In February 1968, a Tijuana Brass style band, including high school teenagers Bob Smith and Libby Gosnell, warmed up a crowd for Richard Nixon at Illinois’ Lawrenceville-Vincennes Airport. Nixon, a former Vice President, was campaigning for President, and during the event, he invited the duo to join him for an impromptu press conference. They recorded Nixon’s views on the Vietnam War, inner-city rioting, and welfare reform – which are featured in this episode. The encounter highlighted a time when presidential accessibility was more straightforward. The story underscores the dramatic changes in security and public interaction with political figures over the years.
Outline
Meeting Richard Nixon: Introduction and Context
- Bob Smith introduces the podcast “The Off Ramp with Bob Smith,” emphasizing its purpose of providing perspective on life.
- Bob sets the scene for the story of two teenagers who met Richard Nixon in early 1968, highlighting the differences between then and now.
- Bob Smith recounts his experience as a teenager in a band called “A Touch of Brass,” which played The Tijuana Brass’s top 40 hits.
- The story begins with the band warming up a crowd for a future President of the United States, Richard Nixon.
The Band and Their Background
- Smith describes the members of “A Touch of Brass,” including keyboardist Libby Gosnell Brockman, who was the only female member.
- Libby Gosnell Brockman shares her early musical talents, starting with the saxophone at age nine and piano at age four.
- She discusses her time at the Interlaken Arts Academy, where she studied with notable alumni and performed with Dave Brubeck’s children.
- Bob praises Libby’s talent and mentions her boyfriend, Bob Potter, who later became a member of ae Beatles tribute band “1964, which played Carnegie Hall four times.
The Invitation to Warm Up for Nixon
- The band was invited to warm up for Richard Nixon by Republican politician Roscoe Cunningham.
- Libby recalls her long-standing relationship with Cunningham, performing for his community events since she was four years old.
- The band, initially expecting payment, was asked to warm up for Nixon at the Lawrenceville Vincennes airport. Leader Dave Stevens arranged the gig.
- Bob describes the airport as an old Army Air Force Base, ideal for AirForce one flights and mentions previous visits by President Lyndon Baines Johnson and other politicians.
The Day of the Event
- Bob Smith and Libby recall the cold day in February 1968 when they played for the crowd before Nixon’s arrival.
- Touch of Brass played songs like “The Lonely Bull” and “Taste of Honey.”
- Libby describes the logistics of using an electronic keyboard borrowed from fellow musician Tom Tipsword.
- After the band’s performance, local politicians and Nixon spoke.
Nixon’s Speech and the Band’s Encounter
- Nixon’s speech focused on the nation’s problems, including the Vietnam War, the economy, and lawlessness.
- He emphasized the need for new leadership and criticized the current administration’s approach to these issues.
- Bob recounts how he approached Nixon for an interview, and Nixon invited him to the runway for a press conference. “We’ve got to do a little TV – bring your recorder!”
- 16-year old Bob and 15-year old Libby followed Nixon across the runway with a recorder, passing the candidate’s wife Pat Nixon as they navigating through the crowd.
The Press Conference
- Bob and Libby describe being pulled into a circle of reporters by Nixon where they recorded his remarks.
- Nixon discussed the Soviet Union’s role in Vietnam, stating it provided 85% of North Vietnam’s logistical support.
- He addressed inner-city rioting, emphasizing the need for law enforcement and improving city conditions.
- Nixon criticized the welfare state and proposed a program to encourage private enterprise and job creation.
The Aftermath and Reflections
- Bob Smith recalls ending the tape recording like a CBS news reporter.
- Libby reflects on the honor of meeting Nixon and the prestige of being invited to join him.
- Bob Smith shares a story. Years later he sent the recording and a copy of Nixon’s inaugural program to the former President, who signed the program and returned it with an autographed picture.
- Bob mentions his grandmother’s negative reaction to his meeting Nixon and the band’s disappointment at receiving wooden elephants — instead of cash — for its performance.
Conclusion and Historical Context
- Bob Smith reflects on the historical context of the February 1968 event, which was followed by events like Martin Luther King’s Jr’s assassination, Bobby Kennedy’s assassination, and President Lyndon Johnson’s decision not to run for re-election.
- Bob Smith concludes the episode by thanking Libby Gosnell Brockman for her participation and reflecting on the changes in presidential security.
- Never again would two teenagers and a tape recorder get so close to a presidential candidate.
- The podcast credits the production team and sponsors, wrapping up the story of the teenagers who met Richard Nixon.
Bob Smith 0:00
It couldn’t happen today. Hear how two teenagers with a tape recorder met a future US president on an airport runway. Meeting Nixon. Today on The Off Ramp with Bob Smith.
Hello and welcome to The Off Ramp with Bob Smith, a place to slow down, steer clear of crazy and get some perspective on life. We cover many different topics on the show, and today we’re going to tell the story of two teenagers a tape recorder and a brush with fame. A story that would be virtually impossible in today’s world with terrorism, death threats, national security, all facing presidential candidates but a half a century ago, in early 1968 it was a different story, a story that starts this way.
Fifty years ago, I was a teenager in a band – not unusual for 16 or 17 year olds. And yes, our band played top 40 hits, but it didn’t play rock or swing, or gospel or R&B, or country or jazz. It was a Tijuana Brass style combo called A Touch of Brass. We were only together for two years. We never made a name for ourselves, and frankly,I don’t think we were all that good. But on one cold day in February 1968 we found ourselves warming up a crowd for a future President of the United States, a man who would eventually become infamous. But on that day, he was just a politician passing through in a year that – at that moment – was far more innocent than our world today. The candidate was Richard Nixon, a former US senator, a former Vice President of the United States, the man who faced John F Kennedy in the 1960 election, who participated in the first televised presidential debates and lost. Eight years later, he was emerging from the political wilderness.
This is the story of how two teenagers with a tape recorder met him, joined him with a pack of reporters, and captured him expressing his proposed policies. It’s a story that just wouldn’t be possible today, and you’ll soon learn why. To help me tell it, I called up an old friend, one of my band mates, in A Touch of Brass. In fact, the only female member, keyboardist Libby Gosnell Brockman. Our meeting with Richard Nixon took place on Saturday, February 10, 1968, just nine days after he officially launched his campaign in New Hampshire.
And you were what 15 then?
Libby Gosnell 3:07
Yes, about to turn 16 in July.
Bob Smith 3:11
I turned 17 that fall. So that shows how young we were at the time. We were in high school in Lawrenceville, Illinois, and our high school band director, Mr. Lively, kind of invented that group, didn’t he?
Libby Gosnell 3:23
Yes he did – Harold.
Bob Smith 3:25
Harold Lively.
Libby Gosnell 3:27
Herb Albert had just really started hitting the record stores, and it was the first time a true instrumental band was making the top 40, and everybody was listening to Herb Alpert.
Bob Smith 3:41
And Mr. Lively, he hand picked us from among the people in the band.
Speaker 1 3:45
(1968 TV audio) In our group, The Touch of Brass, from Lawrenceville High School, we have Artie Akers on guitar, Mike Meek bass, Bob Smith and Donnie Seibert on trumpet. We have Paul Sutherland on trombone, David Swanton trombone and Dave Stevens on drums. And on the piano. Miss Libby Gosnell. We have quite varied requests for numbers with this group for community services. And we’d like to present now, All My Loving, a Herb Alpert arrangement. (Band launches into song)
Libby Gosnell 4:39
I couldn’t have done half the things I’ve done in my life musically without Mr. Lively. He, he was so generous with his time and advice and teaching that I thank God every day for Harold Lively.
Speaker 2 4:56
Now before we go any further, let me tell you that Libby is talented, truly talented. She’s been a performer since the age of four. She can play multiple instruments, andshe was selected for the famous Interlaken Arts Academy in Michigan. Interlaken alumni are pretty impressive. Actors, Meredith Baxter, Linda Hunt and Tom Hulce, singers, Rufus Wainwright, Josh Groban, Nora Jones and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary all studied there.
Libby Gosnell 5:27
I was in school with kids from Beverly Hills, Bel Air, New York City, Shaker Heights, Ohio, all these big towns which obviously had more opportunity for classical learning of music than we had in Lawrenceville, but it did come so easy for me. I started playing the saxophone when I was nine. I started piano at four. It just came to me. And if I hear a song on the radio and I’m driving home, and it hits a spot in me, I can sit down and I can compose that song in about 15 minutes. I don’t need any sheet music.
And so the summer of 1967 when I attended the National Music Camp at Interlaken, I was in the band. I was in operetta workshop. I was a drama major. I was in the choir. Then we also had our academics too. For instance, at eighto’clock I had an acting class, and then from there to be in theater management. I also had a minor in dance, doing modern dance until noon. And then the academics were all always in the afternoons, your English, your history, your geometry, your science classes.
At one point, I was in school with three of Dave Brubeck’s children. The oldest was Chris, who played trombone. Kathy was in drama, and then Danny played the drums, and Dave Brubeck would often come on campus. And our senior year, starting in 1969, Dave Brubeck had written an oratorio called Light in theWilderness and Dave Rubin played the piano for the jazz solos. We were also very blessed to have this fabulous conductor, Mr. Eric Kunzel. He also used to do the PBS Fourth of July program. He was the conductor of the Boston Pops, so we were just very lucky to be around greatness.
Speaker 2 7:48
Well, my God, Libby, listen to all the different instruments you played. And you werein the chorus too. You had more talent in your little finger than everybody else in our little band. We were so lucky to have you.
Speaker 3 7:59
You’re so sweet. Thank you so much, Bob, that means the world to me.
Bob Smith 8:03
That’s how talented Libby was, and she was playing keyboard in our little combo.
I should mention that our original drummer, Bob Potter, who was Libby’s boyfriend at the time, was also very talented. In fact, for the last nine years, he’s been a member of 1964 The Tribute, hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as the world’s best Beatles tribute band. He’s played Carnegie Hall four times – four times! That’s how talented my bandmates were. Me, not so much. But talent had little to do with the day we’re talking about. Our chance encounter with Richard Nixon came because local Republican politician, Roscoe Cunningham, approached our leader, Dave Stevens, asking us to warm up the crowd when Nixon appeared in our area.
Libby Gosnell 9:05
Yes, it was Roscoe. He was pretty much that. My dad was a Republican, but Roscoe,at one time, even served in the Illinois State Legislature. So yeah, Roscoe. I had a connection with Roscoe from the age of four. He used to have a group, the Golden Age Club for seniors, and I would always perform for Roscoe. So I was singing and playing the piano for Roscoe Cunningham since the age of four.
Bob Smith 9:05
So Roscoe came to Dave, and he says, Hey, Richard Nixon’s coming to town. And this was after he he’d gone from being a presidential candidate to, I think he ran for governor of California and lost. So he was kind of on the outs. ’68 was a brand new year, and he was going around the country giving speeches. So Roscoe came to Dave Stevens, our leader, and said, Hey, I’d like you guys to play warm up when Richard Nixon comes. And Dave got us all together and said, “Hey, let’s do it.” And he said, “We’re going to get something for it!”
So we all thought we’re going to get paid, didn’t we?
Speaker 3 10:10
I’m still waiting for my royalties from age four.
Bob Smith 10:17
But let’s get back to our story, the place Richard Nixon touched down, the Lawrenceville Vincennes airport, was an old Army Air Force Base built by the government during World War Two. Pilots who trained there took to the skies in all the theaters of the Second World War. Now, this large facility had five runways, each more than a mile long – necessary in war, oversized for the peacetime use of our community, but ideal for presidential candidates going through our region in 1968. Air Force One brought President Lyndon Baines Johnson there in 1966. Nixon and Bobby Kennedy landed there in 1968.
So let’s go back to that day. That was a Saturday in the afternoon. You were 15, I was 16, and we played for the crowd before Nixon actually landed.
Libby Gosnell 11:12
Yes, we did.
Bob Smith 11:13
Do you remember some of the numbers
Libby Gosnell 11:15
For sure, The Raging bull.
Bob Smith 11:18
The Lonely Bull.
Speaker 3 11:19
The Lonely Bull. Yes, Lonely Bull, A Taste of Honey. And I think we probably played five or six songs for the warm up.
Bob Smith 11:27
Yeah, and it was cold out there.
Speaker 3 11:29
It was frigid. It was absolutely frigid. I was wearing gloves that just had the finger part on the end cut off. It was – it was so cold.
Bob Smith 11:41
Yes, did we have portable keyboards then? What were you using?
Libby Gosnell 11:45
It was the lovely gesture of Tom Tipsword, who had a Farfisa electric keyboard because of his band with Kent Jackman and Bob Potter, The Reedings. And anytimeI needed to borrow that electric piano from Tom Tipsword, he’d let me borrow it anduse it.
Speaker 2 12:05
Let’s make it clear that Kent and Tom had a REAL band. I mean, they were playing rock music. They were playing things that, you know, we were all dancing to. And you or I were in a band that was playing things like Rotary Clubs. We did open for a dance at Vincennes University for a rock band from Chicago.
Speaker 3 12:23
And you know, we would play half time at basketball games too, on the stage.
Speaker 2 12:28
When Richard Nixon arrived, we were still playing on a platform. As soon as he got there, we got off and let the local politicians take over. Our friend Roscoe Cunningham made the introductions. Now remember, this is 50 years ago. Roscoe today is still active in his 90s in politics in Lawrence County.
Roscoe Cunningham 12:50
Ladies and gentlemen, we want to welcome you all here. And Mr. Grout, the bi-stateauthority. Mr. Lawson, the mayor of Vincennes, Mr. Heady, the mayor of Lawrenceville and Dick Nixon, the next President of the United States! We’d like youto say a few words, Dick.
Richard Nixon 13:16
Well, this is certainly a very wonderful surprise. I understood when I came out here to Indiana that this was to be an Indiana meeting. And this great crowd here in Illinois is a pretty good indication – as you may remember, in 1960, we carried Indiana big. We just missed in Illinois. In 1968 we’re going to carry both of them big. And I’m sure that some of you may be present at the meeting tonight. At that point, I’m going to be discussing some of the great problems confronting the country. But since so many of you have been so kind to come out here, just let me say a word about this nation, where it stands now, and why I think that the reason so many of you are here is particularly significant, and is far beyond the fact that this happens to be an ordinary election year.
We usually think in terms of our being Republicans or Democrats and voting for the party of our choice, and I’m sure that there are a great number of Republicans here, maybe some Democrats, I hope, and some good independents. But I just want to say this, America is in so much trouble in so many places in the world, that what we need to do now is to think of the country and not just our party, and get some new leadership for this country as fast as we possibly can.
And I would summarize it very briefly in this way, the President of the United States, let me say, a man whom I know. I respect him for the office he holds, for his hard work in that office. I am not among those who joins in the petty criticism to which he has been subjected. The President of the United States has put the issue pretty clearly. Five years ago, when he became president, his slogan was, let us continue. And now, four years later, after we’ve seen what has happened to America, abroad and at home, he says, Let us continue for four more years.
And so there is the issue, and here is my answer: When the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four years in a war in Vietnam against a fourth rate military power with no end in sight. And when the richest nation in the world can’t manage its own economy. When a nation that has the greatest tradition of respect for law and the rule of law that the world has ever known, is torn apart by unprecedented lawlessness, with crime going up six times as fast as population. Andwhen respect for the United States has gotten so low in the world that a fourth rate power, like North Korea will hijack an American ship in the high seas. And when the President of the United States can’t travel abroad or to any major city in this country without fear of a hostile demonstration, then I say it’s time for new leadership for America. That’s the issue.
I thank you so much for coming out. I just wish we had the time to shake hands with all of you, but there is a big crowd, we understand, over on the Indiana side of the border. And since that’s where I’m supposed to be, I guess we’ll have to go. But I can assure you, I’ll be back to Illinois to see many of you, I hope, at a later time. AndI can also assure you that 1968 is the year. This is the year we’re going to win, and we’re going to win big all over the country. Thank you.
Roscoe Cunningham 17:08
Three cheers for Dick Nixon. Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!
Speaker 2 17:16
After the roar died down, I remained standing at the edge of the stage, arm outstretched with my microphone, asking Mr. Nixon to come over and say a few words. Several times I shouted above the hubbub.
Bob Smith 17:29
Mr Nixon!
And finally he heard. He turned to us, looked down and said something about bringing my recorder somewhere.
Richard Nixon 17:38
We have to go down and do a little TV. Bring your recorder.
Bob Smith 17:41
What did he say?
Libby Gosnell 17:44
Bring your recorder!
Bob Smith 17:45
You heard me there asking Libby what she’d just heard, and her response, “Bring your recorder!” Richard Nixon had just invited us to join him at an impromptu press conference. And we would. More on that when The Off Ramp with Bob Smith continues.
We return now to The Off Ramp with Bob Smith. When we last left our story, it was 1968 and presidential candidate Richard Nixon had just surprised two teenagers, my friend Libby Gosnell and me, by inviting us to bring our tape recorder and join him as he spoke with reporters.
While the rest of the band melted away to pack their instruments, I handed my horn to my family. And Libby and I began charging our way through the crowd – with melugging a tape recorder the size of a briefcase, as we tried to follow Richard Nixon across the runway.
What do you remember from that point on?
Speaker 3 18:44
Well, I think I felt in a little bit in a daze, Bob. I felt like, oh my goodness, there’s this possible candidate that may be elected president of our country, who said to us – join us!
Bob Smith 19:00
So we were hustling across the runway there, and along the way, we passed Pat Nixon, Mr. Nixon’s wife,
Libby Gosnell 19:07
Yes.
Bob Smith 19:08
Pat was there as she commented on a baby’s little red nose.
Libby Gosnell 19:12
Yes!
Pat Nixon 19:15
Oh her nose is so cold! Bless her heart.
Bob Smith 19:21
That was Mrs. Nixon. Yes, what’d you say Libby?
Libby Gosnell 19:23
Where did Mr. Nixon go?
Bob Smith 19:25
Let’s see if we can – I think he’s over here in this crowd. Libby! I think he’s over here.
Libby Gosnell 19:35
Oh Bob, I want to shake his hand!
Bob Smith 19:39
We’re following Mr. Nixon up to his plane. If we can get close to him. They’re breaking the crowd up.
Every once in a while in our pursuit, we’d catch up with Mr. Nixon, like this encounterhe had with a local political activist – someone who obviously was trying to give the candidate too much information.
Richard Nixon 19:59
Glad to see ya. I’ll see you tonight won’t I. Oh great, great. Good to see ya.
Unknown 20:02
All of us are here but one.
Richard Nixon 20:03
Oh!
Unknown 20:04
But Ronnie Bush had to speak tonight and all of us are here but one —
Bob Smith 20:08
As fast as we walked through the crowd, it didn’t seem fast enough. And who were we? Just two teenagers, 15 and 16 among a sea of adults, reporters, activists and political junkies. Looking ahead, there was chaos. No velvet ropes, no crowd control, very few, if any, police officers. We’d see Nixon’s head bob up and down in the crowd and have to change direction to keep heading for him. At one point, it looked like we’d never reach him. But finally, we caught up with him, just as he assembled a circle of reporters and promised each one of them a question.
Richard Nixon 20:45
All right, fine, I’ll give one for each of you.
Unknown 20:49
Mr. Nixon, the Soviet Union has urged …
Bob Smith 20:55
The first reporter asked a question about the Soviet Union and the Vietnam War,
Richard Nixon 20:59
The Soviet Union actually has the key to peace in Vietnam, the Soviet Union furnishes 85% of the logistical equipment …
Bob Smith 21:07
The Soviet Union has the key to peace in Vietnam, Nixon said. The Soviets furnish 85% of the logistical equipment and 100% of the oil [for North Vietnam]. In other words, it was a proxy war for the Russians.
But we were still standing outside and couldn’t hear much more beyond that. Then came the moment: Richard Nixon saw us! He saw Libby and me, and obviously remembered that he said, “We have to do a little TV, bring your recorder.” And believe it or not, Richard Nixon reached through. He actually reached between the reporters and pulled us into his inner circle.
I know he pulled my hand and we must have both gone inside that ring of people.
Libby Gosnell 21:50
Yes, we did. We did.
Bob Smith 21:53
Just in time to hear him answer a question about rioting in the inner cities.
Richard Nixon 21:59
Well first, I would begin by enforcing the law. I believe it is vitally important for us to recognize that in this country, there is no protest which justifies the use of lawlessness or the use of mob violence. Because the moment that we do that, then we destroy the system which has been responsible for the greatest progress on the rule of law that we’ve ever seen. Then beyond that, what we need is to establish, throughout this country, in our people – among our people, the attitude of respect for law. It isn’t enough just to enforce the law with more police. What we have to do is to have people understand what the system is about. And then finally, we have to get at the causes, the root causes, that make people riot. And that means going into our cities and improving the conditions of those cities, so that they will not thenresort to lawlessness and violence. We need a three pronged program, in other words, to get at it.
Unknown 22:53
Mr. Nixon, the welfare state program has been evolved to the point now that …
Bob Smith 22:58
Next, a reporter asked about social issues focusing on welfare.
Richard Nixon 23:03
Well, the way I would attack this problem is this, I think it’s important for us to recognize that America did not become a great country because of what government did for people, but because of what people did for themselves. Now this whole field of welfare has violated that principle in many respects. Wherever people need help – the aged, the unemployed, those who are unable to work – they should be helped generously by this great rich country of any country in the world. But where people are able to work, then it seems to me that the approach should not be through a bigger government program, of more welfare, but a program of getting private enterprise, giving them the tax and credit incentives, so that they provide the jobs. Putting it in a nutshell, rather than more billions for welfare rolls, we meet more people on payrolls in the United States, that would be my program.
Bob Smith 23:58
Then almost as soon as it began, it was over. I shoved pieces of paper in Richard Nixon’s hand, and he signed them, “Dick Nixon.” Then he waved goodbye and entered a waiting car. And that was that.
I was only 16, but I knew how to end my tape. I’d watched the CBS Evening News many a night.
Richard Nixon, former Vice President of the United States here at the Lawrenceville Vincennes airport on Saturday the 10th of February, 19 hundred and 68. This is Rob Smith from the Lawrenceville Vincennes airport.
And that was that. Our life went back to normal. A Touch of Brass went back to playing Rotary Clubs and opening for rock bands. But Libby expressed how he both felt about that day, even after Vietnam and Watergate and all the scandals that brought down the Nixon administration,
Libby Gosnell 24:55
I just felt so honored and humbled that Nixon said to us, the young people, join us! I just felt that it was a prestigious honor.
Bob Smith 25:08
It was quite amazing.
Libby Gosnell 25:09
It was. Just a day that I’m so glad that I was a part of. It was just amazing.
Bob Smith 25:17
It was funny because, you know, you think now how easy it was to get near a candidate back then.
Libby Gosnell 25:22
Yes! Oh my goodness!
Bob Smith 25:24
Two teenagers with a big tape recorder, lugging it across the runway. That was not a tiny little instrument I was carrying there.
Libby Gosnell 25:24
No, no! [laughs]
Bob Smith 25:34
And you know, years later, I wrote to him and sent him that recording, because when I worked in Rockwell, in marketing communications, the guy who was in charge of printing, Hank Olszewski – we were talking one day, and I said, “Oh yeah, I was real lucky when I was a kid. I actually got to meet Richard Nixon.” So he goes over to his file cabinet, and he pulls out a copy of the inauguration program, because that was printed in Milwaukee! And that printer used extra copies of that as samples for his customers to show him the prestigious work he was doing.
Libby Gosnell 26:03
Oh my.
Bob Smith 26:04
So he gave me a pristine copy of Richard Nixon’s 1968 inaugural program.
Libby Gosnell 26:10
Oh my!
Bob Smith 26:12
I sent that to Richard Nixon, along with that recording Libby, and Nixon sent me back an autograph picture, and he autographed that program as well. I’ve still got it.
Libby Gosnell 26:21
That’s fabulous.
Bob Smith 26:23
A couple of grace notes. My father was the maverick in his Democratic family. He grew up in a family that worshiped FDR. And dad did too as a World War Two soldier. But when Dwight Eisenhower, his commander in chief, ran for president in 1952, dad voted solidly for Eisenhower. And dad couldn’t help but tease his mother -my grandmother – that her grandson had not only met Richard Nixon – but shook his hand.
Robert Smith Sr. 26:51
Oh I don’t know! He was shaking hands with Nixon the other day. That wasn’t too good, was it?
Gertrude Smith 26:36
He was?
Robert Smith Sr. 26:37
Oh, yeah.
Gertrude Smith 26:37
Oh, I don’t care.
Robert Smith Sr. 26:39
You don’t?
Gertrude Smith 26:41
Really was he?
Robert Smith Sr. 26:47
He was out here. Nixon was out here at the airport.
Gertrude Smith 27:02
Well for heaven’s sake. He was shakin’ hands with him, huh? Is he carrying his hand around in a sling now?
Bob Smith 27:09
Oh, yes. And my second grace note to end this story? Remember how the band thought we’d get paid for the Richard Nixon airport gig? And how Libby laughed? Well, a few weeks after playing for Richard Nixon, our leader, Dave Stevens, called us up breathlessly, saying, “Get over to my house. We got paid for the show. Well, wegot something here – a big box!”
Sure enough, we assembled around a large box sent over by Roscoe Cunningham ofthe Republican Party. When Dave opened it, he pulled out — wooden elephants? Yes, wooden elephants – beautifully hand carved, wooden elephants with ivory tusks. Not the cash that six teenage band members were anticipating. No, wooden elephants!
A groan went up. Words were spoken I can’t repeat on this podcast. And we all wenthome disappointed with our little trophies. But, it turns out, both Libby and I DID keep our little elephants – for years as a matter of fact. They were great reminders of that cold, cold winter day, as we warmed up the crowd for a certain presidential candidate. That was February 1968, a quiet moment in history before a cascade of horrible events began to unfold. Two months later, Martin Luther King was killed. Three months later, Lyndon Johnson announced he would no longer run for office. Four months later, Bobby Kennedy was slain by an assassin’s bullet. It seemed there was violence everywhere. And from that point on, every serious presidential candidate would be assigned their own secret service detail. They’d forever be surrounded by police, bodyguards and security officers to safeguard them from harm. The world changed after February 1968. Never again could two teenagers and a tape recorder get that close to a presidential candidate.
Well, that’s our story. My thanks to Libby Gosnell Brockman, my teenage band mateback in 1968, for helping me tell you about meeting Richard Nixon. I hope you’ll join us next time here on The Off Ramp. This is Bob Smith.
The Off Ramp with Bob Smith is produced in association with CPL radio and the Cedarburg Public Library. Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
