"The office of President is a great one; to every true American it seems the greatest on earth. And to me, as I was engaged in weaving a background of music for the pageantry of it, there came a deeper realization of the effect of that office on the man."

John Philip Sousa, composer, leader of the greatest band (1854~1932)

So, happy deathday, Catherine, the "Great" Empress of all the Russias. Her remarkable life ended, this day in 1796, the last year of Geo. Washington's Presidency. when she was 67.

Happy birthday John Philip Sousa,, who turned six years old on the day that Mr. Lincoln of Illinois was elected to the U.S. Presidency, 150 years ago today. Isn't that remarkable? If you ever, ever get the chance [maybe you could find it at the library] track down the American Experience documentary, If You Knew Sousa.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie/american-experience-if-you-knew-sousa/

I'm just back from a 4-hr drive across the handsome land of the Show Me, from St. Peters, Missouri, from a get-together of the MO Assoc. of School Librarians. http://www.maslonline.org/ Let us give thanks for lovers of books.