Some of you of a certain age may remember when Journalist Howard K. Smith was the co-anchor of the ABC Evening News along with Barbara Walters. Anyone remember her? In his post as a network news analyst Smith had the opportunity to interview some of our society’s most fascinating people as well as various Presidents.  Yet in spite of having a job that most of us would consider high status, he complained that his children never considered him very “hip,” as [they/we] said in those days.  In fact, they seemed completely under-whelmed by anything the old man did.  No matter how many autographs he collected for them, no matter how many famous names he dropped, the kids still didn’t think he was anything special.  But then came the Presidential conventions of 1964.

Smith was sent to San Franci…