Dear Mr. Taylor Thank you very much for taking the time to write and for sending me your essay on Nelson Dean Jay. It was extremely thoughtful of you. Years ago, when I was beginning work on my first book, I had the mistaken idea in my head that I must not talk about what I was doing because someone might steal my idea. I found out soon enough what foolishness that was – that, in fact, I should tell as many as possible about what I was up to, on the chance that some unexpected someone would have information of a kind I might never come across otherwise. And that has been exactly what has happened time and again with each and every project I’ve undertaken, and your material on Mr. Jay is a perfect example. If, as time goes by, you have more you think I should see, I’ll be very pleased to hear from you. In the meantime, I’d love to know whether there are any Jay papers – letter, diaries, and the like – and if so, are they at Knox College? Many thanks and best wishes, David McCullough
NDJ
Chapter Two Elmwood, Illinois — July 4, 1900 Independence Day Celebration
Since he played the clarinet in the American Band, Nelson Dean Jay, seventeen years old, took his place to the right of the conductor, sitting on a wooden folding chair beside Frank Shively, a skilled carpenter on his right, and Earl Runyon, a butcher on his left. Joking with his friends, Jay placed the music on his stand and opened his instrument case.
Chapter One Galesburg, Illinois – June 6, 1960 Graduation Day at Knox College
On June 6, 1960, we seniors were thinking about our future, but Jay may well have been remembering moments from his past. There were certainly memorable ones.
Introduction: Lunch with Friends at 58 Avenue Foch
Lunch with Friends is more than a modern version of a Horatio Alger story. A young man from a small town in Illinois graduated from a little known college in the Midwest, left for the big city to seek his fortune, and fell in love with a young woman from a socially prominent family from St. Louis. According to a member of the Jays, he “married up.” His career began by going door-to-door peddling pots and pans on the streets of Galesburg, Illinois, to selling bonds, first in Milwaukee and later in New York, to those with fortunes to invest.
Preface: Lunch with Friends at 58 Avenue Foch
An obituary is not a biography; however, an obituary is about the most we can expect when we are gone. After examining the Jays’ lives, I had to decide whether an obituary was sufficient or not for the time they spent on this earth. It was not.
The Trailer
Please visit Dad's blog to view a four minute video trailer of what has kept him busy the last 10+ years.
Why Central Illinois Needs to Learn about Nelson Dean Jay
I wrote Rockefeller, telling him about my research, asking whether he ever knew Jay, whether the research was worth the effort. Rockefeller did. He sent me a list of the occasions when they had lunch, or cocktails, or dinner. As to the value of the search, Rockefeller said, “Dean Jay is important, if for no other reason, because he was one of the ten Americans to be invited to the first Bilderberg Conference.”
Stories From Small Town Illinois 