Today I am 67, I am old, feisty, and cantankerous too!!!!

1976

Today I am 67 years old. Who would have thought I would have lived this long? In the words of New York Yankee Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, “If I knew I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

Walking down memory lane or what I vaguely remember of it, I realized I am truly blessed. I have met some really famous and not so famous people, visited 26 countries and four continents, and taught over 8-thousand students ranging from elementary to high school. I served as a Balcones Heights Councilman for 8 years and 4 years on the bench as a Justice of the Peace.

I was blessed to have served on active duty for three years to include an exotic tour in sunny Phu Bai Vietnam (70-71) hanging out with the Viet Cong and a year in Germany where I attended the 72 Olympics in Munich to include my 26^th birthday when the 11 Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists (September 5^th) known as the Black September Gang. I attended the memorial service in the Munich stadium.

The previous year (71) I celebrated my 25th birthday in Paris walking the Champs Elysee and eating at McDonald’s and my 24^th birthday in Vietnam. The 24^th birthday was exciting to say the least. I remember hearing lots of fireworks that day so to speak, if you know what I mean.

Things did get better on my 34^th birthday because I was backpacking in Cairo, Egypt raising a glass of coca cola bottle with local Arabs toasting me on my birthday. Didn’t have the heart to tell them my father was Jewish. Just a minor detail, don’t you think?

Neat thing about my birthday is it lands on Labor Day every six years. I turned 65 on Labor Day and immediately qualified for Medicare and Social Security. You can’t do better than that unless you win the lottery. Guess I should buy a ticket.

As you can view on the Walker Report I have photographed thousands of faces to include President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Mexico’s President Vicente Fox, two former Speakers of the House Newt Gingrich & Nancy Pelosi and scores of Congressmen and Senators from both sides of the political spectrum.

 

And that doesn’t count well known actors and singers and Fox Talk Show Host former Governor Mike Huckabee and even President Ronald Reagan’s son Michael. Oh and the Gipper President Ronald Reagan nodded to me in 1981, 15 feet away from him as he was giving a speech to the National Jaycee Convention here in San Antonio. (10,000 delegates!) I was the local chapter president. Cool or what? Having worked as a reporter in radio, TV and newspaper I have so far experienced a good life. I have either photo covered it or wrote about it, or both.

Hopefully I am not done yet. I still have lots of photos to take including you the viewer of this photo blog. With that thanks for viewing and if you see me on the street, smile, I will have a camera in my hand to take your close-up. Be nice, I am officially old.

Famous people born on this day include Jack Daniel maker of the whiskey (1846) (you can drink to that) Outlaw Jesse James (1847) actress & pinup girl Rachel Welch (1940) Comedian Bob Newhart (1929) French King Louie 14^th (1638) & actor Michael Keaton. (1951)

Today is also the Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashanah. And this day in History in 1774 1^st Continental Congress assembles in Philadelphia, Sam Houston elected President of the Texas Republic in 1836, Jerry Lewis first MDA telethon in 1966, Israeli athletes killed on Black September in Munich in 1972,  Nelson Mandela chosen president of South African ANC in 1991.

It is “A Wonderful Life” like the movie with actor Jimmy Stewart. It is all good.

Steve Walker

Walker Report Editor

& former Judge & Journalist