Beachcomber -- Donna Reckseen

Donna Reckseen is president emerita of the Memorial Medical Center Foundation, where she worked from 1980 to 2005. In recent years she has gained my attention for being a very funny person while writing in social media.

For example, here is an extract of her writing about “experiences in the world of sports.”

BASEBALL – Three baseball games attended in my life. An Angel’s game – when the crowd went wild, I asked what happened. Reply: “Reggie just hit a “grand slam” home run. I asked, “Who is Reggie and what is a grand slam?” He said, “What are you doing here?” When I said this was my first time at a baseball game, he said, “I have been coming to games for years, and this is the first home run grand slam I have seen, and you come once and see Reggie do it. Unreal.”

I went home and looked up “Reggie” – Surprise to me: Reggie Jackson was the first major leaguer to hit one hundred home runs for three different clubs, having hit over 100 for the Athletics, Yankees and Angels. Reggie Jackson delivered his 11th career grand slam Wednesday, June 1985, and I was there. Amazing.

It reminded me of the French gal attending the first White Sox baseball team game and somebody yelled “The White Sox gotta run in.” And the French girl yelled back, “I don’t care, I’ve got another pair at home.”

FOOTBALL – When I was in my high school band playing drums, our conductor was also the conductor of the Buffalo Bills football team band and chose several of us to play in it. I was there when Quarterback Joe Namath was benched from a game because he drank beer the night before.

Those were the days. I liked playing drums but didn’t care much for the football game. It seemed like a bunch of young boys knocking each other around.

BASKETBALL – I moved from Kansas City to work at UCLA in 1973. Many Hollywood names were scheduled to perform at an event on campus, and I wanted to see them. As a “newbie” from the Midwest, I was easily impressed.

Suddenly, a large movie screen came down on the stage, and everyone jumped to their feet as the announcer said, “Here he is ... Johnny Wooden. Again, I asked, “Who is Johnny Wooden? Again, someone said, “What are you doing here?”

I went home and looked up “Wooden.” Surprise to me: Coach of the 1972–73 season, which was one of the most memorable campaigns in the history of UCLA basketball. The Bruins went 30–0 and stretched their winning streak to a record 75 straight in breezing through the NCAA tournament by blowing out Gene Bartow’s Memphis State team 87–66 in the final, as Bill Walton hit an incredible 21 of 22 field goal attempts. Walton and Wooden were everybody’s Player and Coach of the Year

And again, I was there, attending one game. Amazing.

So when you see me crediting “Donna” for some of the humorous items in this column, she’s the one with the sense of humor that I love. For example:

• I saw an ad for burial plots and thought to myself that’s the last thing I need.
• Intelligence is like underwear. It is important that you have it, but not necessary that you show it off.
• A courtroom artist was arrested today for an unknown reason, details are sketchy.
• People are making end of the world jokes like there’s no tomorrow.
• Whatever you do, always give 100% unless you’re donating blood.

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