Evening especially would have meant a great deal to him. Unfortunately, hes a bit under the weather, is so he sent me in his stead. Im humbled and honored to make the introduction. Its been said that theres the story and then the real story and then the story of how the story came to be told. The book whose 50th anniversary we celebrate tonight, making it, is an important story any way you look at it. [laughter] and tonight were going to tell the story behind the story. In his book, norman says that all writers who become famous go through ups and downs. These fluctuations, he says, reveal less about the writers actual work than they do about the changing fashions of the times. Heres how he put it in his own words 50 years ago. Every morning a stock Market Report comes out on reputations in new york. It is invisible, but those who have eyes to see can read it. Did so and so have dinner at Jackie Kennedys apartment last night . Up five points. Was so and so not invited to meet the lates
Managing the congress. It becomes a detrimental, but really when youre talking about structural legislative problems, that really is one way in which Lyndon Johnson was much better positioned than almost any president in modern memory. I think we have time for one more question. A question for both of you. It when you talk about being less critical of politicians going forward, are you talking about the number of times or just what our criticisms are . I think there will always be an abundance of things about which we should be critical of politicians, and certainly when i was talking about before in terms of inflated rhetoric in the sense that the public cannot take reality and truth is something we should ask more of from our politicians and do it in a concerted fashion. What i was trying to suggest as we hold them to re our standard in terms of understanding with the important issues are going to be in a moment whereas when you look back in history you really see that is beyond thei
Many highways and streets and especially in this country as well, you know . Phillips 66 has become as familiar to many people out here as a coke bottle. Its that iconic in the minds of many motorists. Well frank got his start in the oil business in a sort of convoluted way. He was actually, he was not from oklahoma. He was actually born on the nebraska frontier out in the loop valley. His father was a civil war veteran, fought in the union army, and his parents moved out into nebraska territory. And thats where he was born in 1874. And they came back short will have a that shortly after that the phillips, to their home country in southwestern iowa. And thats where frank grew up. So he had those basically midwestern roots. Came from a big family, big family, many brothers and sisters. He was the oldest and he was the dominant sibling by far. His ambition was strong but it wasnt necessarily pointed towards the oil business because there was no oil business to speak of when he was a youn