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Ole' Fashion Thanksgiving

In this episode - Ole’ Fashion Thanksgiving . . . by Edgar Guest.

Allow me to tell you a bit about the Poet.

Edgar Albert Guest was a British-born American poet famous in the first half of the 20th century and became known as the People’s Poet.

He began his career at the Detroit Free Press as a copyboy and then as a reporter; his first poem appeared on December 11, 1898. For 40 years, Guest was widely read throughout North America.

From his first published work in the Detroit Free Press until he died in 1959, Guest penned some 11,000 poems syndicated in over 300 newspapers.

Mr. Guest was named Poet Laureate of Michigan, the only Poet awarded the title.

His popularity led to a weekly Detroit radio show we hosted from 1931 until 1942, followed by a 1951 NBC television series, A Guest in Your House.

He also had three times weekly transcribed radio programs that began on January 15, 1941.

We hope you enjoyed this special Holiday gift from our family to yours. May you be blessed this Christmas season.

I’m Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

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