, but wished he'd thought of it.
Mike