53 Years Ago Today I Met Dick Clark

“Rest in Peace” doesn’t sound like enough to say to a man who helped raise me. Every weekday back in the mid-50s I rushed home from school to tune the old black and white TV to American Bandstand.  Dick Clark was young and handsome then and he seemed to stay that way until his stroke in 2004. For many years he was known as America’s Oldest Teenager. He was hotter than Ryan Seacrest, Nick Cannon, and Cat Deeley put together.

Some little part of me seemed to break away today when I read the news of Dick’s death. I know he will be remembered by throngs of people—not only for Bandstand, but for New York’s Rockin’ Eve which first aired in 1972. I was 28 and still single then and I can’t tell you how many New Year’s Eve’s I spent alone with Dick dreaming of my future life as that crystal ball made it’s decent.

It seems eerie that when I went to my old trunk I found not only the program I had been searching for but the ticket stub as well. The Dick Clark Show played Miami Beach on April 18, 1959, 53 years ago today.

Dick Clark has been a positive influence for most of my life. He brought me joy and laughter and people to care about: Elvis, Connie, Niel, and Fabian as well as the regular dancers: Pat and Bob, Babs, Franny, and Peggy.

Dick’s story is a fascinating book. He touched so very many lives. I only hope that the legacy of my writing and yours will make a difference in this world. I was a lonely little teenager until Dick Clark reached out to me and gave me reason to sing and dance!