He and his wife entertained a good friend as a
house guest and during one of their wonderful
chats, the host likened his own mother, in a some-
what facetious way, to the star of the movie and
book Mommy Dearest. He said, “The infamous
Jane Crawford.” His guest, with furrowed brow, said,
“June Crawford. I think maybe June not Jane.” The
host then said, “No, I think June Crawford was the
loving mother on Lassie. She was such a nice
person.” His friend said, “Yes, Jane not June.” In the
morning following breakfast, the friend took off to
continue his road trip. After hugs and an affectionate
farewell, the host sat repeating the names — Jane,
June, Jane, June. “Wait,” he exclaimed, “Not Jane or
June, but JOAN! Yes, Joan Crawford.” Then he looked
up the old TV show Lassie on his computer and saw
big and bold, right in front of his eyes — June Lockhart,
not June Crawford. The host thought about calling his
good friend but his friend would be on the road. He’ll
just send him an e-mail if he could only remember his
friend’s e-mail address.