One Degree From the Duke

My dear friend, Karen, worked at The Scripps Clinic in La Jolla back in the sixties. She was a free and fabulous spirit even then, complete with her yellow convertible VW Bug, the trademark automobile for a true hippie chick. Last year Karen told me that working at Scripps allowed her to meet several interesting celebrities. Among them were Andy Williams, J. Edgar Hoover, and John Wayne. The John Wayne story is my favourite. She spoke of how his beautiful Latina wife would drive him to the hospital in an old station wagon and of how one time she got to escort Mr. Wayne down the hallway while he was dressed in his bathrobe. Karen said that he was incredibly tall and incredibly kind. I love to hear her tell this story because her eyes open wide and sparkle. Her face breaks into a sweet smile and one can see that she is remembering back to how pleased she was to discover that the man she had admired for so many years was everything she imagined he would be. And then some.