"From out of the past came the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver The Lone Ranger rides again " booms the voice of the Merita bread announcer, as the coconut shells make the hoofbeat noise on a table in the background. Now if you remember that phrase, then you are old enough to really enjoy this book. We return to the times when a vivid imagination played a very important role in the enjoyment of life, and hopefu lly, we can take you back to some of the good times. I have endeavored to cover a lot of monumental incidents that happened over the years that affected me and, I hope, affected you as well. If you are a young person, you will learn a lot of history. If you are older, you will remember quite a bit of it. If a senior, well, more than likely, you'll remember most of it. It's called a lifetime, and though it seems like an eternity when you are young, it is but a fleeting moment on the scales of time. I have always maintained that if you are writing something, make it interesting enough for people not to have wasted their precious time reading. I sincerely hope that that is the case in this endeavor. As you read through this dissertation, I hope you will remind yourself that through all the stresses in daily living, life is still just a hoot. With kindest regards and a good read.