At 96, He Says He's Ready to Go

Editor's Note: I suspect that G.K. is talking about Uptown neighbor Studs Terkel...

At 96, he says he's ready to go

But I sense he wants to hang around until November, to see for himself whether Obama wins the White House.

by Garrison Keillor

July 9, 2008 | I stopped by to visit an old friend in Chicago last Sunday, and by "old" I mean 96 years but with all his faculties intact, which makes him a natural wonder you could exhibit on the carnival circuit for 2 bucks a head, children under 10 admitted free with a parent: SEE MAN BORN ON DAY TITANIC WENT DOWN -- HE TALKS, HE MAKES SENSE.

The Wonder was sitting in a deep chair under an Einsteinian burst of white hair, nibbling blueberries, his walker handy and a bottle of J&B, when I arrived around noon. Strewn on the floor were newspapers the Wonder reads to keep close tabs on the Cubs and Barack Obama. I offered to show him how to read the paper online. "That'd be like trying to bounce a meatball," said his son, across the room. "You think Obama can do it?" the Wonder asked me. "It's in the bag," I said. He frowned. He's worried. Too good to be true. I got the idea that he was planning to hang on until November and find out for himself...

You want to read the rest? Go to Wonder Has Plenty to Say