Good-bye to a Friend

Hi and welcome back. The wind has been crazy here the past several days. Maybe best if we sit inside today. The dust will get in your eyes!

A few months ago, I promised a friend I would send her a copy of my manuscript as soon as it was finished. Since it is a western, I thought she would be a great person to preview the story before I sent it out to an agent or publisher.

Today, I received a phone call telling me my friend had passed away. My heart is heavy with sadness and regret. Barb was one of the sweetest people I ever had the pleasure to know, not to mention the most avid fan of Gunsmoke there was.

I met Barb when I went to Los Angeles in 2001 to attend Jim Arness’ book signing at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Barb, known as “Brooklyn” because she made her home in Brooklyn, New York, and her unmistakable accent broadcast it to everyone, was probably the most excited of all of us. She had been sending Jim fan letters and special items, some of them hand-made, for years. I remember her telling us “I hound the man constantly!”

Brooklyn developed cancer a few years back, and when Jim Arness heard about it, he called her personally to wish her well with her treatments. She was so thrilled that she called all of her Gunsmoke buds to tell us about that phone call.

The second time Brooklyn had a bout with cancer, she asked us to send her a hat or cap that she could wear during her treatments. That way, she would be reminded of her Gunsmoke buds. I sent her one of my 1980 Winter Olympic caps, very fitting since the Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York that year.

Brooklyn sent me cards and notes about three or four times a year, on my birthday, Easter, Christmas, and they always had a Gunsmoke or western picture on the front. I treasure the photos she sent me of her Gunsmoke room, which contained hundreds of items of Gunsmoke and James Arness memorabilia.

I will miss Brooklyn so much. Every time I sit down to watch Gunsmoke, I will remember her. And, yes, I will finish that novel. I’m writing it for all those out there who are just like Brooklyn, who love westerns!

Jim Arness celebrated his 85th birthday on May 26th. Go to www.bkjackson.blogspot.com. Arizona Inspirations has a great tribute to him and Gunsmoke.

Special Day for Gunsmoke Fans!

This is a great day for my favorite TV show of all time, the legendary Gunsmoke. For almost two years now, there has been a web site running a fan power TV Hall of Fame. We Gunsmoke fans have been battling a hard fight against the sci-fi shows to put Gunsmoke in the top five. Today we did it!

The requirement was 250,000 votes (that’s a quarter of a million!), and a voter could only place a vote once every hour. Some people voted once or twice a day, and others, like me, voted every time we were on the computer within the time constraints.

If you like the old TV westerns and remember Gunsmoke in particular, go to http://richlabonte.net/tvvote/power.html and see the wonderful banner Rich has created for us to celebrate our special day. It contains a fantastic selection of cast pictures and Gunsmoke scenes in addition to a great rendition of the Gunsmoke theme song.

The banner will only be up today since Rich honors whichever show reaches a higher goal in increments of 5,000 votes every day, so if you want to see it, check it out sometime within the next twelve hours or so!

Long live Gunsmoke – the longest running drama in television history with continuing characters!

Thanks for reading my blog.