JANE THE SALUKI

I haven't been around too many movie stars. Except for those in Ben Hall's movies, including Scott who played a dead guy in one. But I was very close to Hanoi Jane at an SIU Convocation back in 1969.

I was seated about three rows from her front and center. Stylish in a tan turtleneck and dark green jacket, she was very attractive. Until she opened her mouth.

Oh, she said some things I really liked, like ending the war in Viet Nam. Hey, that's what I was doing at SIU in the first place, trying to keep my feet on US soil. That may not be too politically correct these days, but I've never shied from not wanting to go to Viet Nam.

But that's about the only thing I heard her say that I agreed with. While I didn't want to go, I would have if drafted. She had more respect for those going to Canada to avoid serving. As far as the US soldiers and politicians, she referred to them as "John Wayne freaks." She disdained authority for searching her as she passed from Canada to the US and was found to have drugs. She claimed they were marked B, L, and D for supplements for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She didn't like Barberella (I guess that's another area of agreement) and basically anything establishment.

How did the Saluki crowd like her? Plenty. And the Daily Egyptian, the college newspaper, made her out to be a movie star who had her act together. It was about that time that I thought the founding fathers of Mt.Vernon made a good choice in selecting to take the Apellate Court House instead of SIU.