President-Elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks have been turning a few heads among some Americans amid questions about their backgrounds, experience and even qualifications for the potential jobs.
Of course, to the victor goes the spoils, and Mr. Trump has obviously picked people loyal to him and whose ideologies, outlooks and attitudes align largely with him and his agenda. And having a majority Republican U.S. Senate likely also helped him make the picks with ease, as many Republicans are probably fine with most of these names.
The angst among Democrats already distraught over the election likely increased a little with the Cabinet picks, though, and many, including possibly a few Republicans, might have even preferred the talking TV horse of yesteryear Mr. Ed over some of these choices. A couple that brought concerns, according to news reports, include former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Robert Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary.
All that started me thinking what Democrats or likely Democratic-leaning Cabinet officials would cause concern among Republicans if an out-of-the-box Democrat was elected president sometime in the near future with a majority Democratic Senate.
A few Republican heads might turn if, besides more typical liberal legislators, actor George Clooney, actress Meryl Streep, former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, singers Taylor Swift and Beyonce, and liberal host Joy Behar of “The View” were unusual choices selected to posts. Maybe Taylor and Beyonce could sing their way through any tough negotiations with an adversary!
Being a member of the Cabinet seems to include working long hours, making serious decisions, and knowing that the president is the boss. As a result, describing them among the public citizenry usually involves terms like how effective or loyal they were, not how beloved among the citizenry they have been.
Here's hoping some of the current Cabinet picks rise to the occasion of past Cabinet members of note and make America -- and humanity -- better.
Two Chattanoogans who recently died and whose lives seemed to turn heads in a positive manner were Bob Cutrer and David Longley. Dr. Cutrer, who was 75 and died on Nov. 9, taught physical fitness and education at both McCallie School and Bright School for a number of years.
I saw him some when my nephew, Logan Julian, was attending Bright and observed his good sense of humor when he coordinated the youngsters’ races at their annual Warner Park picnic. But I got to know him a little about 1990. That was when both of us tried to run in some kind of track meet Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee was organizing and which included openings for runners of all ages.
It turned out we were the only two over high school age participating. He looked more like a typical slender track runner than I did, despite being about 10 years older, but we both ran and had a good time, although a humbling one realizing we could not move around the track as fast as we once could.
I would see him around town periodically after that and we would always speak to each other and ask if we were still running, etc. I remember running into him once within the last couple of years or so, and he seemed his usual upbeat, positive, and friendly self. I am sure he was similarly a great encourager to youngsters in the area of physical fitness.
I knew Mr. Longley, who died on Tuesday at the age of 83, when I was a student at Baylor School. He was my math teacher in both seventh and eighth grades from 1972-74, I believe, and just had a natural charisma and likability that drew students to him. This personality also made students naturally respect him.
He had a good sense of humor and even knew a few card tricks if I remember. For us younger students, he was also a connection to the varsity football team that did so well those two years, as he was also the backfield coach and helped coordinate the offense. He was also the head baseball coach.
The only time I can remember when he did not genuinely teach us was one day when they were waiting to go to the state championship game of 1972 in Bristol that night, and he was obviously preoccupied.
He decided to leave Baylor after 1974 to find a better-paying job to admirably help his late daughter, Karen, who was having some health issues. He would go on to enjoy a comfortable living in the insurance and financial fields, and I would occasionally see him. He was always kind and upbeat and had that typical classy manner of asking me something about myself.
In 1999, he was elected into the Baylor Sports Hall of Fame, and I had the good pleasure of getting to interview him about a career that also included getting to play quarterback on the football team at Vanderbilt, where he was also a baseball star.
He was nice and reflective without trying to make himself sound too grand, and I had an enjoyable talk with him at his office. Someone I think also told me about that time that he came from a more-humble upbringing than maybe a typical Baylor student from that era.
I also got one last chance to interview him in 2017. I had somehow fallen into a story looking back at the unfortunate death of Baylor student Felder F. Forbes in the summer of 1958. That had occurred following an accidental shooting while Mr. Forbes was with dorm student and the late future Georgia Congressman Charlie Norwood at the Forbes’ Lookout Mountain home.
Mr. Forbes’ brother, Walter, had very openly told me a little about the incident and how it had affected him, and then I later interviewed Baylor classmates Andy Cope, Dr. Steve Sawrie, and Mr. Longley about the two classmates involved in the tragedy. All three were kind to offer reflective and sensitive thoughts and even bought my lunch at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club that day.
Those conversations seem even more meaningful now, because all those people have died except for Dr. Sawrie, who at the time wrote me a kind email thanking me for the story.
A lot of mid-century buildings in Chattanooga are also being threatened with expiration. These are the buildings that are about the same age as me and date generally to the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Of course, that might be the age when a lot of buildings seem to show their age and need some updating, or as is commonly pushed by people not as appreciative of historic preservation, replacing. I probably need new HVAC and plumbing systems as well!
The Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute and the Hamilton County Health Department are two such facilities being threatened with replacement, and I have written about them in recent months. Both were designed by Chattanoogan Mario Bianculli’s firm.
Mid-century buildings often have unique features like the mosaic tile panels in front of the Health Department building, and those tiles also captured the attention of the Times Free Press, which had a story, too, after the Health Department building’s future was again in the news.
Other mid-century buildings threatened include the Doctors Building on McCallie Avenue, and some of the school buildings like DuPont, Rivermont and Alpine Crest elementaries, and Soddy Daisy Middle School. Of course, if those schools are replaced, it is never clear if they will remain for other uses or be torn down, sometimes due to neglect after being closed. White Oak Elementary is an example of the latter, as it has been vacant for a period.
Perhaps because these were sleek new buildings when I was young and had almost a modern look symbolic of the initial space age taking place, I have always enjoyed them and felt a special bond with them. Their features I admire include lots of glass, unusual lines and angles, and interesting ornamentation, from the tiles at the Health Department to the designs on Brainerd High’s exterior.
Most of the interesting mid-century modern homes in Chattanooga in such places as Brookfield Avenue in Brainerd/East Ridge and Folts Circle in Stuart Heights still seem to be intact. Girls Preparatory School also owns and has preserved Mr. Bianculli’s former residence.
To many, these buildings and homes have character, traits we also admire in people, from everyday Chattanoogans like Mr. Longley and Dr. Cutrer to Cabinet officials.
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Jcshearer2@comcast.net