With Steve Hass in my basement, 1975 with Dad's Japanese flag in the background...

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Luis N Zumarraga

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John Lennon stands as an almost archetypal figure for those who came of age in the United States during the 1960s. For those residing in New York, there was the additional mesmerization of his, and his three bandmates, arriving in Kennnedy airport for their initial visit on Ed Sullivan. They were popular in a way that it has hard for another generation to fathom. Maybe those who grew up in the nineteen twenties had the same feeling for Lindbergh, or those in the nineteen forties had the same feeling for Roosevelt. I am not sure who holds the current chair. The unparalleled popularity of the Beatles ensured that they remained a constant presence in our day to day existence. Beatle cards, Beatle memorabilia, each new album garnered the attention of the young baby boomers. Their exceptional talent, deemed a once-in-a-generation or even once-in-a-century phenomenon by music critics, elevated them beyond temporary celebrity status. Even today, half a century later, John Lennon is remember...
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