Man o'War

Lexington, KY. Visited April 2006

 

May is racehorse month at ISDP. Having thus far essayed the great  Secretariat  and the tragic Barbaro  we’re going back in time. This month’s subject is arguably the most dominant thoroughbred in the history of racing, the legendary Man o’War.

Man o'War with owner Samuel Riddle

Man o’War was foaled in March 1917 in Lexington, KY, bred by the Belmont family (of Belmont Racetrack fame). As a yearling he was sold to Samuel Riddle of Delaware County, PA who raised him at Glen Riddle Farm in Berlin, MD.

Here's a good brief video bio about Man o'War.

  

Man o’War began his racing career in impressive fashion with a six length victory at Belmont Park. After winning his first six starts Man o’War walked up to the starting line of his next race. In this era of racing there was no starting gate.  Horse races started with the lifting of rope along the starting line. Unfortunately the race started with Man o’War facing the wrong direction. Having to turn 180 degrees just to begin the race, he was in catch up mode from the get go. As the race came down the stretch Man o’War was bearing down on the leaders, but came up a nose short, finishing second. The winning horse was fittingly named Upset. It turned out to be the only loss of Man o’War’s 21 race career.

Man o'War in his only career loss, an upset to Upset

Man o'War ran his three year old campaign in 1920.  The Triple Crown concept had just come into popularity the year before in 1919 with wins by Sir Barton in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. However Samuel Riddle ended any idea of a back to back Triple Crown winners because he felt the Derby was too early in the year for a three year old to run. So Man o’War’s first start was at the 1920 Preakness. He won the race in a track record time, then went on to the Belmont where he won by 20 lengths over the only other horse entered; but nevertheless in track record time. He was so dominant as a three year old that it became difficult to find horses to run against him. In one race a last minute competitor was found, but wound up losing to Man o’War by 100 lengths. Lest one assume that the race was just a leisurely gallop, Man o’War set a world record for the distance with no competition. The horse nicknamed 'Big Red' raced eleven times as a three year old before retiring at the end of 1920.  His last race was a match race against 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton, which he won by seven lengths.

Man o'War's final resting place at Kentucky
Horse Farm.  I was there by myself so I
used the standard 'Phillies hat in the
shot' to verify an authentic visit 

Man o’War was retired to stud at Faraway Farm in Lexington, KY. Above is some nice rare video of the horse in retirement.  What has cemented the horse’s legendary stature is his remarkable success on the track and as a sire. He fathered 64 stakes winners and several Triple Crown race winners. His best known son was War Admiral, Triple Crown Winner in 1937. Man o’War was the grandfather of the equally legendary Seabiscuit. Big Red lived a long and productive retirement, eventually dying of a heart attack in 1947 at the age of thirty. He was originally buried at Faraway Farms but was moved in the 1970’s to a prominent site at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. He’s buried there with his son War Admiral. I’ve visited the park a couple of times; originally on a little side trip prior to the first Together for the Gospel and most recently in October 2011 on an excursion prior to the CCEF Living Faith Conference.

Now for the big question – who’s the greater horse - the better "Big Red" -  Man o’War or Secretariat? Here’s how I break it down. Man o’War's race record is simply amazing.  And his success as a stallion in producing winners is remarkable.  Secretariat was just faster. And Secretariat ran overall against better competition and larger fields. What sets Secretariat apart is that his best times remain extraordinary times even compared to competition nearly forty years after he ran his last race. Like all time records, improvements in the sport over time should result in lower race times.  But Secretariat's Belmont race remains the greatest single performance by a racehorse in history. So the winner, by a nose, is Secretariat!

Just for fun, your blogger on the backstretch at Pimlico
track (site of Man o'War's first triumph) a few minutes
after the 2012 Preakness, won by I'll Have Another

Davy Crockett

San Antonio,  Texas. Visited May 2011


Davy Crockett was born in east Tennessee in August 1786. His father fought in the American Revolution, most notably in the Battle of Kings Mountain. We know a good bit about Davy Crockett’s early years because he had the foresight to write his autobiography; though the details are certainly open to question on a number of fronts. It would seem that his version of his life story is much of the basis for the common epithet, ‘King of the Wild Frontier’. What is reliably known is that in his teens Crockett found himself largely on his own and forced to develop survival skills on the frontier of the new state of Tennessee. He was married at 20 and eventually moved his wife and three children farther into the frontier of West Tennessee. His wife died on the frontier and Crockett remarried at 29, a union that resulted in three more children added to the family.


Davy Crockett built his reputation as a soldier as a militia commander in regional Indian wars, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. A natural leader with a burgeoning reputation, he was elected to Congress at the age of 40 in 1826. While initially a supporter of the policies of Andrew Jackson, he proved to be a man of his own mind in Congress. Opposing Jackson on some key issues, Crockett lost his seat in 1830 but was re-elected in 1832. Davy Crocket can probably be credited with publishing the first candidate biography, releasing A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett - Written by Himself just prior to the congressional campaign of 1834. What politician Crockett seemed to lack was the people's touch, as evidenced by the following comment,

"I told the people of my district that I would serve them as faithfully as I had done; but if not ... you may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.”

Your blogger in front of the Alamo circa 1986

Not surprisingly Davy Crockett soon found himself no longer in Congress and on his way to Texas. It appears that he went west intending to eventually resettle his family there, but his more immediate interest seemed the battle for Texas independence. He arrived in January 1836, quickly enlisted in the Texas militia and headed to San Antonio, arriving in early February at a little Spanish mission called the Alamo. Seeking to put down the Texas rebellion, Mexican General Santa Anna marched 1,500 troops to lay siege to the Alamo and its approximately 200 defenders. The siege at the Alamo lasted less than two weeks. Realizing that the makeshift fort was vastly outmanned, the commander William Travis sent Crockett and two others on a secret mission through the enemy lines to get reinforcements. The squad was able to locate some Texians and fight back through the lines to the Alamo, but it was a futile effort. On March 6, 1836 Mexican Troops stormed the mission and overran the Texians, killing all the soldiers in the fort, including Davy Crockett.  A short perspective on the battle produced by HISTORY can be viewed here.

Famous 'Crockett-centric' painting of the Battle of the Alamo

The defenders of the Alamo were reportedly burned and buried at the mission by Santa Anna’s troops. A few years later the reputed remains of Crockett, Colonel Travis and Jim Bowie were gathered and buried together at the Roman Catholic San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio. In the 1930's the remains were dug up in a reconstruction project and placed in a sarcophagus box in an antechamber of the new cathedral, where they remain to this day.

Marble plaque at San Fernando Cathedral. The panel
on the right is one of those things that makes grave
searching so much fun

My son Grant sporting a
classic coonskin cap -
appropriate attire for all
occasions

The legend of Davy Crockett grew out of his own self-promotion as well as his true heroic service in the cause of Texas Independence. The Davy Crockett coonskin cap was requisite haberdashery for any boy growing up in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s as Davy Crockett became an iconic figure in TV and movies.

Choose your favorite Crockett....

Fess Parker...

 OR

  

John Wayne

The Davy Crockett atomic bomb
launcher

A less well known appropriation of Crockett’s legacy occurred in the 1960’s as the U. S. military developed an infantry-operated atomic bomb launcher that was intended to be carried into battle for tactical nuclear warfare. I saw one of these on a visit to West Point a few years ago. It had a launch range of 2000 yards, though the blast circumference of the bomb it could launch would be several times that distance. This made it essentially a suicide weapon for any unlucky soldiers assigned to fire it.  Fortunately it was never fired on enemy troops or even tested with a real atomic bomb. The plaque on the launcher in the museum said it was discontinued in the late sixties because it was ‘considered impractical’. 

Another quircky modern reference to Davy Crockett that I’ve come across is the following video of They Might Be Giants - The Ballad of Davy Crockett in Outer Space

Your Blogger at San Fernando Cathedral
in San Antonio

I visited the San Fernando Cathedral with my friend Jay Walker on our way to the airport from an arts retreat at Laity Lodge in the Hill Country outside San Antonio. It was a Sunday when we arrived and the church was filled with worshippers at a Spanish Mass. Undaunted, and possibly rude, Jay and I squeezed our way through the crowd and snapped a few pictures during gaps in the liturgy. Not the preferred method of gathering material for this blog.  But I think the King of the Wild Frontier would approve.




Having parted the crowd  to get this picture I think my 
face reveals just a bit of awkward guilt.  At least I took 
my hat off.  

The Oxford Martyrs

Oxford, England.  Visited November 1997



This entry is dedicated to the Oxford Martyrs, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley (Thomas Cranmer, who is also included in the group, will be treated as a separate post). These first generation Anglican leaders were burned at the stake for their commitment to the Protestant Reformation.



Hugh Latimer



Hugh Latimer (born c.1487) was a churchman who rose to the position of chaplain to protestant King Edward VI. Latimer was educated at Cambridge and was initially a vocal opponent against the new reformation ideas coming from Europe to England. But somewhere in his time in Cambridge he encountered Thomas Bilney, whose biblical arguments convinced Latimer of the soundness of the protestant view of the faith. Latimer soon fell in with the first generation of English Reformers in Cambridge including Tyndale, Coverdale, Bilney and Cranmer. It is properly said that the English Reformation began in the fellowship among this group that occurred at the White Horse Inn in Cambridge.

The blogger standing at the former site of the
White Horse Inn in Cambridge in 1997.  A plaque referencing
the Inn is nearby.



Latimer preaching to Edward VI

 During the religiously turbulent reign of Henry VIII Latimer rose to the rank of Bishop, but at least once found himself in trouble with the King over his reformed theology.  Under the more fully protestant reign of Edward VI, Latimer became a key advisor to the boy king. With Edward’s death at 15 in 1553 and the ultimate ascension to the throne by the Catholic Mary I, Hugh Latimer found himself now branded a protestant heretic and was arrested.

   

Nicholas Ridley



Nicholas Ridley (born c. 1500) was also Cambridge-educated and ascended up the ecclesiastical ladder under Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, who was seeking to fill the church with protestant minded clergymen. Ridley, a moderate reformer, rose to the influential position of Bishop of London. However, he also was caught up in the turmoil following the death of Edward, particularly through his support of the ill-fated attempt to establish protestant Lady Jane Grey on the throne. With Mary’s ascension Ridley was arrested as a heretic.

Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer were tried as heretics and enemies to the throne in Oxford. The main issues of dispute were the papacy and the protestant denial of transubstantiation in the mass. After a short, politically rigged trial all three were convicted and sentenced to death. Cranmer recanted (for a time) but Ridley and Latimer were burned at the stake October 16, 1555.

Martyrdom of Latimer and Ridley

The martyrdom of Ridley and Latimer has been famously described in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. It is said with some authority that as the flames burned around the two men, the elder Latimer turned to Ridley to encourage him, declaring,

"Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

The spot where the Martyrs were burned is in the middle of a street in Oxford, marked with a tile cross. Nearby is the Martyrs Memorial, commemorating the event and the Reformation it ignited in Great Britain. There is no burial place recorded for the remains of the Martyrs.



Marker where the martyrdom of Ridley and Latimer
took place in Oxford





Marker near the site of martyrdom in Oxford.  I never
saw this when I was there - my friend Aaron Mayfield
gave me his picture



My brother John and I visited Oxford when he was on retreat from the mission field in November 1997.

The blogger on a cold November day 1997at the
Martyrs Memorial in Oxford



George Washington

Mount Vernon, VA. Visited September 1997



Gilbert Stuart's Portrait



In honor of President’s Month, this is a post on our first president, born February 22, 1732; 280 years ago this month. Its impossible to compress the life and impact of George Washington into a blog. But here’s a shot. First, the legends. Wooden teeth? Never had them, though he was down to one real tooth by middle age. He never tossed a silver dollar over the Potomac. And by now we know that he didn’t chop down his father’s cherry tree, although this interview by Kermit the Frog does seem to support the story.

 

The Blogger and his lovely wife at the Washington
Monument,  New Years Day 2005

George Washington was born into the landed gentry of the Virginia Colony. He married Martha Custis, a widow with two children, when they were both twenty-seven. The couple raised both of Martha’s children from her previous marriage until they prematurely died and then raised grandchildren. They never had children of their own. Washington's initial vocation was as a surveyor but he joined the Colonial Army (British) in the French and Indian War, rising into a commanding rank and earning important battle experience. He was a natural leader and gifted horseman with a strong code of honor that earned him broad respect throughout his life.  It also didn’t hurt that at 6’2” he towered over most men of his age. These qualities made him the obvious choice to command the Continental Army in the War for Independence beginning in 1775.

 



'Washington Crossing the Delaware' by Emanuel Leutze (1851) is

to me one the great military paintings of all time

 

In addition to natural leadership qualities Washington’s strengths as a commander included a humble confidence that allowed him to work effectively in a highly charged political environment, and a tactical flexibility that allowed him to learn from mistakes and adjust to battlefield realities.(Contrary to recent commercials Washington did not rout the British in battle driving a Dodge Charger.)  He combined a rare ability to build coalition but also was a decisive leader. Washington's genius was not in battle management; he actually lost more battles than he won. But his ability to organize, train and inspire a poorly equipped rag tag volunteer army against superior numbers and quality of troops was extraordinary. The battles Washington did win were highly symbolic and seemed to come at times when the Colonies most needed them. His victory at Yorktown in 1781 which ended the war was a mix of tactical brilliance and the providential arrival of the French Fleet, sealing off any help or retreat from the sea for the British Army.







Rushmore George

What may be most remarkable about Washington is that his leadership worked effectively both in the structures of military command and in the chaos of forming a practical government out of revolution following the war. He presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and was elected first President of the United States in 1789. Probably the greatest contribution Washington gave the country is the imprint he made on the office of the Presidency – a position without any historic precedent. Washington institutionalized the Presidency as public service, not ascension to power. This was sealed with his willing decision not to seek re-election for a third term in 1797, creating a line of succession through election that marks our government to this day.





George Washington retired from public office and returned to his plantation in Mount Vernon, VA to live the life of a gentleman planter. Washington owned as many as 317 slaves but clearly agonized over the morality of slavery throughout his life. In his will he made provision to free all of his slaves following his death.  Just two years after leaving office and while still in fine health, George caught a throat infection after riding through his estate in winter weather. The infection was unresponsive to the barbaric treatments of the day. His condition deteriorated and within little over two days he had passed away. While there was considerable interest in burying him in the nation’s capitol, the nation yielded to the family wishes and he was buried at Mount Vernon. His current burial tomb is near the original site of his grave on the grounds of his estate.

 

George Washington's Tomb
at Mount Vernon

 

Plaque inside Washington's Tomb quoting John 11:25-26



In the famous eulogy by Henry ‘Light Horse Harry’ Lee (father of Robert E. Lee), Washington is remembered as,



First in war—first in peace—and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and enduring scenes of private life; pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting. To his equals he was condescending, to his inferiors kind, and to the dear object of his affections exemplarily tender; correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue always felt his fostering hand; the purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues. His last scene comported with the whole tenor of his life—although in extreme pain, not a sigh, not a groan escaped him; and with undisturbed serenity he closed his well-spent life. Such was the man America has lost—such was the man for whom our nation mourns.

There are a gazillion Washington statues.  This one at the
George Washington Memorial Gardens in Paramus, NJ is
is interesting

Remarkably this romantic portrayal of Washington is probably not far the true character of the man known as ‘Father of our Country’.  As with all the Founding Fathers there is debate over the nature of Washington’s religious faith. He was tolerant of all faiths in the public square but rarely wrote about his personal beliefs. Yet there are numerous first hand witnesses to a pattern of daily bible reading and prayer, and there is little evidence of the embrace of the philosophical deism that was openly commented on by other Founding Fathers. It might be best to see Washington as a practical Christian of his day, with a moral nature shaped by Biblical principles and an abiding confidence in God, but not of the evangelical mindset that had begun to differentiate Gospel belief from traditional church fidelity. There may be some indication of the state of his soul at the end of his life in his last words: 'Tis Well’.



With the kids on the porch of George's crib at Mount Vernon



I visited Mount Vernon with my family on our way south to a vacation at the North Carolina Shore. It is well worth the time to go there if you are ever in the DC area.







Audrey Hepburn

Vaud, Switzerland. Visited May 2007

I realize I may be taking a bit of a risk to my masculine reputation (such as it is) by including a post on Audrey Hepburn, one of the great gay icons of the 20th Century. But I have two motivating reasons. One is that my wife Jill and I saw her grave while we were visiting with my brother in Switzerland. And this month he is moving back to the States. The second is that I have kind of a ‘six degrees of separation’ thing with Hepburn that I explain below. And, my reputation notwithstanding, at least three of her movies would make it into my personal top 100 favorite films of all time.

Audrey Hepburn (her given name was Audrey Rustin) was born in May 1929, in a small town in Belgium. During the 30’s her father became enamored with the growing Nazi party in Germany, which played a part in him eventually leaving the family. Audrey’s mother moved her children to Arnhem, Holland where they lived through the 1930’s, and then to England. They moved back to Arnhem hoping that the Netherlands’ historic neutrality would provide a safe haven for them as the clouds of war darkened. However with the German invasion of the Netherlands the family fell under the oppression of Nazi occupation. Along with her family, Audrey secretly supported the resistance; a brother was shipped to a concentration camp and an uncle executed by the Nazi’s for resisting the occupation. Audrey suffered malnutrition due to the harsh conditions that affected her the rest of her life.

With Oscar for "Roman Holiday"
at age 24

After the war she found her way to England and the London stage where she achieved sufficient success to work in movies; eventually ending up in Hollywood. Her first lead role was in Roman Holiday, (probably in the 60’s on my favorites list) opposite Gregory Peck in 1953. She won her only Academy Award for best actress for her role, launching her into a career among the first rank of film stars. Another favorite of mine is Charade (1963) with Cary Grant - somewhere in the 80’s on my list.

But my favorite Hepburn movie is My Fair Lady (1964), a top 20 on my list and, in my mind, the second best musical ever after Les Miz. She was actually a surprise for the role, selected instead of Julie Andrews (who had created the role on Broadway) even though her voice had to be dubbed for the singing. MFL raked in a ton of Academy Awards, including best picture, but Hepburn lost out on the best actress award to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins.

Audrey Hepburn remained a star through the Sixties into the Seventies, but gradually began to leave acting and public life for involvement with UNICEF. The last part of her life was almost entirely devoted to humanitarian causes around the world focused on hunger and famine relief. Her last trip was a tour of Somalia just four months before she died. Hepburn passed away in her sleep of cancer, on the evening of 20 January 1993, at her home in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland.

What is my personal connection with Audrey Hepburn? I can get there in four degrees of separation. As mentioned above, Hepburn starred in My Fair Lady. Also in that movie was a character actor by the name of John McLiam.  McLiam is a distant cousin to my mom.  John McLiam played Harry, one of the busker pals of Alfred P. Doolittle.  McLiam had a long and moderately successful career in movies and TV before passing away in 1994. I actually met him once when I was a teenager at a family reunion in North Carolina.  A complete list of his film and TV credits (including movies from 'Cool Hand Luke' to 'Rambo-First Blood' and TV classics like Gunsmoke and MASH) can be accessed here.  

John McLiam as Harry in My Fair Lady.  See him
singing "With a Little Bit of Luck" here

So here’s the connection:

Audrey Hepburn > John McLiam > Faye Farmer > Your Blogger

This remains probably my greatest claim to fame. Audrey Hepburn is buried in a beautiful country church cemetery in the wine country of French speaking Switzerland overlooking Lake Geneva. This blog is being written on the 18th anniversary of her death.

Unnerving statue of Audrey in Morges,
Switzerland.  Have been there several
times but never saw it in person

Jill and me at Hepburn grave in Vaud, Switzerland

Buffalo Bill Cody

Visited December 2011.  Denver Colorado

This is my most recent grave venture, but I just had to move it to the front of the line.







The legend of Buffalo Bill was created by the man himself. But the facts of his life are legendary enough.

Young Bill Cody

William Frederick Cody was born February 1846 in LeClaire, Iowa Territory. He was raised mostly on the Kansas prairie as the clouds of Civil War began to darken. His father was staunchly anti-slavery – eventually dying from the effect of a knife wound he received when he was attacked while giving an abolition speech. In order to help support his family after his father’s death ‘Willy’ Cody took a job as a scout with the army. Adventure got into his bloodstream early – he set out for the California Gold Rush at age 14, but never made it past Colorado. He mined for gold, drove a stagecoach and claimed to have ridden for the Pony Express, but this has been disputed. He was a Kansas Jayhawker during the ‘Bleeding Kansas’ border wars of the mid 1850’s. During the Civil war he served as a teamster with the Union Army. His post war adventures included being a professional scout, working for the US Army, Indian Tribes and even a Russian Duke on a highly publicized royal hunt. In 1872 Cody won the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry in action as a civilian scout in Nebraska.

Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull

Cody acquired the name ‘Buffalo Bill’ for the thousands of buffalo he hunted and killed over the years. But his fame came through his shrewd capitalization on western folklore through the creation of his ‘Buffalo Bill Wild West’ show. This extravaganza of all things western – horses, guns, Indians, outlaws - proved phenomenally successful over decades of performances. Among the major attractions to the show were sharpshooter Annie Oakley and Chief Sitting Bull. In 1887 the show began a triumphant tour of Europe, playing in several major cities. The show overwhelmed the Paris Exhibition of 1889 (playing in the shadow of the brand new Eiffel Tower). While in Europe Buffalo Bill had audiences with Queen Victoria and Pope Leo. The show also drew millions of visitors when it played New York in 1886-87. Many historians hold that, at the turn of the 20th Century, Buffalo Bill was the most recognizable celebrity in the world.

 

This picture speaks for itself

Later in life Buffalo Bill retired from the show and turned his attention to taming the west through land development and irrigation. He became a successful rancher and businessman, founding the town of Cody, Wyoming. While visiting his sister in Denver, Cody passed away from kidney failure at the age of 71 in January 1917. According to his wife Louisa’s wishes (they had married in 1865) Cody was buried at the top of Lookout Mountain, in the Front Range of the Rockies just west of Denver. It is a tribute to Bill Cody’s life and legend that his death generally marks the end of what is understood as ‘the Old West’. In reporting his death one newspaper editor declared, "He has been more than picturesque; he has been worthwhile.”

Burial of Buffalo Bill in 1917

A number of films have been made about Buffalo Bill over the years.  One of the odder entries is Robert Altman's anti-western "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson" starring Paul Newman in the title role.  Check out the trailer here.

My kids in front of amazingly lifelike Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley
at the Bison Ranch Buffalo Museum in Arizona - Spring of 2004. 

My excursion to Buffalo Bill’s grave was entirely unexpected. In early December 2011 I had the opportunity to preach at Sovereign Grace Church in the Aurora area just southeast of Denver. I spent the evening talking with the Senior Pastor, Mark Alderton, and we got on the topic of things we like to do. I told him about this odd hobby and the blog that follows with it, and he mentioned that Buffalo Bill is the one famous person he knows is buried in the Denver area. I had to catch a plane back to Philly around 4:00 on Sunday. At around 1:30 after the service Mark grabbed me and said ‘I think we can make Buffalo Bill. We jumped in his car and we hightailed it 40 miles up into the front range – careening up the winding road to the top of Lookout Mountain. From the parking lot we dashed up to the top of the mountain to the grave site overlooking a beautiful view of Denver on the plain below. Back in the car we careened down the mountain and drove the fifty miles to the airport. I got through security and made my gate just in time to board the last flight out of Denver to Philadelphia. I think that’s just how Buffalo Bill would have done it himself.

Your Blogger and the intrepid Pastor Mark Alderton at
Buffalo Bill's final resting place.  His Medal of Honor marker is
visible through the fence.