Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are receiving it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

America’s 250th Birthday was wonderful notwithstanding ongoing political and social controversies. We need to harken back to the principles on which this great country was founded. That includes the Rule of Law,

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” — Plato

Music lifts the soul. Whether it’s the US Marine Band playing John Philip Sousa marches or my favorite Big Band themes, golden oldies from my college years, country ballads or classical oboe masterpieces such as Mozart’s “Oboe Concerto in C major,” all of which are on my playlists, these are food for my spirit.

I was reminded of this recently when attending a book reading by author, Eric Gray, who just published a wonderful two-volume book Music We Heard Along the Way. It’s a compelling collection of stories from friends, family, and strangers about the moments when music helped to shape their lives.

Now perhaps I’m biased because my narrative about a concert and related experience during my sophomore year in college appears in volume 1, but don’t take my word for it. Heres’ what Robin Young, Host of NPR’s “Here and Now” says”

“Eric Gray reminds us that our collective memories form a symphony of recollection. The passing car whose radio blasts a lyric that a son, and later a father, will tattoo on his arm.

A woman who learned about America through staticky Madonna hits in her native Vietnam. Finding a life partner in the person who helped you up after a fall in the mud at a music festival. You will love these stories and remember your own.”

I first met this personable author two years ago when he did a similar reading from his book Backyards to Ballparks: It’s the second volume in a series of fan‑focused baseball books, following Bases to Bleachers. Eric compiled and edited over 1,250 personal anecdotes collected worldwide, all centered on baseball, but rich with human interest. (#2)

Eric and his wife of forty-nine years, Lynn Ellen Rhodes, were on a tour promoting his latest work. Besides his writing, I admire Eric because he’s a fellow Long Island, New Yorker; he got his undergraduate degree in political science and his favorite artist is Jackson Browne!

His 39-year career at the U.S. Department of Labor involved administering job training and employment programs for disadvantaged youth, most of that time spent with the Job Corps program.

About thirty people attended Eric’s reading in a pub in Portland this week and I was honored when my selection was one he read. He subsequently signed my book and we had a nice chat. (#3 – #5)

I’m sure that all of you are curious about why Eric selected my story….!? Well, it involves a concert at Oregon State University in 1968.

Many wonderful artists performed in Gill Coliseum during the late sixties and early seventies including Harry Belafonte, The Association, Petula Clark, The Doors and The Righteous Brothers. And a lot more. (From left – clockwise below) (#6 – #10)

But the most unforgettable musical event for a group of my SAE fraternity brothers and me was the wonderful concert by Grammy-award winning artist Lou Rawls. We were underage and couldn’t drink in a bar or brewery, so we rented a room at the Towne House Motor Inn – Corvallis’ finest motel!

The letter “e” on the end of “Town” indicated it was upscale – but nothing else. Unfortunately, the establishment has permanently closed, but before its ultimate demise, it rated a hefty 3.7 on a scale of 5 in Yelp. (#11)

It so happened that Lou Rawls was staying at the same hotel and he unexpectedly joined our dates and us at the party after the concert. (Sloe gin plays a key role in that encounter….)

Larry Rich and Don Whitney, two members of the Oregon State Giant Killer Football Team are also key “players.”

That night and an unlikely, chance encounter by SAE Rick Gaffney – the organizer of the concert – ten years later, is an entertaining and humorous tale. (At least Eric thought so.)

You can read the story in my blog post entitled “Did We Really Do That? – College Antics.” (#12- #13)

I hope you take a look at Eric’s books. Regardless of whether you have a passion for music or baseball, you will enjoy the read.

Farewell to a Classic

One event to diminish the jubilance of the summer is inability to belly up to a dive bar server and say, “Give me a Schlitz.”

While not a craft beer, Schlitz was one of my favorite beers in college and afterwards – most notably Schlitz Dry – which disappeared years ago. (#14)

The Schlitz Brewing Co. – founded in Milwaukee in 1849 – is an interesting story from when Joseph Schlitz – first hired as a bookkeeper in a tavern brewery – took over management of the brewery in 1858 and renamed it. “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous” became the largest beer producer in the U.S. in 1902.

However, Schlitz’s popularity declined in the 1970s due to recipe changes. The brand was sold to Stroh Brewing in 1982 before being acquired by Pabst in 1999. (Wikipedia) (#15)

The story of the historical brewery is typical of other major breweries both in the US and internationally – trying to adapt to changing tastes, compete and maintain profitability and acclimate to mergers.

A May 2026 Oregon Live article entitled, “Iconic American beer brewed for final time, going out with ‘dignity and respect'” states:

“Schlitz was acquired by the Pabst Brewing Company in 1999 and relaunched in 2008, but was unable to recapture the magic of its prime.

A Pabst representative told Milwaukee Magazine that discontinuing Schlitz was a ‘tough choice’ dictated by increased storage and shipping costs, but wouldn’t rule out bringing it back some day.” Here’s Hoping!

Changing Times?!

The acceleration in societal change is a bit staggering. Not that I yearn for the days when I used to go to the card catalogue at the Oregon City Library for school research, but…..(#16)

I realized with a chuckle last week another example of change when we were taking care of our eight-year old granddaughter who is a very smart little girl. The days of mailed written personal correspondence, cards and bills has diminished to the point where many people conduct these transactions exclusively on-line

We were at our younger daughter’s house when she and her husband were both at work. I wanted to mail a bill so I asked my granddaughter if she knew where her parents kept their stamps. Her reply was “What’s a stamp?” (#17)

This brought back memories of when our older daughter, Lisa, was in about sixth grade (around 1995) and had her own CD collection.

I was lying on our couch playing an old Eagle’s 33 RPM album on our turntable – part of my vinyl collection. I’d had the LP since about the time it was released in the early 1970’s.

I’d been listening for a while and Lisa heard “Peaceful Easy Feeling” near the beginning and liked it. She asked if she could play it again. I told her to go to the turntable and start it over. She said, “Dad, it’s not on here,” to which I replied, “Lisa, I played it twenty minutes ago, look on the other side.”

She walked over to me with the album and exclaimed, “You mean these have two sides!” (#18)

An article entitled 32 Examples of Social Change published in August 2023, gives a comprehensive list. I didn’t look for an updated narrative – the number would now probably be over fifty. What concerned me when considering my own ability to adapt, was the final example — “Resilience”

“Resilience is the ability of a society to withstand stresses. Without resilience a society will experience instability whereby periods of prosperity and calm are followed by dramatic declines driven by environmental destruction, conflict, war, disease or natural disasters.”

So, in an effort to become more resilient, I guess I’ll start learning Claude Ai and throw away my manual typewriter, slide rule, copy of the Yellow Pages and my old VCR. (#19)

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. ChatGPT Image Generator (Fourth of July Celebration).

#2. Eric Gray Website (https://ericgrayauthor.com/).

#3 – #5.  Eric Gray Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10225465535293378&set=pb.1475568500.-2207520000&type=3).

#6.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Harry Belafonte 1970 (cropped).tif – Wikimedia Commons)    Public domain / Arquivo Nacional Collection – Agosto de 1970.

#7.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Petula clark 1965.jpg – Wikimedia Commons ) This work is in the public domain in the United States.  Author: Tullio Piacentini / Federico Zanni – 1965.

#8.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:The Association 1966.png – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.  Author: KRLA Beat – 1966. 

#9. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons  (File:The Doors 1968.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.  Author: Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) – 1966.

#10. Wikimedia Commons (File:TheRighteousBrothersperformingKBF.jpg – Wikimedia Commons)  No known copyright restrictions; “There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.  Author and date unknown.

#11.  (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g51817-Corvallis_Oregon-Hotels.html).

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:President Ronald Reagan meeting with Lou Rawls in the Oval Offiice (cropped).jpg – Wikimedia Commons)  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties..  Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 – 1/20/1989. 3 December 1984.

#13.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Hand Made Sloe Gin.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.  Author:  Smifff  – 9 December 2022.

#14.  Wikimedia Commons (File:Old Schlitz Beer advertisement in Milwaukee Wisconsin.JPG – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  Author: Victorgrigas – 4 January 2014.

#15.  Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Schlitzbier Ad in German (1897).jpg – Wikimedia Commons).  This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931.  Author: Davidis, Henriette – 1 January 1897.

#16. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:OREGON CITY OREGON CARNEGIE LIBRARY copy.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Srandjlsims – 29 May 2012.

 #17. US Postal Service (U.S. Flag 2026 Stamps | USPS.com).

#18. Wikimedia Commons (File:The Eagles in performance, 2008.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Steve Alexander – 2 December 2008.

#19. ChatGPT Image Generator (https://chatgpt.com/c/6a552616-dc68-83e8-ab87-66b36041e5d6).