Leading with the Left

Lantzville Lefty has alerted us to the approaching birthdays of yet two more celebrated persons who wrote with their left hands, as does President Obama (a characteristic that Tea Party followers no doubt find highly suspicious).

The first birthday to be noted is that of Albert Schweitzer, born January 14, 1875.  Besides his fame as a medical missionary among African lepers, as a writer and philosopher, and as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, he was a much admired musician, known for recordings of the organ works of J.S. Bach.  Less known are his early funk improvisations on the Hammond B3, as "Big Al" Schweitzer, a direct influence on Jimmy Smith, Richard "Groove" Holmes and Brother Jack McDuff. 

Coming next, on January 17, is the birthday of Benjamin Franklin (1706), history's most famous kite flyer, an inspiration for Charlie Brown.  But in this corner, we remember Ben primarily as founder of The Saturday Evening Post, which, in its heyday, published the stories of scores of writers, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Philip Wylie.  

Come back, Ben!  We have a trunk full of stories to send you!