TBW Daily Diary

Sun shining, temps in the 40s, snow melting. What a change in our attitude. Many people out and about calling cheerfully to people they did not even know. So what if there is to be a little mixed precipitation on Monday or Tuesday? Today is today . . . Exchanged messages with Johnstown native Kevin Hancock on Facebook today. Cannot get over this new method of socializing. We haven't spoken for a few weeks, and he is sooooo far away--all of three doors up the street . . . Brought back memories of my two years in Johnstown as a nightside reporter for the Tribune-Democrat. My biggest assignment should have been the most memorable and in a way it is--it was a near disaster . . . I had to interview "America's Goodwill Ambassador" Louis Armstrong who was in town for a concert. Satchmo was not at all cordial to me, perhaps with reason. He was performing for a handful of people in the War Memorial which seats thousands. (The Paul Newman film Slapshot was filmed there.) The show was punctuated with shouts, cheers and applause--but not for his music. A high school football game was in progress in an adjacent stadium, and at that time the Johnstown High School team was a powerhouse that attracted just about everyone in town. The polite applause for Louis' musical numbers was all but drowned out by the racket next door . . . the concert chugged along to its conclusion (I hardly remember anything about it) and I dashed back to the office to file my report. Of course, the man was so famous that I reported as many good impressions as I could . . . it was a very short article, as I recall . . .