Fathers

Tennessee Ernie Ford’s Son On Fame, Family, and the Price of Success

Bill Thompson

In the mid-1950s a former country music disc jockey from Pasadena seemed to be everywhere.

Tennessee Ernie, he called himself on the radio. Ernie Ford not only had a hit record but guest appearances on “I Love Lucy” propelled him into a TV show of his own.

An album of Christian hymns put Tennessee Ernie Ford on Billboard’s chart for over five years.

At home, watching all of this unfold, was Ford’s son, Jeffrey Buckner Ford, often known simply as Buck.

Buck and his little brother saw the good times, and the rough times, as the double-edged sword of success impacted the family.

Both Ernie and wife Betty grappled with substance abuse, and Betty Ford took her own life in 1989. Ernie Ford died 2 years later.

In 2008 Jeffrey Buckner Ford wrote a critically acclaimed book about his parents, called River of No Return. He and I met 1 day that spring at our local Borders bookstore to talk about it.

So here now, from 2008, Jeffrey Buckner Ford.

Tennessee Ernie Ford died in 1991 at age 72. His son Buck Ford is now 75.

Actor John o’Hurley’s Ode to Fatherhood, As Told by His Dog

Bill Thompson
Photo by Gage Skidmore

30 years ago actor John O’Hurley took on a role that would help define him for the rest of his career.

O’Hurley’s portrayal of the idiosyncratic entrepreneur J. Peterman became one of the most memorable characters on TVs “Seinfeld.”

After the series ended, he took on a new role, game show host. He even competed on “Dancing With The Stars.”

And John O’Hurley writes books, including a 2007 volume called Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework First You Have To Do It

Despite a title that may make you think the book was just a gag, it’s actually a thoughtful, even poignant book inspired by the birth of his son, his first child. And it’s a book that may Inspire other fathers.

So here now, from 2007, John O’Hurley.

John O’Hurley is 70 now. He sits on the board of directors of the real J. Peterman Company.

Going Beyond The Stereotype: A Sons Memoir of His Father, The Accused Spy

Bill Thompson

In the late 1940s and early ‘50s America was caught up in a “red scare.” The nation was gripped by fears of Communism, communist spies, communist infiltration.

One of those accused was a State Department official, who had actually helped form the United Nations. His name was Alger Hiss.

The accusation was that Hiss had spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. By the time the accusations came to light, the statute of limitations on espionage had expired. But Hiss was then charged with perjury, for lying about his alleged communist ties.

One of the chief Congressional investigators in the case was a young Congressman named Richard M. Nixon. The Hiss case propelled Nixon to national notoriety.

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And 75 years ago this week, January 1950, Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury and sentenced to prison, still maintaining his innocence.

Hiss’s son Tony was not even yet a teenager when his father went to prison, but by the time Alger Hiss was freed, their relationship had taken a dramatic, and positive turn.

In 1999 Tony Hiss wrote a memoir of his relationship with his father, called The View From Alger’s Window.

So here now, from 1999 Tony Hiss.

Alger Hiss died in 1996 at the age of 92.

The Heavyweight Bout That Transformed America

Bill Thompson

It was 1938, on the eve of the start of World War II. And a 24-year-old American boxer, the son of Alabama sharecroppers, was about to alter the course of our history.

That young man was Joe Louis – full name Joe Louis Barrow, more widely known by the nickname “The Brown Bomber.”

On June 22 at Yankee Stadium in New York, Joe Louis took on German boxer Max Schmeling in a much-anticipated rematch. Schmeling won their first bout, in 1936. But this one would be all Louis.

He knocked out Schmeling in the first round.

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Get your copy of Joe Louis Barrow’s book

But along the way, according to his son, Joe Louis Barrow Jr, the Brown Bomber transformed the way America saw African Americans.

And that is why Barrow Jr. called his 1988 book about his father Joe Louis: 50 Years an American Hero. I got a few minutes with him that fall when he was on a book tour.

So here now, from 1988, Joe Louis Barrow Jr.

Joe Louis died in 1981 at age 66. Max Schmeling helped pay for his funeral, and Louis was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Maureen Reagan

Bill Thompson
Photo by John Mathew Smith

Born in 1941, Maureen was the eldest child of Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman.
By her late teens, Maureen was becoming active in politics. She later played roles in her father’s presidential campaigns, and ran for Congress herself.

President Ronald W. Reagan

In 1989, just a few months after Ronald Reagan left office, Maureen wrote an admiring book called First Father, First Daughter. That’s when I met her.

So here now, from 1989, Maureen Reagan.

Maureen Reagan died of cancer in 2001. She was 60.

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Tim Russert

Bill Thompson

Father’s Day is this Sunday, and I wanted to bring you a familiar old voice to help us remember our dads.

Tim Russert suffered a fatal heart attack in June 2008 at age 58.

In 2004, the longtime host and moderator of NBC’s Meet The Press, Tim Russert, wrote a book called Big Russ And Me.

It was a son’s tribute to his dad, a World War II veteran who worked two jobs to support the family, never complaining, and always commenting “What a country!”

So here now, from 2004, Tim Russert.

Big Russ died the following year at age 85

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