Wednesday Reads

Secretariat still remains the standard by which all racehorses are judged. It is 44 years since his sweep of the Triple Crown.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

I saw him 28 years ago on July 31.
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Bad news for Senator John McCain. Glioblastoma is as bad as it gets when it comes to cancer.

That is what killed Ted Kennedy in 2009. It is almost impossible to survive this form of cancer.
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Obituary: Red West, 80, a member of Elvis Presley's "Memphis Mafia" and one who co-wrote the tell-all book about him published before he died nearly 40 years ago, has died of an aneurysm.

Details:

Red West was born in Bolivar, Tennessee. West and Elvis Presley became great friends at Humes High School. Presley legend has it that Red protected Elvis from bullies a few times in school. West played football in junior college and was a Golden Gloves boxer. He worked with Elvis for 20 years as his driver, confidante, and bodyguard.

West had small roles in some of Presley’s movies including “Flaming Star.” He co-wrote some songs for Elvis including “Separate Ways,” which became a hit song in 1972. West also contributed to songs by Ricky Nelson and Johnny Rivers.

Red West and two other members of Elvis’s “Memphis Mafia,” Sonny West and David Hebler, were fired by Vernon Presley in 1976. The three wrote a book titled "Elvis: What Happened?," which was published shortly before Elvis died in 1977. The book detailed the singer’s dependency on drugs and the three were criticized for the disclosure. West said he wrote the book hoping it would help Elvis realize he had a dangerous addiction to drugs.

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Edited August 15, 2018,  to add obituary of Red's cousin, Delbert B. "Sonny" West, who was also a member of the Memphis Mafia.  He died two months before Red did on May 24, 2017.  He was 78 years old.

Snip from the obituary::

West was one of the original members of Elvis Presley's "Memphis Mafia". This name was given, by a Las Vegas reporter, referring to an entourage of friends, family, and bodyguards, in which the Rock'n'Roll superstar chose to spend his time with and, most importantly, entrust his life.

In April of 2012, West was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the tonsil. After a long battle, which included Chemo and Radiation, he was pronounced Cancer free. Since then, he suffered triple bypass heart surgery, pneumonia several times, and finally lung cancer. He fought this battle with his wife, Judy, who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Their son, Bryan, and daughter, Alana, have been by their sides.

Sonny West was one of two sons and five daughters born to Delbert B. West, Sr., of Corinth, MS and Robbie Elaine Smith West, of Pontotoc, MS. Ironically, West may very well have been a distant cousin of Presley, as Pontotoc was only 20 miles from Tupelo, MS. Elvis' mother, Gladys Smith, had family scattered throughout this area. Both Smith clans possessed the dark physical features of the Native American ancestry that both families claimed.

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