Meeting fans

 March 29, 1969 -  On this date, John and Yoko  met some fans from the Dutch Beatles Fan Club.  Here you see John signing the copy of their fan club newsletter, Chains.    I saw this signed fan magazine on display at the Beatles Museum in Alkkmar in 2017.   

The Beatles at the fan club office

 

October 3, 1963 

Ralph Gibson in Hollywood

 

August 24, 1966

The Hollywood Capitol Records press conference in 1966 has to be one of the most photographed press conferences of the Beatles career.    Here are some photographs taken by freelance photographer Ralph Gibson.   These are all new to me.  

I sneaked one in for Mark to enjoy!   

Happy birthday to John!

In my reserach for my upcoming book about the Beatles' fan clubs, I ran across this gem today -   Fan club members from Sioux Falls, South Dakota made a large birthday card for John Lennon's birthday.   

The history of trading Beatles photos

I recently bought some photographs that were labeled "The Official John Lennon Chapter" on the back of each photo.   This made me think that one major thing that Beatle fans in the 1960's and through the years until today love to see is Beatles photos.    Fans in the 1960's were getting them from teen magazines and in 2016 you are coming to blog such as this one to see Beatles photos.  

This got me wanting to dig a bit deeper into the history of trading Beatles photos among fans.   We know that first Beatle fans to trade pictures were Margaret Hunt and her friends at the Cavern Club as early as 1961.    Margaret was smart enough to go to Mersey Beat and ask to buy photos from the publication of the Beatles.   She would then take the photos and show them to her Beatle friends at the Cavern as well as to John and the other Beatles.     Her friends also would occasionally bring a camera to the Cavern and take photographs.  This wasn't as common as you would think, but it did happen now and again.

As the Beatles' popularity grew and an official fan club started, fans were not only loving the music, but loving the photographs.    Beatle Book Monthly was the best place to find recent and different photographs of the Fab 4.


Here in the United States, the Beatles Fan club was formed in New York and various chapters were started around the country.   All of the fan clubs sold photographs of the Beatles.   If you were a chapter president, you could purchase 40 wallet sized photograph of the Beatles for $1.00!      Fan clubs could also copyright a photo through the fan club and sell it for 20 cents each.   But where did they get these photographs?    I found this interesting information in the ASCP Newsletter #2 of the Official Beatles Fan Club (Jan.1971) written by Joanne Maggio

I MUST have a copy of the photo you are selling on file BEFORE issuing you a copyright card.  This card guarantees you total control over the photo.  Each chapter sells different photos and this is our way to keep order.    If your photo comes from a a private source and you already have the negative and the prints, send me one print with the number of the photo as you will sell it on the back.  If not used by any other chapter, I will send you a copyright card.  It is then, and ONLY then, that you may start to sell the photo.   If the photo you desire is in magazine form and you do not have the negative, send me the magazine print, PLUS a xerox or photocopy of the print.  The copy will remain in temporary filing under a temporary copyright.  Your original pic will be returned to you so that you can get your negative made, plus your prints.  Once the print is back to you, send one to me in the manner described above.  NO COPYRIGHTS are issued on xerox prints, or they will be issued prior to my receiving a final copy.   It does neither of us any good for to send me a print and then ask me to copyright it, and then want the print back.  I'd have nothing here to prove I granted your chapter the copyright and will thereby grant that same copyright to another chapter.  

These xerox copy of photos are pretty band quality, but if that is all you have, then they were awesome.   Here are the John Lennon ones I purchased.

Once the Beatles fan club disbanded, the former fan club presidents used their knowledge of running a fan club and started their own independent fan clubs and sold photos through them.    Many of these disbanded after a few short months, but some such as The Write Thing, The Harrison Alliance, & With a Little Help from My Friends   went well into the 1980's.     These fanzines sold mostly photos that were personally taken by fans.   They sold them for 50 cents each and there were descriptions of the photos in each newsletter.  

Into the 1980's and 1990's the fanzines and other individuals started selling Beatles photos at Beatlefest and other Beatle fan conventions.    This is where I started my obsession with Beatles photos.   By this time, one photo would cost $1.00.   People were also sharing photos with friends through pen pals and in person.  

Then the Internet hit and it was the end of Beatles fan clubs and even the photo sellers at the conventions were sparce.     People, such as myself, were discovering that Beatles photos were to be found on the World Wide Web and if you inserted your floppy disc into the A drive and clicked on the right side of the mouse you could save a Beatles image onto a disc and share it with friends in chat rooms.      Fans were also buying scanners and scanning photos and sharing them with one another.  

Today most fans go to Beatles blogs and sites that post photos and "right click and save" the Beatles photos they like.   Those of us who still purchase Beatles photos use ebay and high end auction houses.    The photos that once sold for 50 cents can go for $20 each on ebay.  

Regardless of the decade, Beatle photos will always remain popular and shockingly---new photos are discovered every day!

Spotlight on Ping Tom --former Beatles fan club president

When I posted the story out of the Beatles Booster Fan club newsletter last week, I noticed that a person named "Ping Tom" was listed as the president of the fan club.    I did some google searching and found an old newspaper article from 1964 about Ping moving from L.A. to Tucson and starting up her fan club in her new location.    Alright---the only thing I have to say is that if I had tickets to a Beatles concert that was one week away and my Dad said we had to move---there would have been a big fight.    I would have begged and begged to stay with a friend or family member until after the concert...anything not to miss it! 

Anyhow---does anyone remember Ping Tom?   Anyone know her now or know what she is doing?  I would love to do as "What ever happened to" segment on what she is currently up to. 

Ping Tom comes to Tucson and brings “Beatlemania”

By Linda Shelton

"I want to hold your hand" means  an awful lot to a girl named Ping Tom, but  you could sum it up with just two words, "the Beatles"

Ping Tom is the president of the Southwest chapter of The Beatles national fan club . She attends Pueblo high school as a junior.

To explain how she started her fan club, “I fell in love with them when I first heard' I want to hold your hand,’ so I wrote to a girl in England who had a fan club for the Beatles.”

When Ping began the fan club, she was living in Los Angeles, California. She all obtained a charter for her club under the name of the "Beatles West Coast fan club", and then she started to work on it.

She published 1,000 copies of a newsletter, which cost her $83.  900 of these she gave to Dave Hull, the disc jockey for KRLA, a local radio station in Los Angeles, for publicity. The Beatles fan where to send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the station and in return, they would be sent a newsletter.   Ping got most of her 200 members this way. 

Ping, as president of the Beatles fan club, said that the Beatles' popularity was not at its peak right now, but it's not decreasing. She also commented on the difference of interest between Los Angeles and Tucson.

"Tucson is a small city and the radio stations don’t do anything for the Beatles", was Ping's explanation for Tucson uninterested. "Everybody in Los Angeles joins clubs and contest and really helps their stars", said the president.

For a "Beatles rally" held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California, Ping went all out and made it Beatles suit to wear.   On Paul McCartney's birthday, Ping called his house. Paul was still touring in Australia, so she had to be content with talking to his aunt.

Ping attended the preview of “A Hard Day's Night" when it was first shown in Los Angeles, before the premier in New York. Tickets for this event were given to her and the members of her club by United Artist, the company that released the film. Attached to the tickets were poster boards and stickers for the club to make signs saying, "We love the Beatles."

Ping wrote to each of the Beatles and got answers from George's mother and John's aunt. Ping  regrettingly said that she has not met the Beatles. When the Beatles performed in Hollywood, she had planned to see them. However, she still has her $4.50 ticket for the middle section of the Hollywood Bowl.  One week before the Beatles came, Ping’s family had to move back to Tucson.

"I was very disappointment", commented Ping, "But since my father financed the club until I got a good start, I listened to when he said it was too expensive to stay in Los Angeles even for one more week."

When Ping arrived  in Tucson, she  change the name of her club to the " Beatle booster fan club". She does all the work herself.  Her  publications includes 12 newsletters a year and pictures of the Beatles of various prices. She noted that she was sending out negatives to a girl in Wisconsin for developing but that ran into money so she bought developing equipment and try her and hand at developing.

Ping has a long history of fan clubs.  She started with a fan club for Paul Anka when she was 13 years old. 

Explaining her feelings about why today's teenagers have" flipped" for the Beatles she says,” We fell for them because they were different in appearance and music.  They didn't follow any of the beat trends. Now they are famous and I think it's natural for teenagers to go all out for a group they like.  "

The Apple Tree

After the Beatles broke up, the fan club changed it's name to "The Apple Tree" so that it could highlight the Beatles as solo artists as well as other groups on the Apple label.    It wasn't too long after the name change that the club disbanded.  So this empty envelope (currently on ebay) is pretty awesome.  

Fan club volunteers

Tonsil duty

Fans were on such high alert in early December 1964 when Ringo got his tonsils taken out that the Beatles offical fan club started up a hotline for fans to call to hear a recording about how Ringo is doing after the surgery.   The fan club employees and members worked nonstop to answer calls and sift through the get well cards and gifts for Ringo.   

Hey Trude

Trudy Medcalf was the president of the Canadian branch of the Beatles fan club, which grew to become the biggest Beatles fan club in the world.  Trudy had a big responsibility and she did her job well.   The first time she had met the Beatles was at the New York Plaza hotel in February of 1964.  She and another fan club president worked on sorting fan mail while the Beatles were in the United States.

She was frequently featured in newspaper articles about the Beatles or the Beatles fan club.   She was always smiling and friendly and was a good representative for Beatle fans.    So it isn't shocking that in 1964, when the Beatles were in Toronto, that Trudy was there to meet them.



Our Beatle Club Biggest in World
Writer unknown
The Telegraph Toronto
September 8, 1964

Truday Medcalf met the Beatles  for the second time last night.

Unlike most other 15 year olds she didn't even think of tearing her hair, jumping, screaming or fainting.

She took it all in her stride, commented "it was very nice," and settled back to analyze why she was able to form the largest Beatle fan club in the world -- 54,000 strong.

"They're different.  They're different from anything else we've ever seen and they're different from each other.  They're talented, too -- don't let anybody tell you they're not," she insisted.  "Maybe it's them.  Maybe it's their music-- I don't know.  But whatever it is, it's what the kids want today."

The pretty, dark haired grade 11 student formed the Canadian Beatle fan club in September 1963.  Since then it has grown to be the largest in the world.

Because of this, she spent  a day helping the Beatles with their fan mail when they were in New York last Feb.  Yesterday, she was presented to them at a press conference.

"They're wonderful.  They really are," she says enthusiastically.

She thinks Ringo is more reserved than the rest with a "fabulous, but dry sense of humor."

Paul "just bounces along"' George is the friendliest, but John is her favorite.

"He's the nuttiest," Trudy explained.

She plans on going along wit the Beatles as long as they go along and she figured they'll go along forever.

One she graduates from Midland Ave. Secondary school, Trudy plans on returning to her native England to become a comedy script writer for television.

After all, you can't spend your entire life being president of a Beatle fan club


In the 1997 book by Brian Kendall "Our Hearts Went Boom,"  Trudy spoke more about meeting the Beatles

"Even after all these years, I can still remember my little speech," she says, 'On behalf of the largest Beatles fan club in Canada, I want to welcome you to the city.  We love you very much. ' At that point Paul McCartney put his hand on my shoulder and joked, 'Oh, you don't do you?'  I was thrilled and completely flustered but somehow I managed to go on with my speech.  'We hope you remember your visit to Toronto very fondly.'"

Paul did a double take when he saw what Trudy was wearing.  "I had on a pair of culottes, you know, pants cut to look like a skirt." Trudy says, "Paul started playing with the fabric and said, 'Are these pants, luv?  I really like them.'  I alsmot died on the spot.  Can you imagine the thrill for a young girl of having Paul McCartney do something like that?"

She also spoke of when CHUM radio sent her to New York to help sort fan mail in New York City.  "When John Lennon found out that I was with the fan club, he got down on his knees and bowed to thank me.  The Beatles seemed so excited and amazed at their reception in New York.  They all had such youthful enthusiasm.  Ringo, I remember, was flinging elastic bands around the room."

Mister Brian Epstein

Last week it finally happened.    Something I did not think I would see happen in my lifetime.  Brian Epstein was finally inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame!   Now you'd would have thought that Brian would have been inducted in the hall of fame way back in 1988, when the Beatles were inducted.  There is a non-performer category, and it has been filled with various producers, radio disc jockeys and others who were important to the field of rock and roll music without being musicians.  Heck Phil Spector was inducted in 1989!   And many assumed that Brian was in, because why wouldn't he have been?   Not only did he "discover" the Beatles and manage them to superstardom, he also managed a variety of British acts that made up the backbone of the 1960's British music invasion that basically paved the way for a change in popular music.  

I recall signing a petition for Brian to get inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame back in the late 1990's.   Even though fans from around the world rallied together for it to happen, there was never any sign that Brian was even considered as a candidate.   As a matter of fact, Brian not in the rock hall was sort of the "Susan Lucci" joke of the Beatles community.   Then what seemed like out of the blue, I heard last year that he was going to be in the class of 2014 inductees!   Alright!  What took you so long Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?? 

Beatle fans didn't need over 50 years to know that Brian Epstein was someone special.  Did you know that in 1965, through the Beatles Fan club you could join the Brian Epstein chapter?   Each individual Beatle had his own chapter of the fan club and so did Brian.   Now I am not sure how many fans signed up for Brian's chapter of the club, but there must have been a lot of interest for it to be offered in the first place.   When you joined the Brian Epstein chapter of the Beatles fan club, you received an 8 x 10 glossy photograph of Brian and a fact sheet. 

So in memory and honor of the wonderful manager and friend of the Beatles, and in celebration of his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, I post these photos. Enjoy!

Rome 1965

Interview during 1966 tour

Relaxing with the boys in Germany in 1966

Cruising in Miami with George Martin in 1964

Yes, even Brian had a great humor

Uncle Brian with his niece in 1967

George's 21st birthday

George Harrison had the privilege of being the first Beatle to have a birthday after Beatlemania hit America.   Actually, George's 21st birthday occurred just days after the Beatles landed back in the United Kingdom.

Letters and gifts came pouring into not just the Beatles fan club in London but also into George's home in Liverpool from all around the world.  Girls sent cards, stuffed animals, cakes,  drawings and plenty of keys (and one person even sent a door).   Keys?   Why keys?   Well...in parts of the world (including England, Scotland and New Zealand) there is a tradition of giving someone the "keys to the house" on their 21st birthday as a symbol of them being an adult and the head of the household.  I am not sure if this was a custom in the United States at the time, but I know that typically they give people alcohol on their 21st birthday around here and no one gets a key.

And as silly as it sounds, today we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of George's 21st birthday.  But most importantly, we celebrate the life of George Harrison, a man I know we all love and miss dearly. 

Meanwhile back home in Liverpool....

A check from Apple

I thought this was interesting.   Once the Official Beatles fan club closed down, people who were still members received a refund check from Apple for the remaining amount of their membership dues!   I can't even remember how many fan magazines and fan clubs I have joined over the years and never got money back when they went under.   There are some magazines (cough cough Good Day Sunshine cough cough) that I had just renewed my membership to and they folded soon afterward without sending me anything in return.   I think it just goes to show want a top-notch fan club the Official Beatles Fan club really was.

Dream jobs at the Beatles secret HQ

There are a few things in Beatles-dom that remain a mystery to me.   The two biggies that I am forever trying to learn more about are the Apple Scruffs and the Beatles fan club.    Since I am snowed in, I decided to look through my old magazines that I have stored away and so I dug out Datebook from the summer of 1965.  Inside I found a charming article about two girls named Susan and Pam who worked at the Beatles Fan Club Headquarters in New York.   As I read the article, I found myself wishing I could have gone back and worked with them.  They just seemed like they had so much fun working for the Beatles Fan Club.

Then I recalled something I had posted on this blog quite  a while ago about a fab club worker who was was auctioning off some personal Beatles items.  Sure enough, it is the Susan from this Datebook story!   She even mentions in her story that I posted originally that she was written about in Datebook.   The whole thing is found here.     In the comments it was decided that her autographs were not authentic.   They were signed by Neil Aspinall and a UK secretary.   However, the card was written by Brian.    

Dream Jobs at the Beatles HQ

By Laurie Brandel

Summer 1965 Datebook magazine

I visited the secret headquarters of the official Beatles fan club.   Right in the middle of Manhattan, on the fifth floor of a deceptively ordinary building, hidden behind the reception desk of an office which does not even bear its name, I found the bustling center of activity for millions of American Beatles enthusiasts.  And working away in the midst of all this exciting activity were two 17 year olds fortunate enough to hold what most American teenagers would consider the dream teen job of the decade—assistant to Lynn Hargrave president of the Beatles Fan Club.

I met them.  I chatted with them.  And they turned out to be pretty, bright, marvelously kookie 17 year old olds.  Blonde, 5 foot 8 Susan Friedman is a senior at Martin Van Buren H.S. in the borough of Queen New York.  Brown-haired 5 foot 4 Pamela Barlow is a senior at Francis Lewis H.S., also in Queens.  Both girls study dance at the June Taylor School of Dance in preparation for what they hope will be careers in the theatre.  But not until after they graduate this year and work full time for a while in the Beatles organization.  Since September they’ve worked 1:30 to 5:30 pm after school and all day on Saturdays.

“How did you two get these dream jobs?” I asked the girls.

“Well,” Susan began, “do you want the truth?”  I nodded and both girls giggled.

“It was really sort of simple,” Pam chimed in.  “We’d gotten tickets to the benefit performance of the Beatles at the Paramount last time they were here.  Then we heard about a cocktail party being given for them after the concert.  We wanted to come.”   

“Pam’s father knows somebody out there,” Sue pointed to the other offices served by the reception desk, “so we learned about this secret place.  We decided to come here and see what we could maneuver.  When we found Lynn Hargrave, she was so surprised to see us that she showed us around the offices.  We talked for a while and both of us at one point exclaimed, “Gee, wouldn’t it  be great to work here!”  Lynn looked at us strangely then smiled and said, “Fine.  You’ve got jobs, them.”

“We never got to the cocktail party, of course” Pamela broke in, “But that was all right because the Beatles never got there either.”

“We got something much more important,” Sue smiled.  She fingered a shiny disk which hung around her neck on a gold chain.  Pam swung hers in a circle jokingly, too.

“What are those?”  I rose to the bait.

“Nothing really, “Pam said coolly.  I looked.  They were gold circles on which were engraved the following words, “To Pamela (Susan), with luv, from Brian and the Beatles.”  Both girls now wear these Christmas gifts around their necks at all times. 

 However, neither of the girls has yet met the Beatles personally.  Both admit they “just can’t wait” until the Beatles come back again in August.  Before the jobs the girls had been fans of the Beatles, although they do not claim to have been the most enthusiastic fans.

Said Pam, “I’d never even been to an airport –which is more than some people can say,” She looked over at Susan who made a sign of mock protest.  The girls had been good friends before the job and remain so now.

Which of the Beatles do they favor?  The girls looked at each other.  “Well…” Pam began.  “Really….all of them….” Susan continued.  “After all…you know…we do work for all of them…”   “Of course, we can’t deny a special feeling for Paul and George…”  Pam admitted.   “You realize that those two are the unmarried ones!” Susan explained, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

The Beatles know of the existence of the girls through Brian Epstein who met Pam and Sue when he was in New York.

NEMS publicity chief, Tony Barrow had a very exciting introduction to the girls when he first arrived at the secret headquarters.

Pam was walking through the reception area, saw the rather nice looking English gentleman and decided to play one of her practical jokes.  

“You over there,” she commanded, “put your hands up, all the way up over your head.”  He obeyed, puzzled.  “Higher…higher…okay, now, sweetie, I want you to spell the word URGE and say the word BULB after it”  

Hesitantly, tony did as he was ordered, then laughed when he realized that Pam was putting him on and that he was the victim of an office kook.  Pam laughed nervously too, when he introduced himself as one of her bosses!

Fan club head Lynn Hargrave broke into our conversation at this point.  “You must realize, Laurie,” she said, “these girls are quite insane.”  “I realize, I realize,” I said.

“The Beatles will be arriving on August 13,” Lynn continued slyly, “and I’m planning to fire these two on August 12.”  She smiled when she said it.

Sue and Pam slid to their knees, “Please…please master,” they mockingly begged, “spare us!  You wouldn’t!”  Then they giggled hysterically.  Lynn shook her head and looked at me in resignation, then went about her work while the girls continued chatting. 

“We’ve met such marvelous people here,” Pam said.  Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, Brian Epstein, Tony Barrow and so many others.  It’s made a great difference in my attitude.  I have never felt more confident in my long life.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well,” Pam continued, “no matter what goes wrong, I always feel sort of ... like…well…at least I can say that I work for the Beatles, which is more than anybody else can say…except her,” she pointed at Sue.

“What sort of job skills do you have?” I asked.

Both girls can type although Pam admitted, “When I first came here I couldn’t’ type very well…but I improved, didn’t I Sue?”  Sue shook her head at me and smiled secretly.

I asked what they had learned about teenagers from their constant contact with them through the mails.  

“They’re all basically the same,” said Sue.  “no matter where they come from.  The letters all seem to ask for the same things in just about the same way.”  

“After all,” Pam broke in, “they have one very important thing in common – love for the Beatles!”

“It’s not just a childish thing either,” Sue said, “I mean that more and more of the kids in the club are collecting money for charities by washing cars, cake sales, variety shows.”  

“Yes,” went on Pam, “since October it seems to me that there’s been a big change in the character of the fans writing in.  They’re not so involved in just hollering anymore.  They’re more involved in community activities and other responsible things.”  

“How old are the members of the fan club?  “Well,” said Sue, “I guess the youngest is a girl of 1 ½.  And the oldest is an ice old gentleman of 74.  I’d say about 10% are boys.  But each day’s mail seems to vary.  One day I’ll say to Pam, “Look, they’re getting older – here’s a whole batch of married ladies.  But the next day, there’ll be a whole batch of 15 year olds.  So you can’t really tell.”

The girls, Lynn and myself then spent some time seriously discussing the fan club and its workings.  I thought you might like to know some of the following facts.  First of all, the proper address for the club is Beatles Fan Club, Box 505, Radio City Station, New York, N.Y. 10019

What happens there to your Beatles mail?  After being picked up at the post office, it is taken to a mailing service which opens it, sorts it, send out membership forms and processes memberships of those who send in their $2 fees.  All other mail is then forwarded to the Beatles headquarters.  This includes personal communication to the Beatles, requests to form chapters, request for pictures, scripts of “A Hard Day’s Night” ($1) and for fact sheets, requests to form Brain Epstein fan clubs, for information on tickets, for pen pals (send name, age, interests), correspondence with chapter presidents, general complaints and requests for information.  All personal mail and gifts addressed to the Beatles are processed through this office.  Mail addressed to England is also returned to this office for processing. 

During the lulls between Beatle appearances in this country, about 6,000 letters per week are processed.  When the Beatles are around this figure more than triples.

What are the club’s major problems?  First –the impatience of teenagers.  The girls who write in don’t seem to realize that there is such a great volume of mail.  Since each piece is read and processed carefully, there is usually a time gap of about six weeks between receipt and final disposition.  Letters which inquire about previous letters simply increase the volume of mail and slow the whole process down even further. 

Also, many girls forget to send in their changes of address in time – or don’t include their addresses in the body of the letter.  Addresses on separate sheets of the paper or on the outsides of the envelope are apt to get lost.

Beatles fans have sent thousands of gifts to the fab four.  Included have been rings for Ringo (including one huge rattle ring, six inches in diameter), sculptures and drawings, four-leaf clovers, used barrettes, guitar picks, lockets, ID bracelets, watches, wedding bands, class rings, tie clasps, diapers, towels and pillow cases (for Ringo and Maureen), shirts, sweaters, scrapbooks, Playboy Club keys, hair oil, combs, etc etc.

One girl, whose name is Sandra Williams, recently sent four portfolios of excellent drawings and poems without putting her address on the material.  So there they lie at Beatles headquarters, beautiful but anonymous.

“What do you girls hope for when the Beatles arrive?”  I asked.  “Are you hoping to get to know them personally?”  

“Are you kidding!”  Pam and Sue chorused.  “Of course we hope to get to know them!”  “We just hope that aside from seeing them here at the office,” Pam said, “we’ll be able to talk with all of them and show them what the average American teenager is really like.”

“And we’d like to be casual,” Susan continued.  “Get to know them like human beings rather than just celebrities.”

“Is there any chance f their dream coming true?”   I asked Lynn.

“Who knows?”  She smiled.  “Ringo now, all such plans are secret.  Of course, if we fire these kooks before the Beatles ever arrive…”

The girls chuckled and I could tell that it was a good relationship they had with Lynn.  I knew they’d still be there when August 13 rolls around, working at their teen dream jobs.

“Sometimes,” Pam said, “when somebody asks me where I work and I tell them, power!  They just can’t believe it.”

“Sometimes,” Sue said, “We can’t even believe it ourselves.”