A MODEST GIFT AND A CHRISTMAS LESSON

My favorite Uncle gave me one of the best Christmas Gifts I have ever rec'd. I was probably 8 or 9 when he gave me a "crystal set", A small, do-it-yourself, kit which, if properly assembled, became a fairly powerful radio. He was in the Army. The thing probably cost him $1.50.

I had no assembly talent but I was fascinated by the challenge. Quietly, alone in my room, I figured it out and it became a RADIO--a real radio that I built with my own two hands! This led me, over the years, to construct extensive antennae for this simple device. I'm sure my parents wondered why I spent so much time on the roof.

I could get signals from exotic places like St. Louis and Denver and Cincinnati. When the sun spots were just right, I could get a station from Mexico City. That little radio gave me the Browns and Cardinals, sometimes the Indians, Phillies and Tigers. It got me listening to National News, which, in turn, got me to reading two newspapers every day.

There was also a lesson in it. The best Christmas memories are the ones you make yourself, with the help of your loved ones.