Some Final Thoughts: Compiled and Edited by Carolynn Zorn

By Dave Zorn

Some Final Thoughts is an inspirational, moving, and poignant collection of articles, essays, personal stories, letters, and poetry by an award-winning broadcast journalist.

Dave Zorn, author of Dinky Dau: Love, War, and the Corps, shares these previously unpublished works, including an exclusive interview with a former premier of South Vietnam, humorous incidents from the author’s four decades in radio, a minute-by-minute account of his career-ending heart attack and cardiac death, and a look at what may or may not have been waiting for him on the other side. This body of work provides a glimpse into the man behind the voice of LA Radio.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728308302

Dave Zorn

Dave Zorn was an award winning broadcast journalist who retired after 25 years with CBS/KNX all-news radio in Los Angeles. Prior to moving to California he was a well know radio voice in the Phoenix area. He is the author of Dinky Dau: Love, War and the Corps. As a graduate of Phoenix College, a Corporal in the Marine Corps (1964-67), a Vietnam vet, a quartet singer, a husband, father, and grandfather, he was loved by all who were drawn into his circle of humanity. See his web page: www.drzorn.com

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© 2019 . All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  04/30/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-0831-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-0830-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019904351

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Some Final Thoughts

About The Book

Introduction - Pop

Part I Thoughts About Soldiers

Thought 1 The Breakfast Brigade

Thought 2 Hack

Thought 3 Vietnam Revisited

Thought 4 The Salute

Thought 5 Letters From Vietnam

Thought 6 Abdul the Trout

Part II Word Thoughts

Thought 7 The Matriarch and the Lull

Thought 8 On Poetry

Thought 9 Words

Thought 10 Shades of Orange

Thought 11 My Favorite Songs/Singers

Thought 12 Time To Sing………

Part III Love Thoughts

Thought 13 Letters 6-10-94 & 6-24-94

Thought 14 My Wedding Vows to Carolynn

Thought 15 Carolynn & Dave’s Christmas Letter – 2010

Thought 16 Poem 10-1-2011

Thought 17 20th Anniversary 2015

Thought 18 2016 21st Anniversary Thoughts

Part IV Weather Thoughts

Thought 19 Ode to Spring

Thought 20 October

Thought 21 Rain levels-gauge

PART V On Air Thoughts

Thought 22 Radio Daze

Thought 23 Bill Stout

Thought 24 Good Day!

Thought 25 My Life In Radio

Thought 26 AwarDs

Thought 27 Letter 1-18- 2002

Thought 28 OOOPS!

Thought 29 Letter 8-7-2009

Thought 30 USMC Symposium Speech 1998

Thought 31 Retirement

Part VI Home Thoughts

Thought 32 Mom & Dad

Thought 33 Friendly Friedens

Thought 34 The Episode

Thought 35 Between God and Me

Thought 36 50th Birthday

Thought 37 Where Have I Been? Why Was I There?

Part VII Epilogue

Thought 38 Fanning Island & the South Pacific

On Some Final Thoughts By Carolynn Zorn

Obituaries

Acknowledgements

Advance Praise:

Dave Zorn was my friend. He was an intelligent, caring individual whom I miss on a daily basis. Fortunately through the ministrations of his lovely wife Carolynn he hasn’t left us entirely. I hope you enjoy his thoughts as much as I have.

Don Richardson

Professor of English at Phoenix College

Dedication:

To lovers of mediocre literature.

Scholars and readers of serious

Literature are directed to the works of

Thomas Hardy, Pat Conroy and Richard Russo.

And to my sweetheart,

Carolynn, my guiding light.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS IS AN inspirational, moving and poignant collection of articles, essays, personal stories, letters, and poetry by an award winning broadcast journalist.

Dave Zorn, author of Dinky Dau: Love, War and The Corps, shares these previously unpublished works, including an exclusive interview with a former premier of South Vietnam, humorous incidents from the author’s four decades in radio, a minute-by-minute account of his career-ending heart attack and cardiac death, and a look at what may or may not have been waiting for him on the other side. This body of work provides a glimpse into the man behind the voice of LA Radio.

Ed. Note: The contents of this book are the actual words of Dave Zorn unless noted otherwise. I have added things he wrote and noted their addition. Edits to documents were made only for clarity, grammar or length.

A man’s experience of life and death are like a book. There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is drama, a comedy and a tragedy.

Mark Twain

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POP

(1995)

A FUNNY MAN TO THE very end, my father left this world with a smile on his face.

On his deathbed he opened his eyes for the final time, saw me and, with a crooked index finger, beckoned me closer. Expecting something profound—a confession, advice, the meaning of life or simply a heartfelt goodbye—I leaned in closer and gave him my good ear.

He smiled and said, David, there’s something I’m DYING to tell you.

I smiled but then he expended his final breath with his twinkling eyes locked on mine. I cried.

My father died the way he lived; entertaining those around him, always with a view of life that made you think, but not too seriously.

I wish it had happened that way. It would have made a great story. It could have happened that way but, the truth is, Pop died alone; no family at hand, no friends keeping vigil, not the family pastor or even a night nurse to witness his departure, or testify to whatever final words he may have actually spoken.

What a shame. At the end he deserved an audience; even if it were an audience of only one, even a total stranger. Someone should have been there to hear his final thoughts, significant or frivolous. I’m sure his sons would have appreciated knowing what he said.

I’m not sure we ever topped him when it came to telling funny stories, but I do know Pop loved it when his four sons, The Flying Zorn Brothers, made him laugh. It made us feel pretty good, too.

Poet Anne Sexton said, "It doesn’t matter who my father was, it matters who I remember he was."

I remember the last time I saw him. I remember thinking…

Who is this frail man sitting on the edge of my father’s hospital bed, head bowed? Is he praying, tired, or just looking for answers in the tissues he cradles in his hands?

He said he felt a cold coming on. He felt cold. Within an hour, he couldn’t stop shivering. He may as well have been sitting in an arctic snowdrift as in a warm, sunlit room in Phoenix, Arizona on an absolutely beautiful early December day.

Covered from head-to-toe in a sweat suit with heavy wool, knee-high ski socks, it took getting him in bed under the covers and some hot tea to finally warm him. He looked weak. Slow were his movements and speech and thoughts.

This isn’t my father. This is some imposter. Some bad, mad joke. My father is full of life with a rapier wit. He loves to make people laugh and he loves it when his sons make him laugh.

He has strength. My father is the strongest man in the world. He can throw a football farther than anyone else I know. He is a swimmer and diver. He has energy. He can work long and hard on tasks such as home remodeling and furniture building. He can lift great weights, and he can carry great weights.

He has purpose. Providing for a wife and raising four boys was his number one priority; something not for the weak of body or mind or spirit. When a neighbor remarked how