Growing Up with The Beatles

Growing Up with The Beatles

By Tom Robotham In December, 1963, my sister received a package from her “pen pal” in Scotland. Inside, was a 45 rpm record made exclusively for the “official fan club” of a band called The Beatles. Although Beatlemania had not yet come to America, and I was only 7 at...
Growing Up with The Beatles

ESSAY: The Flame of Faith

By Tom Robotham Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ On these two commandments hang all...
Growing Up with The Beatles

ESSAY: The Killing Fields

By Tom Robotham Last month, after Hamas fighters bulldozed their way into Israel and slaughtered some 1,400 people—including children and the elderly—I struggled to come to terms with the horrific news. Over the next few weeks, I watched CNN coverage for hours on end...
Growing Up with The Beatles

ESSAY: A Fan’s Notes

By Tom Robotham Over the years, I’ve written a lot about my love of baseball, and it’s on my mind once again as the World Series approaches. Lately, though, I’ve been reflecting on this in a broader context: Why are sports in general so captivating? I realize, of...
Growing Up with The Beatles

ESSAY: An Education

By Tom Robotham Recently, I received a notice from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh that my graduating class would be among those honored during this year’s homecoming weekend. Until then, it hadn’t dawned on me that 2023 marks 45 years since I donned...
ESSAY: Bites of the Big Apple

ESSAY: Bites of the Big Apple

Words & Photo by Tom Robotham One can’t paint New York as it is, but rather as it is felt. – Georgia O’Keeffe   Last month in this space, I wrote about what I call the resonance of place: the vibrations in your very soul that you feel at the mere...