Although I wasn’t born there, I have spent a substantial part of my life in and around the home city of today’s subject. In fact, a statue was recently unveiled there to commemorate him — Hoosier native Max Ehrmann, who died way back in 1945 at age 72.
Ehrmann was an attorney and businessman who in his later years turned more and more to writing. He is most remembered for his classic poem, Desiderata, but it didn’t attract much attention until years after his death.
The poem was at first mistakenly thought to be an ancient church verse, but when Adlai Stevenson died in 1965 and it was found at his bedside, interest was piqued. When talk-show host Les Crane made a spoken-word record a few years later, it became a huge hit and even won him a Grammy. It also brought more attention to Ehrmann’s classic work and the poem eventually became his legacy.
In the years since, the poem has been rediscovered by many who find in its message a soothing balm for the problems of today’s hectic world. In fact, the poem’s first line has almost become a mantra for many.
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
(You can read the entire poem HERE.)
Geezer Music Club 