No Autographs, Please

I submitted a First Person essay to the Columbus Dispatch that they published today (link)

They did some editing, so I thought I'd post the original article I sent so my loyal reading public - all 4 of you - could see it.

A couple quick thoughts: It's slightly disconcerting to see a small blurry photo of yourself in the newspaper and even more disconcerting to see a giant blurry photo of yourself online. Also - the Dispatch just had to publish my age. I've tried to keep that on the down-low with all the
25-year-olds I work with. Luckily, they don't read the paper.

Okay - here it is:

Easter Parade

I was born on Easter Sunday, longer ago than I care to admit. It was around one o’clock in the afternoon, right when my family would normally be in the midst of Easter dinner. Instead, my folks were off to the hospital. My aunt, who was visiting for the holiday, encouraged my parents to name me Bunny to commemorate the occasion. Instead, my parents named me after a friend of the family and I still appreciate their restraint.

My birthday doesn’t fall on Easter very often. The first time it did, after my birth, I was 11 years old. Something that would be of so little consequence today was apparently somewhat newsworthy back then. The Linden News ran a small article noting the event and I held onto the clipping for years. I also remember my mom called one of the local radio stations about it. I don’t recall which one, but it was one of two - she was an avid listener to both 610 WTVN and 1460 WBNS. I listened as the deejay announced my name, wished me a happy eleventh birthday and played Mom’s request for me: Easter Parade.

I don’t know whether it’s because I was born on the holiday or because my mom loved music and especially that song, but Easter Parade has always had a special place in my heart. I grew up listening to the radio with my mom and she always sang along. I thought she had a wonderful voice. If we weren’t in the kitchen with the radio on, she’d sing a cappella for me on warm evenings as we sat on the side porch steps. From when I was very young, I can remember her singing great songs like Dear Heart, Shine on Harvest Moon and I’m Getting Married in the Morning. As I learned the lyrics, I always sang along. When she sang Easter Parade, though, I knew she was singing it just for me. I’d never before seen an Easter parade, but I could imagine it: Pretty dresses and, of course, frilly Easter bonnets. I didn’t know what a rotogravure was back then, but I knew a photographer would snap my photo and there I would appear in my blue dotted Swiss dress and white straw hat.

It was years before I ever associated the song Easter Parade to the Judy Garland and Fred Astaire movie. Mom was always a Judy Garland fan. In fact, she told me she saw Judy perform at the Ohio Theater when she and my mom were both quite young. Maybe that’s part of the reason mom liked the song so.

I love the scene in the movie when they join the throngs on Fifth Avenue and sing the title song. Judy and Fred do a great job with it but, in my opinion, my mom’s version will always be the best.