Our Best to You

Our Best to You

In another life time, back in the 40’s and 50’s as a university student a wonderful program came on every night at 11 o’clock at the wonderful 50,000 watts WPTF Raleigh NC, the station is still very much on top of today’s world. The program was “Our Best to You” with a marvelous host, now deceased , named Jimmy Capps.

As college students across the state were studying in their dorm rooms or otherwise, they could here the best in the music of this era with dedications to a student in a certain dorm in chapel hill to a student in a dorm on the Meredith campus, or peace college, etc. This was the romantic era of the last century. When young people could understand good music and were paying their way through college (their was no grants and few scholarships at that time) and knew their future depended on their own efforts not the “tooth fairy” mental attitude of to today’s youth who just want things given to them including their education and the promise of a job in a socialist existence after graduation.

Our best attended military academy’s, our best endured the competition of professional schools, our best survived in the financial and business world without government interference and government “bailouts”. Our best were voted into the local state and federal political power groups.

In my county, A lesbian represents the good hard working people of this county in the legislature. (her reputation is a matter of newspaper reports and her failure to pay tax and other problems). Another representative in the county is in jail for corruption. As one US congressman from this state, former speaker of the house from this state and several others.

Our Best dos not seem to apply any longer to musicians, and other artists. Recently two paintings were hung upside down in a gallery in London and of the thousands who viewed them no one seemed to notice.

The history of this republic is marked by the best minds, not the most popular, getting the scholarships, the most competent achieving political office, not the one with the most money, the best reputation as a law officer, not an incompetent who just needs a job. When did we loose our appreciation for quality in workmanship or character. When did we loose our appreciation for knowledge gained from great literature and great art.

Albert Einstein said ”A person whose brain does not experience wonder when studying the universe and an appreciation for the great things of the world might as well be dead.” More important, we have great pity on those who do not have a memory for greatness; even a remarkable radio program.