"In judging who has won a race --
You first must know the starting place."

And...... the following bit of remembered lines:

"If I were king, and on a throne
I'd build a kingdom all my own,
Where every man his own would be
The master of of his destiny.

I'd build that kingdom strong and might;
And everyone would have the right.....
Etc."

(That's all I remember from Grand's hand-written poem -- now lost.)

(9.) Grand's remark concerning his imminent demise, due to metastatic carcinoma of the stomach: "I want to get out of this as quick and as easy as possible."

(10.) "Chick" (Grand's name for "T"). "Toddie" (Mother's name for Grand).

(11.) Grand's prayer when asked, without warning, at the Rotary Club, to "ask the blessing", before the meal, Grand's total prayer was, "Almighty God, help us to remember that thou art God. Amen."

(12.) "Toddalism": Grand's all-encompassing name for his own philosophy and political understanding -- and maybe even his own "religious" understanding.

(13.) "Benevolent dictator": Grand's term to describe the ideal leader of a nation.

(14.) Grand's hand-written statement in my autograph book (written in 1938): "I would like for my namesake to know that happiness is only derived from the sensation of going up, and that a man's real value in this world is determined by the happiness that he creates for others". (Signed) "Jno. N. Todd Jr.".

(On 5-24-95, I located my "autograph book", from Bellinger Hill Elementary School, in a group of keepsakes; and I made a photocopy of Grand's message -- as quoted above.)

(15.) "Never do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow."

(16.) "I never worry about money -- I've got 'piles'."

(17.) "In the language of the man on the street....." (when Grand related his understanding of certain subjects).

(18.) "Spiffy", when congratulating us on our appearance for "dress-up" events.

(19.) Re: his golf, when he would "duff" a shot: "I hit the big-ball first."

(20.) Or, when he hit a good golf-shot, "I flailed the living hell out of that one."

(21.) "For those who agree with me, I give you this": (a military salute). "For those who disagree with me, I give you this": (then Grand would turn his head to the side, and show a 'thumbing of the nose').

(22.) When one of us Todd Boys would respond to Grand with a "Huh", rather than a "Sir", Grand would correct us in this way: "Huh? Pigs say 'huh'."

(23.) If one of us would remind Grand that he owed us a certain amount of money, for payment of a chore, he would respond like this: "I'd rather owe it to you than beat you out of it."

(24.) The "waffles" story. One time, in the early 1970's, when "T" and Grand were visiting at our house, PJT prepared waffles for breakfast. Grand was sitting at the breakfast-table, conversing with PJT. As Phyllis completed the cooking of each batch of waffles, she stacked them on each of two platters. One of the platters was placed in front of Grand, and the other at the opposite end of the table. PJT continued preparing breakfast -- scrambling the eggs, and pouring the juice. We were called to breakfast. When we looked at the waffle platter in front of Grand, we noted that all the waffles were gone. Grand had consumed all of them. He explained, "I was afraid I would hurt Phyllis's feelings. I thought she might think that I didn't like her cooking."

(25.) "Dress right", or "dress left". Grand explained to me, once upon a time, that if a male individual went to a tailor for measuring for a pair of tailor-made pants, the tailor would ask while measuring, "Do you dress left, or do you dress right?" The question was asked so that the tailor would know which side of the pants the "pecker" was allowed to dangle, so that certain size-adjustments could be made.

(26.) The "peculiar slant of their eyes" story: Grand's "parable" to explain how we should accept and appreciate "diversity". "Someone asked a Japanese man what he thought was the most interesting thing about Americans. The Japanese person responded, 'The strangest thing about Americans is the peculiar slant of their eyes'."

(27.) One day, Grand went by a Montgomery dry-cleaning establishment to pick-up an item. While standing there, waiting, the minister of Grand's church came in, and saw Grand waiting for service. Grand and the Minister conversed for a minute. Then the preacher said, "John, I've always considered you to be one of my most favorite people in the entire church." Grand was elated to be held in such high esteem. About that time, another parishioner came in, and the minister started speaking with him. After a while, Grand overheard the minister say to the other person, "Fred, I've always considered you to be one of my most favorite people in the entire church." (So, Grand received another of life's lessons.)

(28.) "Paulianity" (not Christianity): Grand's name for what he considered some aspects of the Biblical "New Testament" to reflect. ("Christianity ought to be called Paulianity.")

(29.) What Grand and Uncle Ernest said to a burglar they heard breaking into their house, one night, while they lay fearfully in their beds: "Close the door on your way out". (The burglar ran out immediately.)

(30.) Grand's acquiescent response to a juvenile explanation of a complex subject: "It's either that -- or it's something else".

(31.) Grand's remark after destroying a damaged object, or a worn-out garment: "I gave it the works." (One such example occurred when we lived at "61 Clitheral Avenue". I was 10 years old. It so happens that there was a chipped coffee-cup that "Mama T" invariably placed at Grand's table-setting, every morning, for his breakfast coffee. Grand complained that the chip in the lip of the coffee-cup caused the coffee to drip onto his lip. "T" would never take the cup out of service. One morning, after finishing his coffee, using the chipped cup, Grand took the cup, turned it over (upside-down) on the table -- took his table-knife by the blade, and crushed the cup with the handle of the knife. No one dared say a word -- and the cup was thus removed from service. That is, Grand "gave it the works.")

(32.) Grand's comment if Al or I told Grand that he owed us money (for any reason): "Put it on my running account -- and let it run."

(32 B.) Or, Grand might say: "I'd rather owe it to you, than to beat you out of it."

(33.) Grand's quotation concerning the paltry response that a weakling might threaten, when insulted: "I will smite thee on the wrist with one of Father's business cards...... each consecutive lick being even more severe than its predecessor."

(34.) "Do you know the difference between a 'fizzle' and a 'fart'? The 'fizzle' goes through, and the 'fart' goes around."

(35.) Grand would sporadically stop drinking coffee, for a week or so. When asked why he did this, he answered, "I just want to prove who's boss."

(36.) "Save face." On several occasions, Grand told us that he "liked to let the other fellow 'save face'."

(37.) "Steak ice-cream". Al and I, as youngsters, became aware that Grand had been quite poor, during his childhood days. Grand sometimes told us that his family ate mainly "dried beans, and grits", for most of their meals. Grand later developed a taste for steak -- which, earlier in life, he had seldom been able to afford. On occasions, as children, when Al and I would teasingly ask Grand what flavor of ice-cream he liked the most, he would frivolously answer: "Steak", meaning "steak ice-cream".

(38.) Grand, concerning himself, as he aged, " I spend half of my time trying to remember someone's name -- and the other half trying to find a place to 'pee'. "

(39.) The hole-in-the-pocket story (this really happened, when I was about 10 years-old): One day, "Grand" told "T" (his wife, my mother) that he had developed a hole in one of the front pockets of a pair of his suit-pants. He expected "T" to make mental-note of this, and then to repair the hole. "Grand" mentioned the hole-in-the-pocket several additional times. "T" never repaired the hole. So...... one night, when "T" and Grand had gone to Montgomery's downtown "Elite Cafe", with a group of friends, the time came for Grand to pay his part of the check. Grand quietly reached into his pants-pocket, and pulled out a long black sock, neatly rolled-up...... and then he allowed the sock to roll out to its full length. All of this was done in the clear view of his friends&emdash; and other on-lookers. Grand then stuck his hand down deep into the sock, and pulled out of the sock a number of crumpled dollar-bills, and several coins (amid the chuckles of friends and bystanders). "Mama T" was naturally "mortified", as she subsequently admitted. The next day, she patched the hole in the pocket of Grand's trousers.

(40.) "Piffel". This was Grand's useful word as a mild invective. That is, instead of saying, "Aw, crap" (or something similar), Grand would say, "Aw, piffel".

(41.) "Victim of self-abuse" -- "Self abuse" was the accepted terminology -- in Grand's younger days -- for what we now refer to as "masturbation". In Grand's early life, masturbation was thought to be harmful, possibly leading to a variety of "complications" -- even mental "derangement". (My friends and I sometimes smilingly referred to one of our juvenile "enemiies" as a "V.O.S.A." -- a "victim of self-abuse".)

(42.) "Disgusting, isn't it." (Grand's three-word response to Mother, whenever she would complain to him about some defect, large on trivial, that she perceived in him (and which she never failed to verbalize).

(43.) "Goulash". Grand's name for a favorite concoction of his, cooked in a skillet, along with "round steak". The "goulash" contained a combination of tomatoes and onions, and was served on top of the "round-steak", along with "light bread". Al and I frequently requested this delicacy, whenever Grand would cook -- as during time of "T's" absence.

(44.) "He's on of my dearest personal friends" -- Grand's complimentary remark about a Black acquaintance -- or in reference to an "outsider" that some of us, in the family, may have considered to be "beneath our dignity".

(45.) Sometimes, when we would go to a restaurant, Grand would often say of himself, as he was given his menu, that he always looked first at the right-hand column of the menu to decide what he would order. That is, he would look to see which items were "the cheapest", before he decided what to order.

(46.) "Looks like water, but it's not ("it's not" = "snot")." (This could have come from "Uncle Ernest" -- or maybe Grand quoted Uncle Ernest, on this remark.)

(47.) "Dead right, but he was still dead.". This is the remark that Grand would make, as he instructed Al or me, concerning our learning to drive a car. The remark came from someone who had told Grand about a friend's son, what had been fatally injured in an automobile accident. The man told Grand about the accident, and said that the fatally-injured son had the "right-of-way", and that he was "in the right" -- emphasizing that the son was "dead-right". The man then emphasized, "He was dead-right.... but he was still dead."

(48.) Grand's remark about a battle, or an argument, or a game: "Always consider the quality of the opposition."

(49) Grand's limerick about friends, and friendship (this will be a paraphrase, since I do not remember it precisely). "Friendships come and go. Some friendships peter out. But I'll always be your friend -- peters in -- or peters out."

(50.) On 3-1-97, at Heritage Nursing Home, in Tuscaloosa, my Mother told Phyllis and me a remembrance that she has about a remark that Grand made. I had asked Mother where the name "Norton" came from. She remembered "Norton" as the name of a friend of the family of the first "John Norton Todd". Mother then said that whenever she would ask "Toddie" (Grand) about some fact of his background or his heritage, he would always say: "I'm not interested in where I came from -- I only care about where I'm going."

(51.) Grand's comment when, after a quick resolution to a "safe-cracking" job, a customer would sometimes complain about Grand's fee for the job: "I get paid for what I know -- not for what I do." (Or, in work, or in "life".... "it's not what you DO..... it's what you KNOW."

(52.) Grand's remark about an individual who became irritated with Grand, or who lost his temper with Grand -- or about Al and me if we were "ugly" to each other: "He showed his tail"; or "Stop showing your tail."

(53.) When I was in Medical School, I received a short letter from Grand, one day. In this letter was a $10-dollar bill. The only written comment from Grand was: "Just a 'note' to let you know that I have been thinking about you."

(54.) When Grand was in the hospital, near the end of his life (dying in the throes of cancer of the stomach), he had lost a great deal of weight. One day, he laughingly said, "Well, you all always told me I should lose a little weight."

(55.) When Grand played a round of golf with us, someone would later ask him, "Who won?" Grand would typically reply, "I did! -- I had the most fun; and I hit the ball more than anyone else; and I lost more golf-balls than anybody....... so I won."

(56.) "Phooey" -- Grand's word for "baloney", or "BS".

(57.) " 'IF' is a mighty-big word to be so little." (This "Grandism" was not an original with Grand -- but it is certainly true. Plus, I have heard both "T" and "Grand" quote it on numerous occasions.)

(58.) Grand sang with a "Barbershop Quartet", for years and years. The group was very popular. They were paid a significant amount for their performances. Grand sang "second tenor" ("lead"), along with Al Williams (bass), Fred Dreher (baritone), and Royce Royal (tenor).

One of their songs was (something like this): "There was an old man, whose name was 'Uncle Ned'..... and he shuffled off this world a long time ago. He had no hair on the top of his head, where the hair ought to grow."

Grand and the quartet sang a version, sorta like this: "There was an ancient individual, who who was christened 'Uncle Ned; and he departed this life many years ago. He had no capillary substance on the top of his cranium, where the capillary substance ought to vegetate." The crowd always loved this "modern" version. (4/22/00)

(59.) (An old axiom often quoted by Grand): "Anything worth doing, is worth doing well."

(60.) Another old axiom, quoted by Grand: "Anything you want done right..... do it yourself."

(61.) Grand's review of pronouns: "I, my, we, he, she-it, and they."

(62.) As a child, I would sometimes ask Grand for some item, or favor. He would frequently respond: "Do you want it now, or wait 'til you get it?".

(63.) A favorite of many grandfathers:

"A mighty bird is the pelican.
His beak holds more than his belly-can.
He holds enough in his beak
To last him a week;
And I don't see how the hell-he-can."

(64.) Quoted by Grand, "The operation was a success, but the patient died."

(65.) When Grand was asked what school he had attended, he frequently answered, "The school of life". (Grand actually attended public schools through the 7th grade. Beyond that, indeed, all his schooling, and the maturing of his splendid intellect, occurred with "life" and living.... and from personal study and development.

(66.) Grand's lifetime wife (Edith Alton Thomas) ("Mama T") told a story, when she was addressing the student-body, as a guest speaker, at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama.... in 1949. (I was in attendance at that assembly, as I was then a junior student at Huntingdon College, studying for my pre-med degree.)

"T's" story, briefly, referred to the types of college degrees that could be achieved by continuing one's college education. In her speech, "T" referred first to the "B.S." degree.... with a double interpetation of "Bachelor of Science".... and "B.S." as a disparaging term referring to useless information ("bull s--t"). The next degree she referred to was "M.S".... which "T" indicated to mean "More of the Same". Then, of course, the "PhD" degree.... which "T" labelled as "Piled High and Dry".

"T's" interpretation of these "degrees" was greatly appreciated.

(67.) I first heard this old song from Grand: "O Lord, if you can't help me, for goodness sake, don't you help that BEAR."

(68.) Grand frequently quoted, "Don't judge others, by your self."

(69.) Quoted to my brother and me, by Grand, in February.... every year.... on George Wahington's birthday: "Today is George Birthington's washday."

(70.)  Sometimes, after eating a large meal, Grand would smilingly say, "I'm not as hungry as I was."

(71.) My brother (Al) and I, when we were in our "teens", would sometimes ask Grand if he had money in his pocket for something we wanted to buy. Grand would smilingly reply: "I've got whatever it takes."

(72.) When I was 10 or 12 years old, I asked Grand how often he took a bath. He smilingly replied, "I take a bath every Saturday night.... whether I need it, or not."

(73.) Grand attended a seminar concerning memory, names, lists of items; etc. Among other mechanisms for enhancing memory, the teacher suggested the following:
If one has a list of eight items to remember, use the following mnemonic to recall the eight items. Use the numerals 1 through 8. Assign the following words to the numerals: one "run"; two "zoo"; three "tree"; four "door"; five "bee-hive"; six "sticks"; seven: "heaven"; eight "gate".
Use these eight words each time you have a list of up to eight items.
For the first item, envision the item running, as in a race. For the second item, formulate a mental picture of the item in a zoo. For the third item, imagine the item in a tree.
And so forth, through the list.
It works. It's fun, and quick. TRY IT.