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WolfContinued from P#q« A-1He remember. Nixon* curly black heir, iutling jawline end dark beard, which he had lo shave l»ic* a day.Nixon »a* a regular guy. warm and friendly with a sense of humor,* said Wolf.A. easily as he made friend* of the crew, the vice president made friend* among the people* he visited Not only the high officials, but the ordinary folk* too.'■IU never forget the time he stopped to examine the native bracelet* worn by a tiny little girl in Burma, oe the time in New Dehli. India, when he kept a preas conference waiting while he answer id the solemn questions of an enterprising 11-year old grade school editor *Wolf met many of the leaders of the countries included in the Nixon tour. One of the high point* was an interview with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, which was granted to three correspondents. Wolf was allowed to observe after he had finished taking pictures.The vice president personally introduced me to many of the leaders of these fascinating countries I knew he was getting a big kick out of introducing me to all these important and famous world leaders.* said Wolf.Despite his controversial legacy in U.S. politics. Nixon was a major leader on the world stage.He has been praised for detente with the Soviets, re establishing relations with China, and after hia resignation as president, coming back to public life as a wise counsel.Wolf said he'll let the historians decidewhether Nixon was a hero or a villain.-What I know is that you have to judge people on the way they treat you, and he treated me just great* said Wolf, relating how he spent hour* silting next to the vice president on the plane.Nixon wrote his name all over our political history-, beginning with hi* first election lo Congress in 1946. Wolf saidMuch has been written about Nixon's 'character flaws, but he showed enormous character w hen he resisted pressure to contest the 1960 presidential election won by John Kennedy, said Wolf, who worked for the Nixon Lodge ticket The vote was particularly close in Illinois and Texas, states with large numbers of electoral votes.After the trip, Wolf worked for a couple of months from a small office in the Senate office building to wrap up hia photo assignment.He has several typewritten letters from Nixon, including one dated April 6, 1954. in which the vice president expressed the pleasure he and Mr*. Nixon derived from the picture* he had taken during the tour.They certainly help to bring back pleasant memories of a never-to-be-forgotten trip,* said Wolf.Wolf recently brought out memento# of the colorful places he visited.I have passports with names of countries that no longer exist,* said Wolf.He has an album with a colorful padded cover given to him by the governor of the Japanese prefecture of Osaka — in which he has placed invitations, menus and other souvenirs.He has an engraved silver cigarette case from the prime minister of Thailand. And from Chiaig Kai-shek, president of Nationalist China, he has an ivory seal with Chiang's monogram in silver inlaid in the side and his own initiab as a stamp at the bottom. The seal and stamp is kept in a tiny leather caseWolf saw President Nixon when he was in Park Forest running for a second term and again when he campaigned for Joe Woods, brother of Rose Mary Woods, who , was running for sheriff of Cook County.Nixon sent Wolf an autographecf copy of hi* book. The Memoirs of Richard Nixon,* in which he uses 19 pages to talkabout the 1953 tour.The inscription, dated June 2. 1981. reads: To George 'Sarge' Wolf Jr. — with appreciation for his splendid photo coverage of our 1953 trip to Asia.*Wolf filmed the record breaking, nonstop flight of the Strategic Air Command B 36 intercontinental bomber which look over 23 hours to fly from Alaska to Japan.“It was that aircraft's first Pacific crossing We wanted to show the Japanese people what we had in our armada,* saidOn the return he made hi* way aboard a U.S. Navy hospital transport plane in Korea and followed the first exchanged prisoners of war up to the emotional meeting with their families in Texas.His footage and description of these events were seen and heard on television and in movie theaters around the world.He also filmed everything from the inner workings of Gen. Curtis Le May’s office at Strategic Air Command headquarters in Omaha, Neb., to fire power demonstrations. rocket launchings, national sport car races and football games, to a spirited meeting between President Eisenhower and Britiah Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.Wolf w#6 discharged in 1955. a couple nf weeks short of five years of service.He worked at Washington Park Race Track for awhile doing photography and press work.He capped a long career as public relations manager at Wyman-Gordon Company. Midwest division in Harvey, when he retired in 1985. He was also editor of the company's magazine.Born and raised in Homewood, Wolf graduated from Thornton Township High School and St. Ambrose College in Davenport. Iowa.He and his wife Jo an have two children and two grandchildren with a third on the way.Wolf has been a member of the Homewood Village Board since 1985.
Newspaper Details
Homewood Star
Homewood, Illinois, US
Sun, May 01, 1994
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
VA, USA 23 Oct 2016
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