In 2008, a newspaper man, named Wil Haygood, was on a mission to interview a very specific person. After spending a multitude of hours making calls and searching, he finally was able to make contact with the man who had seen more history happen than Wil had even hoped for. This man had not been a politician, a musician, or a rich statistician. Nope! This man had been a butler. A butler to presidents of the United States, to be exact. What was it like to be a butler in the most distinguished household in the country? Join us as we discuss this and take a breath of dead air with Eugene Allen.

Sources

Daniels, Lee, director. The Butler. 2013.

Haygood, Wil. “A Butler Well Served by This Election.” Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/a-butler-well-served-by-this-election/2019/01/02/b2a805a6-07b1-11e9-88e3-989a3e456820_story.html. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.

Haygood, Wil. The Butler: A Witness to History. 2018.

Nagle, Bethany. “The Life of Eugene Allen.” White House Historical Association, www.whitehousehistory.org/the-life-of-eugene-allen. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.

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While starting from humble origins, born on a small farm in a small town in Texas, this boy would go on to be not only a household name known for his warm voice, his upright character, and his beloved shows, but he would also become a great businessman with investments in a variety of things. From airplane schools to baseball teams, from television and radio shows to hotels, his business spanned across many fields. However, we remember him most for his voice and his warmth. Join us as we get “Back in the Saddle Again”, and take a breath of Dead Air with America’s Singing Cowboy, Gene Autry.

Sources

https://www.geneautry.com/geneautry/geneautry_biography.php

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=AU004

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUK2PUwrz9Y (Biography TV Series - Gene Autry)

https://spclarke.com/?page_id=139#:~:text=Gene%20then%20returned%20to%20New,forty%2Dfive%20years%20of%20age.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23905-pellagra

https://library.uab.edu/locations/reynolds/collections/regional-history/pellagra/history#:~:text=Joseph%20Goldberger%20(1874%2D1929),a%20deficiency%20in%20the%20diet.

https://www.normantranscript.com/news/lifestyles/inside-gene-autry/article_9d7aa572-5efb-5f2c-b843-658cd52737fd.html

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Soccer, known as football in most parts of the world, has made its mark on the lives of many generations. Today more than 250 million people play the sport and it has been a unifying game in many instances for people across cultures. Throughout time, soccer has evolved as countless players have changed the game by how they choose to play it. One such athlete was a Dutchman. Join us today as we discuss the beginnings of soccer and take a breath of dead air with Johan Cruyff.

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