* * * * * April of 1949 rolled around and, as we had experienced an unusually wet winter, the California hillsides were lush and green; instead of sporting their usual burnt- brown yellow attire. I remember it was a Saturday, because before my parents had gotten up I had been listening to Big Jon And Sparkie on the radio, whereby Sparkie had proclaimed: “It’s Saturday, boys and girls, and there’s no school today!” When one was six years old in postwar America, that’s how one kept track of time; the radio shows: The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston Of The Yukon , The Shadow, The Cisco Kid, The Green Hornet , Sky King, etc. ...