Al Hunter’s Story Archive

The Breathalyzer

Recently, I found myself at an antique show rummaging through a small box of paper, not unfamiliar territory for me. Then my fingers danced past a small greenish-colored slip of paper with a frozen gauge chart numbered .00 to .40 and a pair of machine-cut holes in the corners. Titled … Read More

The Gun That Killed Vincent Van Gogh?

I have spent the past 12 years on a quest. A quest to discover a little-known Lincoln collector turned museum curator named Osborn H. Oldroyd. I have written about Oldroyd many times and, sometimes, the mere mention of his name elicits groans from family and friends whom I’ve forced to … Read More

Help Me Rhonda — The Real Story

On February 24, 1965, the Beach Boys recorded “Help Me, Rhonda.” The song, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, peaked at #1 on May 29, 1965, knocking the Beatles “Ticket to Ride” from the top spot before being displaced by the Supremes “Back In My Arms Again” two weeks … Read More

William H. Johnson, Citizen

This column first appeared in January 2014. This past November, I shared with you a series of articles commemorating the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The speech is well known to most Americans and the words Mr. Lincoln spoke that day were once required memorization for every student … Read More

Buck Jones’ Last Stand

This column originally appeared in Feb. 2013. Last week I told you about Vincennes, Indiana native Buck Jones. One of the best known cowboy stars in Hollywood history, Buck died tragically in a nightclub fire during World War II. Not just any fire, but the Cocoanut Grove inferno in Boston, … Read More