One of the advantages of writing a fantasy is that anything can happen.
It does–more than once–in The Invitation. And since it is a Christian fantasy, bringing people back from the dead seemed entirely appropriate, even the right thing to do. You can read all about it in Luke Chapter 24. It’s called resurrection.
Not only do unexpected things happen, but blessings start pouring in, too. In this case, I was looking for a peaceful time and a pleasant place, a setting that Norman Rockwell might have painted with kids and dogs and ice cream. And baseball. Maybe a barbershop with a four-year-old toe-head getting a haircut. That’s when I discovered in my imagination Salem Crossroads, a tidy little town in 1925 when Calvin Coolidge was president. It was down in the valley apiece from Salem Springs, a magical place in the mountains with a spa and resort with healing waters where illnesses are cured and death avoided. Along the way, I needed some grandfatherly characters who could guide people to a place where the people are of one heart and one mind and dwell in peace and harmony. I figured most readers already have their fill of The Walking Dead–you know, those people who are currently in charge in Washington. If you want more of the Zombie Apocalypse, I figured you could just tune in to CNN. So, I dreamed of a happy place.
So, I reelected Calvin Coolidge president and brought him back from the dead. And I needed a judge, so why not appoint Harlan Stone whom Coolidge put on the Supreme Court after he had served as the Massachusetts Attorney General and cleaned up corruption in that state? Why not? Franklin D. Roosevelt later elevated him to be the Supreme Court Justice. Seemed like just the right guy to play a key role in The Invitation.
Then, I found my all-star: Washington Senators Hall-of-Fame pitcher Walter “Big Train” Johnson. Little did I know when I nominated him for resurrection that he and Coolidge were as tight as two hens in a coop, as two peas in a pod.
If you think I’m making this up just as a cheap ploy to entice you to buy my book, I’m not, as YouTube is my witness (watch the video below and see this newsreel clip about the 1924 World Series).
This little piece begins with the announcer explaining that “In 1924, Washington D.C. found itself shockingly united by the unexpected rise of its hometown team, the Washington Senators.” It was “unexpected,” because as the saying went, “Washington was first in war, first in peace and last in the American League.” But, Coolidge had long coattails that seemed to rub off on the hapless Senators. “Cool Cal” didn’t know the meaning of a losing season. After all, he was born on the 4th of July and rose from humble beginnings in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, ion 1878 to become the 30th president of the United States and never lost an election in his 30 years in politics. When Coolidge threw out the first pitch to start the 1924 season, pitcher Walter Johnson caught that ball; by October 4th that fall, the Senators had won the American League pennant and were set to play the powerful New York Giants in the World Series. Johnson tossed a staggering twelve innings in Game One, but lost the opener to the Giants. In the Game 7 showdown, Coolidge was in the stands again. Now with Griffith Stadium and nearby rooftops packed dangerously full, the Senators and the Giants were tied heading into the 9th Inning. Senators Manager Bucky Harris then made his biggest move of the Series, calling on veteran ace “Big Train” Johnson to relieve (the pitcher) at the top of the 9th. After pitching four more overtime innings, Johnson’s pitching and Coolidge’s “luck” prevailed when centerfielder “Muddy” Rule hit a ball over the third baseman’s head and the winning runner crossed home plate. The good feelings spilled over into November when Coolidge won his first and only presidential election a month later (he assumed the presidency, when as vice president, he inherited the role when President Warren Harding died in 1923).
Coolidge’s luck didn’t extend to his own family when his second son, 16-year-old Calvin Jr., died from blood poisoning before the age of antibiotics. An interesting side note about Coolidge comes from his autobiography when he confesses his grief when his son was dying and was begging his father to heal him. Coolidge laments that “here I was, the most powerful person on the planet, and I could do nothing for my son.” Historians underscore his determination not to run for re-election in 1928 was because his passion and zest for public service died with his son. Death had haunted him his whole life. His mother died when he was 13, and for the rest of his life–including when he was president–he wore a locket with her picture around his neck. His other son John admitted that he never really was the same after his son died.
Nevertheless, my research into his own faith, both in God and in the inspired Founders who wrote the Constitution, gave me the insight into using his writings about the spiritual foundations of this country as a primary foundation for this book. He gave a second witness to Adam’s statement that the “Constitution was created only for a religious and moral people and is totally unsuitable for any other.”
And his friend in life, Walter Johnson, (shown with Coolidge after the 1924 World Series) who later did embark briefly in a political career after his retirement from baseball, filled a role in my fantasy, too. In both cases, along with the characters of Jonathan Blum, whom I created originally early in the book, and Judge Harlan Stone, who was a real person and a man to be admired, these characters rang true to me and seemed to take on flesh and blood. I pray that my depiction of these people who accomplished much in their lives and who were in their prime a century ago does not diminish them in anyone’s eyes.
And, the character of Jonathan Blum, the attorney who tried cases in Nuremberg and Tokyo and who appears on the first page of my novel, enjoys the same virtues and characteristics of people I have met in my 75 years, including some very dear friends with whom I associate with regularly, and whose values ring true to me, and I hope, to you as well.
I hope Jonathan Blum makes another appearance in another story yet to be written. We shall see.
GM JARRARD
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