A Local Beatles Story: 50 YEARS AGO TODAY

About 3 years ago I was trying to make extra money by selling my art work at a local Antiques Market. Though my attempts at extra income were a bust the people of Salisbury made it a great memory. As part of the booth rental payments the vendors were required to work in the shop for a few hours every month. Never left alone I shared the various duties and welcomed the customers with my other co-vendors. Not a difficult job by any means. One of the vendors who told me to never mention her name gave me a moment that I would never forget.

On a very slow Saturday she and I talked and I found her accent was from Britain. I told her my fascination with going oversees and my life long love of the Beatles and music in general. She mentioned she was familiar with them and I told her the story of a close friend who saw the Beatles for free in Philadelphia and she laughed. I don’t think I impressed her with my Top Forty based knowledge but she was so nice to listen. She told me she had retired and had been a Stewardess with Pan Am so she had traveled “a great deal of miles”. A little bit later she told me how the class system in Britain had various people put into groups based on economic and upbringing. She said that the Beatles change of status appeared to be handled very well by them. She was a Stewardess on Pan Am Flight 101 that brought the Beatles to the United States 50 years ago today (February 7, 2014) That took my breath away and she as a person had captured a part of my heart prior to knowing her history. I heard she was going to Florida and I hope she is doing great as I do with a great deal of people I have met in Salisbury.

Ben Cheseldine
Still in Salisbury