Remembering the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth and My Friend Joyce

On June 2, 1953, when I was 7 years old, Princess Elizabeth became Queen of England. She was married to Prince Philip and was only 25 years old. Her father, King George VI died the previous year on February 6, 1952. So this year, 2012 is being celebrated throughout the world as the Diamond Jubilee.

The Official Website of the British Monarchy

http://www.royal.gov.uk/hmthequeen/accessioncoronation/accessionandcoronation.aspx

I was in first grade, and although I don’t remember many events or much anything else at that time, I do recall this event. It was at the end of the school year, one of the last days. Near the end of the school day, my teacher gathered a number of us students together and we walked a few blocks to someone’s house where we watched the coronation on television. The TV was not a big screen affair like media screens today. It may have been as large as 10 or 12 inches in size. Images were in black and white. Color TV had not been invented. In fact, at that time not every family had a television set. We watched horse drawn carriages, heard a lot of talking, and saw a lot of curtseying, and that sort of thing. There was a good bit of “shushing” by adults and I guess some disorder among the first graders gathered in that living room. Most everyone was focused on what was happening on that small screen. It was quite evident that something very important was going on.

It was in fact a very big deal. To me, and I suppose to the other children it was happening “real time” as they say today. And in a sense it was, but not without tremendous effort by the British. After the death of King George, they had spent a year preparing for this coronation. In England there was a lot of debate about televising such a sacred event.


The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) took the entire year to organize its television coverage of the event. It included multiple cameras in Westminster Abbey and cameras at over twenty sites along the Queen’s procession route. The live footage, from inside the Abbey was complemented by commentators stationed outside the Abbey, who described the event. The event was viewed live in Britain, France, Holland and West Germany.


The ceremony was watched by millions of people in Canada and the United States courtesy of the BBC who recorded the event and with the aid of the Royal Air Force (RAF) flew the recordings to Canada in three stages throughout the day in an arrangement called “Operation Pony Express.” The film was flown across the Atlantic in three Canberra jet bombers, and broadcast by television stations in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. NBC and ABC linked to the Canadian stations to provide coverage in the US, while CBS broadcast it’s own recording of the event flown by RAF jets to Boston. Each jet took a little over five hours. TV coverage in the United States began at 4:15 pm.


I suppose I remember the occasion, because so many grown-ups were making a point to watch the event. They were aware of the investment of time and resources to make this possible. It was in ways unprecedented. So, adults were watching the event intently, and the fact they had gathered us together to also witness the event suggested to us that it was a very important event.


Reflecting back on that day, I can also say that my view of England as an important county had been firmly established. In War World II, England was an important ally and everyone spoke favorably of England. The reality of it all is that she is Queen of the United Kingdom, which includes the country of England, as well as the countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others.


Our neighbors to the rear of us, the Fukos were somehow related to the English. My friend Joyce’s grandmother lived in England and while we were neighbors had visited here once or twice. I spend an hour or so in her presence and of course she insisted on drinking hot tea. As I recall, they used a big, shiny chrome coffee pot to make her tea. She liked cookies too. Joyce, my brother and I spent a lot of time in a sandbox partially under the cantilevered kitchen of our house. Maybe this association had something to do with my recollection of the Queen’s coronation.

So, here we are, nearly 60 years later, celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Yes, sixty years and a lot of history later. She had a son, Charles born prior to her becoming queen in November 1948, who throughout my life I assumed would become King of England someday. She also had other children: Anne, Edward and Andrew. Prince Charles married Princess Diana on July 29, 1981. Princess Diana had two children, William in June 1982 and Harry in September 1984, who are now adults. She and Charles divorced in 1996, and on August 31, 1997 she died in Paris, France as a result of a car crash. There was also the Suez Crisis in mid-1950s, the Falklands War in April 1982 and numerous military actions in what was Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo). The Brits have also been our allies in Kuwait and Iraq. And Queen Elizabeth remains, much older, but in some sense unchanged, steady and dependable. She is now in her eighties.


In the intervening years, my family moved away from the neighborhood where Joyce lived. She too moved. I last saw her when she turned 12 or 13 and somehow found myself at a birthday party for her held in a large neighborhood community center. We danced “The Stroll,” a sort of line dance affair. That was the last I saw of her.


And so, here we are 60 years later. It is hard to believe all the history that has passed since I was 7 years old and that I remember that event, not like it was yesterday, but more like a recollection that has become foggy and somewhat vague because of time. I suppose that is the most troubling part of the story.


I am trying to remember more of the details of the events surrounding the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Why do some things fade and yet some things are retained? Why did this event make such an impression on me? Is it because some events are built up by others and we “experience” the moment? Were the multiple sensory inputs (auditory, visual, and other senses, including experiential) important to the creation of this memory? What roles do preparation, expectation, photographs taken during the event, travel logs, collected mementos, associated music, retellings and revisits to memorable sites play? Can we facilitate our memories and the memories of our children to recall the important events and lessons in life? I think the sages of “old” believe so.


Scripture:

Exodus 20.8 – Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.

Exodus 40.9 – Take anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it.

Deuteronomy 4.12 - Tell them how the Lord spoke to you from the fire, how you heard him speaking but did not see him in any form at all. Remember today and never forget: the Lord is God in heaven and on earth. There is no other god.

Joshua 1.8 – Meditate on the law day and night.

Joshua 4.6-7 – Stack these stones as a reminder to the people of what happened here.

2 Chronicles 7.16 – I have consecrated this temple so my name may be associated with it (make special, set aside).

Psalm 39.3 – My heart grew hot as I meditated.

Psalm 77.11 – I will remember the deeds of God.

Psalm 79.13 – God’s people will praise Him and from generation to generation they will recount it.

Psalm 119.27 – I will meditate on your wonders.

Isaiah 46.8 – Remember this; fix it in your mind. I make know what is still to come.

Luke 22.19 – Do this in remembrance of me.

John 13.15 – Jesus told his disciples, “I have set an example for you.”

Philippians 4.9 – Whatever you have learned from me put it into practice.

A Marathon in View of the Nashville Parthenon

It is an iconic athletic event, 32,000 runners beginning their race in view of the historic Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. The first marathon in Nashville was in April 2000, where approximately 5800 runners competed. The first half-marathon was held in 2002. It seems so fitting this has become an annual event. The Panhellenic Games were held in ancient Greece in the cities of Olympia, Corinth, Delphi and Nemea to honor various gods.

According to legend, the first marathon was run in 490 BC, from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens, Greece. The distance was approximately 26.2 miles. The man who ran it was a Greek soldier named Pheidippides. He reportedly ran into the assembly hall, announced the victory over the Persians, collapsed and died.


The first Olympic Games were reportedly held in Olympia, Greece in 776 BC and were held in honor of Zeus. If this timeline holds, the first Olympic Games predate the first marathon. The origins of the games actually begin in myth and legend. The Parthenon in Athens, Greece was largely completed in 438 BC to honor the virgin goddess Athena and daughter of Zeus.

The Apostle Paul alludes to the Panhellenic Games in his letters to the church in Corinth. His letters were written around 56 AD. The best I can figure, the Isthmian Games were held in Corinth from around 582 BC to approximatley 380 AD.


At first thought, it is obvious that not all of the competitors in the County Music Marathon are that “competitive” in the sense they are all young, fast, strong and athletic. In fact, most have no chance in winning this grueling run of 26.2 miles. But in another sense they are all competitive. They are involved. The have a grasp on life and know that in trying and working hard they “win” in life.


For my son Chad and me the day began at 5 A.M. The alarm went wild and we climbed out of our beds, put on our clothes and did a few other necessities.


We left the house at 5:30 A.M. Breakfast was out of the question for both of us. I did make a pot of coffee for myself to consume on the road.


Logistics were my responsibility, dropping him off as close to the start line as possible and picking him up as close to the finish as possible. Between those two events I would stake myself out at one or two locations, watch for him, root for him and take his picture. The challenge for me was to spot him among the nearly 32,000 runners. I would take related photographs to capture the event and so here is my account.


Because of Interstate and other road closures, I drove Interstate 440 to the west side of Nashville, arriving around 6:05 A.M.. I dropped Chad off near the Outback Steak House on West End, took a photograph in case I never saw him again during the race and drove up the hill behind and to the east of the Parthenon in Centennial Park to park the car. I found a place on Long Boulevard and walked down the hill to the start line.


How do you organize a race with 32,000 runners. Event planners divide runners into “Corrals” of about 1000. Each corral begins one to two minutes behind the one before them. The staggered starts allows for a more orderly and less crowded field of runners. Chad was in Corral 28, near the last. I never saw him although I took a photo of the group at the start line just in case the camera might capture him though my eyes did not. The metadata of the image recorded the time as 7:43 A.M.


The half-marathon would run east down West End Avenue and Broadway, returning west on Demonbreun, then Seventeenth Avenue South and Belmont Boulevard to Clifton Lane, turning north onto Granny White Pike and Twelfth Avenue, taking Wedgewood Avenue back to Sixteenth Avenue South. At the end of Music Row the course turns east onto Division Street, around Alan LeQuire’s Musica Statute (See my September 6, 2009 Blog Entry about this sculpture), then north on Eleventh Avenue to Charlotte Avenue near the State Capitol, but heading around Farmers Market, then taking James Robertson Parkway to Union, and finally running across the Cumberland River to LP Field, home to the Tennessee Titans.

At the start line were announcers, the Mayor of Nashville, Karl Dean, and other dignitaries. Also at the Start was the band, the Greez Monkeez along with news media folks and many, many families, friends and supporters of runners. Many of the runners tried to make themselves distinctive, carrying dragons, women wearing tutus, juggler-runners, runners with headbands exhibiting rabbit ears, and pace runners with little signs reading 2.30, 2.45, etc. Chad wore a rather plain white shirt and black shorts.

After the “Start” I went to a nearby Starbucks to get a coffee and take a restroom break. I walked across Vanderbilt University Campus to Edgehill Avenue and then on to Seventeenth Avenue South, one of the two streets known as “Music Row” to many in the music business. It was approaching the 4-mile point for him. I waited and discovered that if I was going to see him I needed to focus on male runners wearing white. He also wore sunglasses. So as I scanned the thousands of runners that ran and walked toward me, I began to think I missed him. It was nearly an hour after the start and not quite 4 miles on an 11-minute pace I figured he should be there. Then I saw him and he also saw me. I took several photos at 8:34 A.M. He was smiling.

After he ran by, I headed over to Sixteenth Avenue South of the music row pair of streets. There was a good crowd waiting for runners who were in the first corrals released. I heard Music from the Chariots of Fire (a movie from 1981). I heard music from many establishments along the way. Couldn’t help remembering taking him to see that movie when he was 6 years old.


My second waiting point was approximately 8 ½ miles from the start of the half-marathon. I figured I would see him about 9:30 A.M. Of course, I forgot about the remainder of Sixteenth Avenue being uphill and the uphill of Granny White Pike. Both would take steam out of any runner. From where I was standing the downhill grade of Sixteenth gave me and other spectators the false impression that the entire section was a cake-walk. By 9:30 A.M. it was also 79 degrees.


Thinking again I missed him, I looked up and saw him coming my way. He was zoned out. It didn’t matter; I took a second series of photos of him. It was 9:43 A.M. My watch shows 9:44 A.M. He never saw me.

From there I walked down 16th Avenue a few blocks and encountered two individuals being attended by paramedics. I also meet a friend and her son. They attend Belmont Church and while runners stride past the church, they hear a group (The Belmont Worship Band) from the church making live music as only Nashville can do. There were 40 bands and twenty-five stages along the marathon route.


I hustle back to my car. It is probably 1 ½ or two miles back up the hill. I wasn’t as familiar with the area as I might have been and because I wasn’t I had to walk a bit more to find the block where I had deposited my vehicle.


After finding it, I drove back on I-440 to LP Field. It was 10:54 am when I arrived and found a place to park. In fact, I was trying to maneuver my car into a slot when I received a call from Chad. I told him where I was parked and waited for him. He found me at 11:07 A.M. He had his glistening medal around his neck. He was tired but happy.

Later on, thinking about why people run a half-marathon, or a marathon, I asked him, “Why do you run?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself though in a different context. I like to hike. Some folks like to garden and others golf. I waited for his answer.

The local newspaper, The Tennessean reported on that subject that very morning. The folks reported on in the newspaper had very different reasons. His response, “It gives me time to think.” It is similar to the reason I like to hike in the mountains and walk. It will be a good topic in one of my future blog entries. For now though, think about the scriptures listed below.

We met his mother and then ate lunch at Cracker Barrel. Everyone was hungry. I was proud of him. He had made it and I had learned a little about running a half-marathon.

Another by-product of this experience, in view of the Parthenon, I have been inspired to run a half-marathon. Well maybe not run. Probably I will mostly walk. My reasons may be different. I am not running for any prize money or glory. I guess its more about my health, time to meditate and serving my savior and others and to be with my son, who is also running. Well, I expect he will be waiting for me by the end of it.


I assure you, I will not do my half-marathon in just over 2 and one-half hours like the winner in Saturday’s marathon. I just hope to finish the race the same day I start it.


Scripture:

Psalm 19.5 – The sun in the heavens rejoices like an athlete running its course.

Acts 20.24 – What is important is finishing the course that God gave me (to preach the message of God’s grace).

1 Corinthians 9.24 – Runners in a race complete that they may win.

Galatians 2.2 – Paul writes, “I did not want to run in vain.”

2 Timothy 4.7 – Paul writes, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.”

Hebrews 12.1 – “Run with endurance the race that is before us, keeping your eyes on Jesus.”