This is a personal account of another time, another era as told to me by my late father. It was when Sir Winston Churchill, recently defeated as Britain’s Prime Minister, made history in a small midwest American town.
The place was Fulton, Missouri in 1946. Churchill had been invited to speak at Westminster College there. And with recommendations by then-President Harry Truman, saying that the college was “a wonderful school in my home state”, the great leader accepted. At that point in time, many considered Churchill a has-been and expected him to fade away. Although his health had undermined his activities for years, he was able to show that the Lion himself could still roar when required.
My father lived just a few blocks away from the college in a home that also had a restaurant attached to it. The eatery was owned by his dad and, in fact, my dad had worked there starting as a child of about eight. I’m not sure how good the food was but evidently their confections were so good that people would come from miles around to purchase their chocolates, ice cream and more. (I still have the large copper kettles he used in making some of their confections.)
It was on that day, March 5, 1946 that my dad, who had just turned 17, finished making the confections for the expected crowds that were beginning to form. His dad was a tough taskmaster who believed in the value of hard work, even for children of a certain age. Removing the apron that was stained with chocolate he then went outside just in time to see the motorcade with Churchill and President Truman pass by. For a small town of less than 10,000 people the crowds were significant with people coming from as far away as Kansas City and St. Louis to see one of history’s great leaders. As the motorcade passed by, the people there seemed unanimous in their love, their appreciation and their heartfelt thanks for what Mr. Churchill had done for the world.
Once inside the hall at Westminster College, Sir Winston, with President Truman at his side, went on to surprise the media in attendance and the world by giving one of his greatest speeches: his famous Iron Curtain speech or as he had titled it “The Sinews of Peace”. His words helped motivate at least a generation of American, British and, yes, Canadians to stand up to the insidious threats that were confronting the western world with communism.
The reason I decided to relate this account of personal and regional history is not simply to say that my dad saw Churchill and Truman, but more to comment on the era. There were always political differences between parties, whether it was Democrat vs. Republican or Liberal vs. Conservative. But back then the English speaking peoples of the world were a lot more united. While a lot can be said against ”those peoples”, I think the English speaking world deserves far more praise than condemnation. And I, for one, am proud of my heritage.
The place was Fulton, Missouri in 1946. Churchill had been invited to speak at Westminster College there. And with recommendations by then-President Harry Truman, saying that the college was “a wonderful school in my home state”, the great leader accepted. At that point in time, many considered Churchill a has-been and expected him to fade away. Although his health had undermined his activities for years, he was able to show that the Lion himself could still roar when required.
My father lived just a few blocks away from the college in a home that also had a restaurant attached to it. The eatery was owned by his dad and, in fact, my dad had worked there starting as a child of about eight. I’m not sure how good the food was but evidently their confections were so good that people would come from miles around to purchase their chocolates, ice cream and more. (I still have the large copper kettles he used in making some of their confections.)
It was on that day, March 5, 1946 that my dad, who had just turned 17, finished making the confections for the expected crowds that were beginning to form. His dad was a tough taskmaster who believed in the value of hard work, even for children of a certain age. Removing the apron that was stained with chocolate he then went outside just in time to see the motorcade with Churchill and President Truman pass by. For a small town of less than 10,000 people the crowds were significant with people coming from as far away as Kansas City and St. Louis to see one of history’s great leaders. As the motorcade passed by, the people there seemed unanimous in their love, their appreciation and their heartfelt thanks for what Mr. Churchill had done for the world.
Once inside the hall at Westminster College, Sir Winston, with President Truman at his side, went on to surprise the media in attendance and the world by giving one of his greatest speeches: his famous Iron Curtain speech or as he had titled it “The Sinews of Peace”. His words helped motivate at least a generation of American, British and, yes, Canadians to stand up to the insidious threats that were confronting the western world with communism.
The reason I decided to relate this account of personal and regional history is not simply to say that my dad saw Churchill and Truman, but more to comment on the era. There were always political differences between parties, whether it was Democrat vs. Republican or Liberal vs. Conservative. But back then the English speaking peoples of the world were a lot more united. While a lot can be said against ”those peoples”, I think the English speaking world deserves far more praise than condemnation. And I, for one, am proud of my heritage.
