SATURDAY MEMORY
December 7, 2024

In high school, I was extroverted in ways I have not been since that time. In my senior year, I was Boy's League president. I was a Squire and a Knight and was other such honorary things. My girl friend was editor of the student newspaper, Girl's League President, and I was business manager. We led the dancing at the senior prom. One of my jobs at the time, was to arrange speakers for school assemblies. I arranged for Ronald Reagan to speak. At the time (1956) he gave speeches for General Electric on themes of freedom, economic progress, and the threat of communism. Another job was to arrange the annual auto show. These two events coincided in time.

I had arranged for a special car from Bob Yaekel, an Oldsmobile dealer in Los Angeles. Bob was crippled and the car he had specially made was all controlled by hand controls on the steering wheel. I had picked up the car for the car show. I was also to pick up Ronald Reagan from the airport. I did this using Bob Yaekel's car.

On the way from the airport back to school, a driver went through a red light and my foot searched frantically for the brake pedal. Only then did I remember I had to use the brake control on the steering wheel. We avoided a collision with the errant driver, but not by much. If I had not stopped in time, the impact would have been on the passenger side.

Reagan laughed off the incident and congratulated me on being able to stop in time.

I remember Reagen being very funny the rest of the trip.

I have often mused on muffing my chance to change history.