Times like these call for real American heroes

Brad Meltzer

This is what you get when you cross one of your favorite authors with one of you biggest heroes.

Brad Meltzer came to Books-A-Million in Katy recently on a stop on his book tour for “I Am Neil Armstrong.” Being both a friend and a fan I couldn’t resist the chance to interview him again. The fact that his current “I Am” book is about my lifelong hero Neil Armstrong just made the reunion that much sweeter.

“I Am Neil Armstrong” is the 15^th book in his series of children’s books about real life heroes that started four years ago with “I Am Abraham Lincoln.” As prolific as he has been with the children’s books, Meltzer is equally prolific with his thrillers, non-fiction books, and television shows. He has published 12 thrillers so far, producing one about every other year. His next page-turner comes out in January. It’s a non-fiction story called “The First Conspiracy: The Plot to Kill George Washington.” His next “I Am” book comes out in November and is about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. His next fictional thriller will be a sequel to his last book, “The Escape Artist.”

But I’m getting ahead of myself here. As much as we all like to know what’s next, this is about what’s now. With less than a year to go before the 50^th anniversary of the first moon landing, Meltzer is out with a book about Armstrong, just ahead of a movie about the astronaut called “First Man.”

I asked Brad why Armstrong and why now. I expected him to say it made economic sense to do the book just ahead of the 50^th anniversary hype. I should have known Brad better than that. He’s not that petty.

“Yesterday I got a phone call from one of the screenwriters of the new Neil Armstrong movie, ‘First Man.’ And he called me up. I didn’t know the guy; he reached out to me. He said, ‘oh my gosh, how long have you been working on this book?’ I said about three years. I said, ‘how long have you been working on your movie?’ He said about four years. It’s no coincidence that both come out now. I really don’t believe it’s sheer coincidence. I think that it’s the universe’s way of presenting a need. And these things just don’t happen in the ether, they happen for a reason,” he said.

He said the time is right in America for a hero with the values Armstrong presented.

“I think if you look through history when great needs present themselves, great heroes present themselves and I think it’s no coincidence where the world is right now that we’re seeing a resurgence in heroes like Neil Armstrong and Mr. Rogers,” he said. “I think we have spent a lot of time, whether it’s on social media or on Twitter, paying attention to people who are good at chest thumping and making a lot of noise and being loud. And I think what as a country what we realize is there is something about humility and hard work and those who don’t spend their time calling attention to themselves.”

Brad Meltzer signs books at Books-A-Million in Katy.

Those two attributes, humility and hard work, are what interested Meltzer.

“Armstrong never used the word ‘I’ it was always ‘we.’ ‘We did this.’ ‘We accomplished this.’ That’s how he spoke about the Apollo mission, and when he said we, he meant the scientists, the mathematicians, the tailors who were sewing his spacesuit together, it was all of their accomplishment,” Meltzer said.

“Personally for me, remember when humility was a great American value? We need that value back again. And this book is my way of giving it back to my kids. It’s showing them what humility looks like. It’s the only way we can get it back. We have to teach it to our children,” he continued. “And the other one that really hit home for me was just hard work.”

He told the story of 8-year-old Neil Armstrong who tried to climb a tree but fell.

“The most important thing Neil Armstrong does after that is he gets back up again. That’s the part in the book where I stop with my own kids. You see this part? You’ve got to get back up again.”

The book talks about all the steps young Neil Armstrong took to become an astronaut and eventually the first person to step foot on the moon, taking that “giant leap for mankind.”

“As I tell my own kids, you don’t get to take the giant leap until you take all the thousands of smaller steps to get there,” Meltzer said. “And I think we’ve lost sight of that, too. Our kids today want to be famous; they want to get a lot of likes on Instagram. And they think that just happens. And to me, fame is useless. What’s important is the hard work. That’s how you get what you want.”

That has been an underlying theme in all the “I Am” books. Meltzer takes historical figures (some of whom are still living) and details their rise as an ordinary child to the great person they became. Other heroes include Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Helen Keller, and more.

He said people have longed for heroes in difficult times. During the Depression we got Tarzan and Buck Rogers. In World War II we got Superman and Captain America. After 9/11, superheroes came bursting onto the silver screen beginning with Spider-Man.

“It was the superhero movies that came back. And they’ve surged since then for 15 years now. Why?

Joe Southern and Brad Meltzer

Because we’re still a country that’s scared. We’re still a country that, you know, feels a little unmoored after what happened on 9/11. And we want someone that can come save us or at least prove to us that we can save ourselves. And I think it’s no coincidence that today you see a callback for the simplicity and the depth of character that Neil Armstrong offers,” Meltzer said.

Of course, you can’t do a book about a NASA hero without a Houston connection.

“I always reach out to the families. The only reason I didn’t at this point is because we have a dear friend that lives here in Houston, Charlie Justice, who used to work at NASA,” Meltzer said. “So he wound up being a great lifeline for us to make sure we got all the space stuff right. And I think without him, of course, I would have reached out to the family, but he was our local family here and was very kind to us and made introductions for us to people who could fact check.”

The artist for the books, Christopher Eliopoulos, has lobbied for Neil Armstrong from the beginning. When Brad finally committed to it, he was ecstatic. They both became absorbed in the details.

“I was like, I’m a comic book nerd, and a science nerd, so I of course we just hunkered down with all the details,” Meltzer said. “I want to get every detail down right that I could and I sent it to our buddy that used to work at NASA and said, ‘what do you think, Charlie?’ And he said, ‘you guys are nerds.’ When NASA calls you a nerd, you know you’ve arrived.”

And when I get a fan-boy moment with a favorite author writing about a favorite hero, that’s when I know I’ve arrived as a reporter. Thanks for the moment, Brad. You’ll always be my favorite nooks-and-crannies historian.

Miraculous move to new home proof of God and angels

You will never get me to doubt that God works miracles in our lives and that angels live among us.

That belief was strongly reinforced this past month as my wife Sandy and I went through the process of buying a house. I’ve never been good with real estate and this was my fifth time qualifying as a first-time homebuyer. Each time the process has become exponentially more complicated – and expensive!

There were so many roadblocks in this process that I swore God didn’t want us to have a house of our own. Now I’m convinced the hurdles were there so he could show us just how mightily he can move in even the most grueling of details.

For nearly 10 years we have been living in the house in old town Rosenberg that belonged to Sandy’s grandfather. After he passed away six years ago, ownership eventually transferred to Sandy’s mother. She has been a most gracious and generous landlord as we have gone through many transitions in life, including job changes, grad school for Sandy, and more.

I cannot begin to express my gratitude for the opportunity to have a roof over our heads and all the loving care and support that has been shown us. We were very fortunate to live there as long as we did. It got us through some challenging times.

At the risk of sounding ungrateful, I’m more than happy to be leaving. The house is very old and is constantly needing repairs and upgrading. It took a lot of work to maintain the house and for the most part it was a losing battle. The worst part, however, is the location. In the first few years there we had four cars smashed in overnight hit-and-runs while parked in front of the house – one of them totaled.

Numerous times cars have driven onto the lawn – one even plowing through a fence and hedge. We are constantly “serenaded” by the bar cattycorner to us, often into the wee hours of the morning. The restaurant and cantina across the street has its trash picked up around 4-5 a.m. several times a week. The gas station across the other street is continually having cars pull up blasting their rap music while the driver fuels up or goes inside to buy something. And neighborhood dogs bark at all hours of the night. The sleep interruptions are causing me all kinds of health issues.

We’ve wanted out of the house for years but never had a realistic opportunity until this year. Sandy and I spent a lot of the summer looking online and sharing hopes and dreams for a dream home. When we finally got serious and began digging into the qualifications, our dreams all but shattered. We went into this process believing that we could comfortably buy a house in the mid-$200,000 range. Our reality was far, far below that.

With a senior and a sophomore at Terry High School, we wanted to stay within the school’s boundaries so the kids wouldn’t have the change schools. The sharp limits on geography and price severely limited our options. We hoped and prayed and prayed some more. We lowered our standards but never gave up hope. That’s when God sent us an angel. Her name is Jen Gowens. She is a Realtor and a friend from church. She is an agent with Keller Williams Southwest (www.jennifergowens.com) and a real miracle worker.

Poor Jen lost a lot of weekends and weekday nights showing us homes, answering odd questions, and very patiently walking us through a difficult time. When we finally found a house that fit our family’s needs, budget, and location, she guided us through a process that at times felt worse than passing a kidney stone (or so I imagine since I’ve never actually passed one).

Without going into too much detail, we found obstacles at nearly every point in the home buying process. Between Jen and our lender, Fairway Mortgage, we found some rather creative ways to make things happen. Several times we ran into roadblocks that were sure deal-killers, only to have our angel work her magic. Thanks to Jen, James Ward and his team at Fairway, the sellers, and some help from my father and friends, we were able to close the deal last Thursday.

Even as we were packing up our house the night before, there were questions as to whether or not the deal would actually close. It did, and on terms that better suited us in the long run. Our prayers were answered and in a very big way.

Next up came the physical move. Again God sent his angels among us as a contingent of friends from our church, Christ’s Church Foster Creek, turned out to help along with Sandy’s parents, uncle, and a lone representative from the Texas Army re-enactment group I belong to. The work was grueling and hot and many items were ridiculously heavy (can you say piano?). On top of all of that, both of our cars experienced mechanical problems over the weekend and will be alternating trips to the mechanic this week.
As I write this Monday morning, I am extremely exhausted, very sore, and so filled with gratitude I think at times my heart might explode. We are incredibly thankful for God’s provision and the gift of friendship. They’ve seen us through not only this process, but multiple moves in the last 18 years. Should any of my friends back in Colorado and Amarillo think we’ve forgotten them and their help, we haven’t. It’s just further proof of God’s handiwork and his angels moving amongst us.

Birthday invite was a strange surprise for both of us

Joe Southern, right, with Margaret Loomis,
who celebrated her 80^th birthday on Aug. 26.

Have you ever been invited to the birthday party of a complete stranger?

Stranger things have happened to me in my life, but this one ranks right up there. A few weeks ago I got a phone call from Graham Painter – himself a stranger to me – who asked me if I would come to his mother’s 80^th birthday party. He explained that she reads my column faithfully, and not only that, she discusses them with family and friends.

For the record, I think that makes her my first groupie.

Graham explained to me that his mother, Margaret Loomis, was a professor at San Jacinto Community College where she taught English for 50 years.

“As a teacher specializing in English and American literature, she has been feasting on your columns for the last two or three years and speaks about the things you write about frequently,” he said in an email. “My wife and I thought it would be a lovely surprise if you could be there to lunch with us! She, herself, is quite the writer – and we want to encourage her to keep going.”

The last time an English teacher paid any attention to my writing, she was bleeding red ink all over my schoolwork. English was not my strong suit in school. In fact, I’m reminded of a movie quote that best describes my mastery of the English language:

“Well, he don’t know talking good like me and you, so his vocabulistics is limited …” – Rocket Raccoon, “Guardians of the Galaxy”

The flattery of being invited to a faithful reader’s birthday party, coupled with my curiosity, led me to accept the invitation.

On Sunday, Aug. 26, I went to The Legacy at Long Meadow in Richmond where I met Graham and his lovely wife. A few other guests were arriving about the same time. I awkwardly shook hands and met people from different parts of Margaret’s life. Finally, the time came when she left her room and came to join the party. Graham brought me over to her and asked if she knew who I was. Apparently I don’t look much like my picture that accompanies my column because she gave a blank stare and shook her head.

When Graham told her my name, her face lit up. She was very thrilled and happy to have me there. We spoke for a little bit, but there were so many other dear friends there that her attention was divided. That was fine with me. This, after all, was her day, not mine. I didn’t want to be a distraction from her time with so many friends and family members.

Some of the guests got lost on their way to the assisted living center, so Graham left to find them. In the meantime, Margaret had everyone introduce themselves and talk about how they know her. Most of the guests were former colleagues from San Jacinto. I know they all had juicy stories to tell – and it’s probably to Margaret’s benefit that discretion prevailed.

Regrettably, I kept looking at the time on my watch. I only planned on staying 30-60 minutes as I had another commitment to get to. I have never been to the birthday party of an 80-year-old before and didn’t know what to expect. After an hour slipped by and the introductions were complete, I had to sheepishly excuse myself.

I hated to leave early, as I was very curious to visit with her and find out more what it was about my writing that she enjoyed. I was also fascinated to learn about her. College professors can lead some very interesting lives. Not all of them are bookworms in tweed jackets, and I gather that Margaret was far from fitting that stereotype. Perhaps another time I’ll be able to pay her visit when we can talk without all the distraction of a party.

On a side note, Aug. 26 is my brother’s birthday. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to Don Southern. He’s the middle child of the three of us Southern boys. Happy birthday, bro!

Speaking of birthdays, last Sunday would have been my mother’s 79^th birthday. She passed away four years ago. Also last week, my father and Barbara, his wife of nearly three years, laid to rest Barbara’s father, Bob Hanlin. I only met him a couple times, but found him to be a remarkable man and a true American hero. He served aboard the USS Enterprise during World War II and was wounded in battle. He carried shrapnel in his body from a kamikaze attack the rest of his long life. After the war he became a pastor and a hero of the faith. He also made news back home in Colorado last September when, at the age of 94, he married again.

Dad and Barbara, I know you are reading this, so I just want to say what an honor and privilege it was to call Bob my (step) grandfather. Sandy, the boys, and I wish we could have been there for the funeral.

We couldn’t be there because we are in the process of buying a house and all of our time and finances are tied up with that. It’s a local move, so we’ll still be in Rosenberg and our boys will still be at Terry High School. This is Luke’s senior year and Colton’s sophomore year. I can feel my hair turning a little grayer just thinking about that.
The way things are going, before you know it I’ll be like Margaret, celebrating my 80^th birthday and having my kids invite friends and strangers to my party. Hey, you never know – stranger things have happened.