Carla Laemmle, Spoke the first words in "Dracula" 1931

"Among the rugged peaks..." So begins one of the great horror films, Dracula. Carla Laemmle, niece of Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle, uttered those words in the opening scene of this 1931 film. At age 99, she is the last living cast member of the silent film "Phantom of the Opera" starring Lon Chaney (1925), and is more than likely the last cast member of Dracula. She still loves that fans continue to write to her after so many years have passed since her film career. In the drawing she is the one with glasses in the lower left, who has taken a tumble in the coach. She also wrote a touching letter about her Uncle Carl's efforts to sponsor the immigration of Jews from his native Germany, saving them from the Holocaust.

Billy Redden- Picked a Banjo in "Deliverance"

"Deliverance" is a film about four friends who decide to take a canoe trip down an untouched river in the Georgia wilderness before a new dam changes the landscape forever. They stop at a local gas station, and in one of the film's classic scenes, guitar playing Drew picks out "Dueling Banjos" with an in-bred retarded Hillbilly boy (Redden) who was sitting on the porch. It was his only film appearance until he made a camo in the Tim Burton film "Big Fish." Today he works in a cafe in Clayton, GA and is still proud of his role in the film.

John W. Finn, Hero of Pearl Harbor

John W. Finn will be 100 years old in 2009. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Finn manned a machine gun and returned fire despite being hit in 21 places. For his actions on that day he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by Adm. Chester Nimitz. Finn is the only Medal of Honor recipient from that day who is still living.

In 2002 after his Medal of Honor set off alarms at an airport security checkpoint, this American hero was detained, accused of fraud, disrespected, and not offered any assistance despite his age and the difficulty he had in trying to comply with the requests of United Airlines employees. Every one of those people who treated this man like shit that day should have been fired.

Joseph Kittinger, Jr., The Fastest Man

Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound on October 14, 1947. Joseph Kittinger broke the speed of sound on August 16, 1960. Chuck Yeager was in a plane. Joe Kittinger was free-falling.

Joe Kittinger jumped at a height of over 100,000 feet (Mt. Everest is only 29,029 feet), and fell for over four minutes. He attained a speed of 614 MPH. This and other feats attained from this jump have never been eclipsed.

Duke Snider, Pride of the Dodgers

Duke Snider is one of the all-time great Baseball players, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 and moved with them to Los Angeles in 1958. He is currently the last living Brooklyn Dodger who was on the field for the final out of the 1955 World Series. Sometimes he goes months at a time without signing anything at all, then all of a sudden he will start up again and be very accomodating to his fans. With Baseball autographs being one of the most forged in the hobby, it's great to know that a lot of the old players will still sign autographs, saving fans from the risk of shelling out a lot of money for a fake.

Don Keefer- All he wanted was to listen to Perry Como!

Well known for playing Bernard in the stage and film version of "Death of a Salesman," character actor Don Keefer is best remembered by me for playing Dan Hollis- the subject of Anthony's frustration in the classic Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life." Little Anthony has the power to bring things to life, make television, basically make anyone or anything do whatever he wants. When someone upsets him, he sends them to "the cornfield." Poor Dan Hollis is celebrating his Birthday, and all he wants is to be able to listen to the Perry Como record he got as a present. He finds out the hard way that he shouldn't tangle with little Anthony. I had heard that in his 90's, Don Keefer is now virtually blind. His signature as he writes it now is in the lower left corner.

Janette Carter- Preserving the Legacy of The Carter Family

Janette Carter was the daughter of Sara and A.P. Carter, who along with A.P.'s sister-in-law Maybelle, became one of the icons of Country Music- The Carter Family. She and her brother Joe performed with their parents in the later years of the group, much of which was spent on the border stations on the US-Mexican border. A.P. passed away in 1960, and since 1976 she and her brother Joe spent countless hours helping to preserve the rich musical legacy of their family in an amphitheater they built called "The Carter Fold." This was where Johnny Cash gave what would turn out to be his final public performance. She and Joe both continued to perform for fans until they were physically unable to do so.

Her daughter wrote me a nice letter, thanking me for the drawing for her mother. Janette at the time was not in good health, and was not always able to write due to Parkinson's Disease. She managed to write her name on it as best she could though. Just three months after she signed this for me, on January 22, 2006, Janette Carter passed away.

John Wooden, Legendary Basketball Coach

John Wooden recently turned 98 years old, and still regularly attents UCLA Basketball games. I am not a Basketball fan by any means. Why would I draw him? I have a lot of respect for someone like Coach Wooden. His coaching skills have helped countless students to not only become better players, but better people as well. Many of the things he learned growing up, such as his father's "Seven Point Creed" were passed on to his players, instilling in them the skills they would need to become better citizens. Whether or not you like Basketball, John Wooden is a man to be admired.

The Gerber Baby (Ann Turner Cook)

For 80 years, her face has been one of the most recognizeable faces in American grocery stores. Go down the aisle where the baby food is, and you'll see her face looking at you from hundreds of tiny jars. Her name is Ann Turner Cook, but we all know her as "The Gerber Baby." A neighbor of her parents, Dorothy Hope Smith, penned the now famous portrait that became the logo for Gerber baby foods. She grew up to become an English teacher, and after retirement, a successful mystery writer.

Fritz Weaver, Veteran Character Actor

Fritz Weaver has been acting in films and television for over 50 years. He is a commanding presence and his voice is unmistakeable. He appeared in two classic Twilight Zone episodes; "Third from the Sun" and "The Obsolete Man." He also starred in an episode of Tales From the Darkside called "Inside the Closet." I remember watching that episode as a kid, and it scared the Hell out of me! I would always watch it though whenever they showed it!

It's well-known that he was a conscientious objector during WWII. I asked him why this was (as it just seemed illogical to me that anyone wouldn't want to fight to stop the advancement of the Nazis). He wrote me a very personal letter, explaining that his father had become a Quaker in 1938, and he and his brother were both strongly influenced by him. He admitted that in retrospect it caused him much anguish then, but the wars the US has fought since then have only reinforced his father's rightness.

The Armistice- 90 years ago

Exactly 90 years ago, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, one of the most horrific war's the world has ever seen came to an end. In the United States anyway, today this "War to end all Wars" is largely forgotton. Mention Passchendaele, Flanders, Jutland, etc to any passer-by and they'll probably look at you like you should be in an institution. Its sad that an entire generation of men was virtually wiped off the face of the Earth, and school children are taught very little about it. Only when I was in college and took a class on WWI did I really understand how it happened and what it was all about.
"Veteran's Day" now honors all Veterans, and rightly so- but on this, the 90th Anniversary of "Armistice Day" we should especially pause and remember the millions on both sides who gave their lives from 1914-1918. There are just a handfull of men left who served in the military during this time. The youngest is 107, the oldest is 112. There may be several more Armistice days yet where there are WWI Veterans still living, but the likelyhood of that grows less and less with each passing year. Remember them today.

William Young, Last of the Royal Flying Corps

William Young was 107 when he passed away in 2007, and was the last Veteran who served in the Royal Flying Corps. He had actually signed up for service before he was 18, but could not actually serve until his 18th Birthday. During WWII he was working in Borneo when the Japanese invaded. He was imprisoned in a Japanese Camp from 1942-1945. At the time of his death he had been living in Australia for 60+ years. I never got to have him sign this. It was sent back to me return to sender, and before I could try again, he passed away.

William Stone, Britain's Royal Navy

William Stone was born in 1900, and is one of three surviving WWI Veterans living in England. He served as a stoker on H.M.S. Tiger. In the 1920's he served on board H.M.S. Hood. He was Chief Stoker aboard the H.M.S. Newfoundland and aided in the massive evacuation operation at Dunkirk. On the 90th Anniversary of the end of the war, Bill Stone, Harry Patch, and Henry Allingham are expected to be present for a wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in London. This will probably be the final major anniversary of the Armistice where there are any Veterans of the War still living

Robley Rex, WWI- Era Veteran

Originally there were newspaper articles etc. about Robley H. Rex touting him as a WWI Veteran. He claims to have enlisted in 1918, but records seem to show he enlisted in 1919, making him a WWI Era Veteran instead. He is 107 and still going strong. When I wrote to him, he was 104 and was still volunteering at a local V.A. Hospital. At the time he had logged thousands and thousands of hours helping his fellow Veterans. For that alone he is quite an inspiration.

He added a post-it note with his middle initial, and wrote me a short letter as well. WWI Veteran or not, he did serve his country about 90 years ago and for that he should be admired.

Lloyd Brown, the Last Navy Veteran of WWI

Lloyd Brown served on the USS New Hampshire. He lied about his age and was only 16 when he signed up to serve his country. He joined because all the boys who were in the service were making headlines, and all the girls liked someone in uniform. He was 105 when he died in 2007, and was the last US Navy Veteran of WWI.

Harry Landis, One of the last...

Harry R. Landis joined the Army in October of 1918, and barely served a month before the Armistice was signed. That one month of his 108 year long life earned him the distinction of being one of the last two American WWI Veterans. He never thought much of his time in the Military, and couldn't understand why he was "famous." The fact that he was one of the last American Vets only surfaced in the last year or two of his life. He had excellent health up until his last week, passing away in February 2008.

Howard V. Ramsey- Oregon's Last WWI Veteran

Howard V. Ramsey was 108 when he died in February 2007. At the time he was the last WWI Veteran in the state of Oregon. He served as a truck driver- ferrying officers, carrying water to the front line troops in France, and bringing back the bodies of those killed in action.

A little French girl once asked him for a souvenir. He managed to find a penny to give her, and she in return gave him a lock of her hair wrapped up like a little present. He kept her lock of hair until the day he died.

Harry Patch, Last to Fight in the Trenches

Harry Patch, British World War I Veteran, is the last "Tommy" who fought in the trenches. He is 110 years old. He is the last survivor of the Battle of Passchendaele, which waged for three months and left a Half-Million Allied soldiers dead or wounded. Harry and four others were hit when a German shell exploded- Harry was one of two who survived.

For 80 years, he never watched a War film, never spoke of the War, not even to his family. Only after he turned 100 did he finally recount the horrors he experienced. 90 years later, he still has nightmares about the trenches and losing his friends. Hearing him talk of it, you can see a sadness about him as if it happened yesterday. To him it DID happen yesterday.

Frank Woodruff Buckles, Last American WWI Veteran

Frank Woodruff Buckles, age 107, is the last survivng American Veteran of World War I. While in the service, he sailed on the Carpathia, the ship that rescued the survivors from the Titanic. He is more than likely also the last living person who sailed on the Carpathia. During World War II he was working for a shipping line and was captured by the Japanese in the Philippines, spending three years in a prison camp. Over the years as he would read Veterans magazines, he noticed the number of WWI Veterans becoming smaller and smaller, until now, much to his surprise, he is the last.
He was most gracious in his reply, typing a short letter, and sending along several photographs, each item bearing his signature.

John F. Babcock, Canadian WWI Veteran

John F. Babcock, age 108, is an American citizen who also happens to be the last living Canadian World War I Veteran. He has lived in the USA for about 85 years. The picture is of him in uniform about 1918. He kindly took the time to write a short letter thanking me for the drawing, and also included a recent signed photo.

Franz Kunstler, World War I Veteran, Austria-Hungary

Franz Kunstler was the last surviving WWI Veteran from any of the Central Powers, having served in the Austro-Hungarian military. He was a museum guide in Germany up until shortly before his death at age 107 on May 27, 2008. One of his grandsons provided me with the photo I used, taken shortly after the War. He signed this just a few months before his passing.

Henry Allingham, World War I Veteran

As we approach the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War One, I would like to pay tribute to those last few Veterans of "The War to End All Wars." There are about nine left worldwide as of this writing (depending on which source you check, the number varies). In most cases their minds are still sharp and talking of the War is still quite emotional nearly a century later. Henry Allingham of England, the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland, and the last founding member of the Royal Flying Corps, signed his name, his years of service, and his birth date (June 6, 1896). The picture shows him in uniform from WWI. When he signed this he had just turned 110 years old.