If you have a couple of seconds to spare, drop a “Happy Birthday” note to MySweetCharity’s buddy Robert “Bob” Miller at the Dallas Morning News. He turns 90 years young today. While many know him for his countless columns promoting the area’s nonprofits, hundreds of today’s veteran reporters and editors acknowledge his mentoring them as young journalists through their formative years.
One such example took place years ago when Queenie was a royal in training at the DMN and Master Miller was the city editor. One October evening Q was attending a Neiman Marcus Fortnight Ball at the Fairmont benefitting UT Southwestern. The featured entertainer was to be Jack Benny. While wandering the ballroom, Q met up with Jack’s manager, who took a liking to Q and insisted on having her meet with Jack before the show. When they arrived in the nearby suite where Jack was warming up, things were in disarray. Quickly, the manager left Q just standing on the sidelines as he focused on Jack. The comedian was complaining to his valet that his fingers just didn’t feel right as he played his signature violin. Doctors, who had been attending the event, were called in. One doctor sat down knee-to-knee with Jack and asked him to say, “Round the rock ran the red rabbit.” Benny looked startled and said nothing. The room was silent. The doctor repeated his request. Benny helplessly looked up at his valet and said, “This guy wants me to say ‘Round the rock ran the red rabbit’? I think he needs a doctor.” The room was filled with laughter, but the doctors still weren’t happy. Fearing something was still amiss, they recommended that Benny retire to his room for the evening and check with his own physicians upon his return to California.
(Luckily, the late Pearl Bailey was performing in the Venetian Room downstairs and immediately agreed to step in for her friend.)
As the warm-up room quickly emptied, young Queenie watched as three doctors escorted Benny to the elevators. Just then Bob, who had been attending the event with his “child-bride” Shirley, walked up to Q and asked what was up. With youthful eagerness, she reported the happenings to her city editor. Always the journalist even in tuxedo, he asked, “And you called it in to the city desk?”
Q sheepishly shook her head. With his eyes popping out of his head and his mouth wide open, Bob shuddered in disbelief and pointed to a nearby bank of pay phones. (Remember: This was in times of yore when cell phones were only science fiction devices.)
Immediately, Queenie rushed to the phone only to stop dead in her tracks. She turned and asked Bob, “Do you have a dime?” Losing his patience, Bob put a dime in the phone, called the city desk and told them to nurse Q through the story.
The next morning it was on the DMN’s front page. Less than two months later, Benny was dead from pancreatic cancer that was diagnosed after he returned to California.