Sports events

Growing up, a number of sporting events were Big Days in our household, driven by my dad's interest in them. These were:

• Kentucky Derby
• Indianapolis 500
• Heavyweight championship bout
• Army-Navy game
• Rose Bowl game
• World Series

Today, of course, is Derby Day. In 1959, I was in Louisville on Derby Day but had no means to see the race. I had hitch-hiked there from Berkeley, my first big road adventure, all documented in a journal which I've quoted from here in earlier entries (here). This was a real turning point for me. I returned and quickly joined the Army. It was this or depend on my parents. It was time to leave the nest.

Derby Day, then, has symbolic value to me.