1955 – Corbin, Kentucky: He closed his restaurant and small hotel, Sanders Court and Café, after 25 years in business. Since the new Interstate 75 bypassed Corbin, truckers and families traveling through on U.S. 25 no longer stopped in for his delicious food. At age...
5:15 p.m. December 9, 1914 – West Orange, New Jersey: The fire started in building 41 on the Edison complex, which housed the chemicals for making film. By 6:30 p.m. it had spread to six adjacent buildings and an hour later 13 buildings were engulfed in flames. The...
1981 – Breese, Illinois: It was tough love time. Carol Foppe called a meeting with her husband and seven of her eight sons. Ten-year-old John wasn’t invited. Carol told the boys not to help John get dressed the next morning. It was time for her fourth grader to dress...
September 6, 1992 – San Francisco, California: When Mike McIntyre shared his unusual idea with his family, the second-guessing began immediately. His brother asked, “Why would you deliberately put yourself in this position?” His father’s reaction was, “You’ll get...
June 24, 1992 – Seattle, Washington: It had been three days since the tragic climbing accident on Mt. Rainier. Jim wrote a letter to his best friend. He began, “Dear Mike, I will strive to take this second chance I’ve been given, unfurl my wings and fly with it, and...
June 1989 – Death Row, Holman Prison – Atmore, Alabama: Thursday was execution day on death row. Ray lay awake in his five by seven-foot cell located 30 steps from the death chamber where the electric chair, “Yellow Mama,” sat. He couldn’t sleep, because the prisoner...