Two Famous People I Know And I Own Their Books Elita Sohmer Clayman

The Preakness will be taking place tomorrow, Saturday May 18^th
and I only live about five miles from it. My mother had a brother, Uncle Mike
and the backyard of his

house was facing the track where the horses ran. We use to
visit him on Preakness Saturdays as did lots of other family members to watch
the last race which was the big one. We could see pretty well and we all
crowded on his small porch and then afterwards he would serve a light dinner.
Everyone brought something in the food line to participate in this event.

In 1952 when I was almost eighteen, my uncle Maurice who was
quite well to do, invited Mom and I to go the Preakness. It was an exciting
event for a teen and where did we sit? We sat in very prestigious seats right
next to the enclosed box of Margaret Truman who was the daughter of the then
President of the USA and her Mom Bess. Of course, the Secret Service was there
too, but she was a very well-known President’s daughter. The press use to
ridicule her looks and they said she was plain. She was not plain; she was
quite an attractive young woman who must have been then about twenty-eight. She
sang a lot and gave concerts and the press made fun of her voice. Actually she
had a lovely voice and she was quite pretty.

Uncle Maurice let me choose the horse for him to bet on for
Mom and I and I chose one named Blue Man, because I loved the color blue. Lo
and behold, he won and Mom and I were the recipients of four dollars each,
which was a nice sum in 1952 to win. It was such a fun event and Uncle Maurice
treated us to food and drink and to this lovely afternoon. Dad did not go
because he had to work. Uncle Maurice was my Mom’s late sister’s husband and
she had died at age thirty-eight of Leukemia. He and our family kept close
after her death and his two kids were my cousins and we remained united as a
family.

I never forgot Uncle Maurice for giving me this opportunity
to brag to all of my friends that I had sat next to the President Harry S.
Truman’s wife and daughter and what fun it was for me to keep peeking over to
see her reactions to the various races. Harry Truman was president from
1945-1953.

She later on went to marry the editor of the New York Times
and they had four sons. In later life, she went on to become a novelist and her
many, I think about twenty books were all l stories and their theme was things
that happened at the White House, not true, just stories and they became very
popular. Her books are still in print and she went by her maiden name of
Margaret Truman, not her married name of Daniel. Her books had the titles of  Murder In The White House, Murder In The
Supreme Court and Murder In The Smithsonian. They were well received novels.
Her husband’s name was Clifton Daniel and he was considered an excellent editor
of the newspaper.

I bought one of her books once and felt like “gee I know the
author quite well.”

I have met a few celebrities, mostly actors in those early
years and she was one of the ones I had fun talking about how I had ‘sat’ next
to her at the Preakness.

Recently I met Dr. Ben Carson and I felt about him in the
same manner as I did about Margaret Truman. I felt I was in the presence of
somebody real special and he autographed a book of his I bought at the Carson
Scholars banquet where I met him and posed with him or rather he posed with me
in a picture I treasure. I have no interest in meeting the so called many stars
of today’s crowd. I would not be interested in seeing Justin Bieber, I am too
old for that or Beyonce too.

I did meet Peter Lawford who was President John F. Kennedy’s
brother-in-law and all the girls, we were about fifteen crowded into a theater
where he was appearing live for a show and we screamed and we were so excited
to be in his presence. He was a famous and handsome movie star. I did see and
meet Sarah Ferguson who is the former daughter-in-law of the Queen of England,
Queen Elizabeth, at a  Weight Watchers
seminar.

I will never forget the almost eighteen year old Elita who
was enamored to be next to the President’s daughter. This past April 7^th,
I was even more enamored to be in the presence of the famous surgeon who is
right here in Baltimore, on that afternoon.

Priorities change and the Truman occasion was a happening of
great importance for me then and the Carson event was of great importance a few
weeks ago.

All of them turn into fabulous memories .There is a saying
that relates: “Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another
person or event to control your emotions.” However, sometimes an event does
control your emotions into a fabulous memory. These two times did that for me.

I use to have the habit of when I read a book, I read the first chapter and then the last chapter. Then I read the in between. For famous authors like Dr. Ben Carson and Margaret Truman, I read it all in order. You know why? It is because I am older now and I 'know' these two famous authors.