As the 20th century approached the 1990s, Dad mentioned that if he could live that long he would have lived in each decade of the century. He often commented on the vast changes hed seen as they developed. He marveled at the first cars he saw about 1913. He experienced the progress of plowing, from teams to steam engine to tractors. He lived thru the Great Depression and two World Wars. He reveled in the development of power tools, from hand saw to chain saws, electric drills and such. He watched the advancement of airplanes, and witnessed the beginning of the space age and computers. This is his story, recorded on audio tapes as family history. It is told in his sometimes-blunt language (R-rated), including difficulties, mistakes, joys and accomplishments.

The author uses a combination of philosophy, history and psychology to look at the evolution of man and the dramatic social and spiritual changes that have occurred over the years.

This book analyzes the economic challenges facing symphony orchestras and contrasts the experience of orchestras in the United States (where there is little direct government support) and abroad (where governments typically provide large direct subsidies). Robert J. Flanagan explains the tension between artistic excellence and financial jeopardy that confronts most symphony orchestras. He analyzes three complementary strategies for addressing orchestras' economic challenges—raising performance revenues, slowing the growth of performance expenses, and increasing nonperformance income—and demonstrates that none of the three strategies alone is likely to provide economic security for orchestras.