Friday, September 26, 2008

Ken Kragen is one of the most respected personal managers in Los Angeles. He has handled some of the biggest names in show business and made them successful. He is also the one who created and organized the "Hands Across America" event 22 years ago. He organized enough people to hold hands side by side and stretch across America. It was designed to raise money for the famine in Africa along with the song "We are the World" which he helped produce. It actually happened, which seems impossible today.

Recently I was in his office. Ken collects documents. They are beautifully framed all over the walls of his office. He has letters from Lincoln, Washington, Al Capone, Einstein, Hemingway, Thomas Edison, The Marks Brothers to name only a few that I ogled. There were far too many to comprehend.

However, one stood out. It is a letter addressed to Ken from Gerald Ford regarding the "Hands Across America" event. It was a formal and correctly typed letter on official Presidential letterhead stationery. I think by this time Mr. Ford was an ex-president but the stationery was still official. He said in the letter, "Betty and I would like to commend you on your "Hands across the Table" event. "
Who but Ford.

As you were,
Jay

Coming Monday---- "The Bergen Trunk"

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