People I have met - Places I have been - Lowell Thomas

They let church out after fast and testimony meeting today, 3/2/2014, because of an ice storm. I came home, had something to eat and looked for a movie to watch on television. I found “Lawrence of Arabia.” staring Peter O’Toole as Captain T.E. Lawrence. You can look up Lawrence and find out who he was. It is one of the all time great movies. It won 7 academy awards. It is almost 4 hours long but it can be watched in segments. I recommend it.

The person who made Lawrence famous was Lowell Thomas. Thomas was a very well known writer, broadcaster, traveler and adventure film maker. I remember him from my youth. He would give the nightly news on the radio and would always sign off with these words, “So long until tomorrow.” In the movie the name Jackson Bentley is substituted for Thomas.
Lowell Thomas was also the voice of “Movietone News.” Before television and especially during WWII, the only way we could see moving pictures of the news was at the movie theatre. So “Movietone News” and listening to the news on the radio were a big part of my life and so was Lowell Thomas.
About 1976, Dawnie and I went to Chicago to a restaurant convention. Our family was living in Evansville, IN. at the time. We were standing in line checking in to the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago when I noticed a man ahead of us in the line and pointed him out to Dawnie saying, “That looks like Lowell Thomas. When it came his turn to check in I heard him tell the girl at the counter, “The name is Thomas.”
When he walked by us I stepped out and asked him, “You wouldn’t be Lowell Thomas would you? He replied “At this time of day I am not sure who I am.” He stuck out his hand and I introduced ourselves. He wanted to know where we were from and I told him Indiana. For some reason I also told him we were both originally from Idaho.
He mentioned that he was with Averill Harriman when he picked out the site for Sun Valley. When I told him we were married in Sun Valley he really perked up. He walked along with us as we moved to the check in desk. We talked briefly after we got our key and then we parted.
A little while after we got settled in our room I got the ice bucket and went down the hall to the ice machine. As I was filling up my ice bucket I heard someone walk up behind me and say, “I would rather be in Idaho wouldn’t you.” I turned and it was Mr. Thomas who was waiting to fill up his ice bucket. It was late and we were both tired so just exchanged a few words.  It was a very memorable experience to meet and visit  with a great American legend.
Link to Movietone. http://youtu.be/xaBeEP5Y018