This flag flies over Pearl Harbor Memorial
Music appropriate for this Labor Day weekend, when labor is not always properly rewarded, demands special attention. Music from and by Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie seems appropriate. “If I Had a Hammer” is one Seeger song that quickly comes to mind. With the recent March on Washington remembrance, “We Shall Overcome” is another to remember. “This Land Is Your Land” by Guthrie is one of the great songs to remember this wonderful country. Here are a few links to these artists who made a difference during a very troubled time in our country.
Joan Baez: First Ten Years
Woody Guthrie: This Land Is Your Land
As an aside, my wife and I heard Joan Baez in Town Hall, Philadelphia, back in November of 1962 on the day she was featured on the cover of Time Magazine. Strange as it may seem, I knew of Ms. Baez’s father before I ever heard of her as Dr. Albert Baez was a physicist involved in the Physics Science Study Committee (PSSC) physics program, a course that revolutionized physics teaching shortly after Sputnik. Dr. Baez made several physics films that were integral to the teaching of PSSC Physics. The philosophy behind PSSC Physics is one I used throughout my teaching career.