By Edwin Cooney
Yep! Elvis Presley was my first hero. What was and still is strange about that is that I liked Carl Perkins' version of "Blue Suede Shoes” better than Elvis' version. In retrospect, I suppose there were two reasons for my Elvis Presley heroism. First, his singing, especially of sad and sometimes desperate feelings and longings for love, was melodramatic causing my throat to close and my eyes to become tearful. The second factor was essentially my sympathetic defense of who he was. He was my Brooklyn Dodgers, the perpetual underdog fighting for recognition and acceptance by my adult teachers and caregivers who, by comparison, favored Pat Boone or Perry Como. I liked them, too, but in comparison to Elvis, they were easy to appreciate. To like Elvis Presley wasn't easy because he needed defending and that was a challenge.
The New York Yankees were collectively my second heroes, but they became favorites due to my Uncle Joe's fandom. Mickey Mantle was a rather odd combination of physical strength and physical vulnerability due to his "brutal strength” and weak legs and knees which had to be taped before every game. (I used to think that the tape they used was sticky tape rather than strips of cloth.) Roger Maris became my favorite, even over Mickey Mantle, due to the honesty he displayed regarding the Babe Ruth sixty home run record which he and Mantle were pursuing as well as the loyalty he openly displayed toward his wife Pat whom he wouldn't even pretend to take lightly.
Politically, I was “GOP” all the way. Ike, I admired because of his office, but to me, men such as Richard Nixon, John Foster Dulles and J. Edgar Hoover were top American defenders against "godless Communism." That had to be admired because it was so essentially American. Time and events would eventually set these teenage and young adult priorities aside, especially due to the Vietnam War and the Watergate affair. The Vietnam War stripped away my earlier admiration for matters military. Both events broadened my search for and acceptance of new heroes such as Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King and Barack Obama.
Other heroes have included Billy Martin for his baseball knowledge and intensity, boxer Floyd Patterson for his struggle against painful shyness, singer Jim Reeves for his velvet voice, Paul Harvey for his dramatic presentation of the news, Paul McCartney (my favorite Beatle) for his creativity, and finally (and mostly) Jimmy Carter for all he has done both during and since his presidency. Today, my baseball hero is Aaron Judge for his awesome ability and for his apparent respect for the challenges and rules of his profession.
Historic heroes include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, Frederic Douglas, Jane Adams (of Chicago's Hull House), Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (for his emphasis on the legitimacy of all classes of citizens), Harry Truman (for the thoroughness of his administration of both domestic and foreign events during his presidency), Jack Kennedy (for his growth in office and for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty), Adlai Stevenson (for his elegance and his principles), and Winston Churchill (for his political savvy, World War II leadership, and statesmanship.)
Some of my heroes have turned out to have feet of clay including Billy Martin, Aaron Burr (whom I insist on admiring for views ahead of his time and his modern attitude regarding women's rights). As for his shooting of Alexander Hamilton, both agreed to the duel. Regarding the matter of Burr's treason, Burr was found not guilty.
My personal heroes include Marsha Cooney for her loveliness, Rhoda Portugal for her abiding friendship and loving support as she is the editor of these weekly musings, Marleen O'Neill as mother of my two sons, Eric and Ryan Cooney, my sons, and the late and lovely Edith Rachel Gassman for all she did to bring me from the depths of teenage loss and despair.
Men and women can be both heroic and imperfect at the same time. All of them touch us in different ways.
Someone, I've forgotten who, has put it this way: people may forgive you for what you did, but they'll always remember how you made them feel.
My heroes have caused me to be proud and encouraging in their individual fortunes. They didn't always reflect my "better angels," but they generally made me proud of my principles!
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
EDWIN COONEY
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