The Preakness is Here Today And I Went And Sat Next To President Truman's Daughter

The Preakness will be taking place Saturday May 21ST and I only lived 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. On April 7th,2009I was even more enamored to be in the presence of the famous surgeon who was right here in Baltimore, on that afternoon. Dr, Ben Carson and he was quite gracious and he signed my book. Priorities change and the Truman occasion was a happening of 60 years 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 and appreciate their writings and I do know them and this is a nice feeling, speaking with and treasuring those moments as a teenager way back in 1953 or thereabouts. Memories are blessings too. elita sohmer clayman FAIRFAX STATION PATCH