Information please?

Today's crumb comes from an alert reader in Redlands, CA, USA. It's a brief summary of an article by Paul Villiard in the June, 1966 issue of Reader's Digest. The author lived in the Pacific northwest as a boy, and recalls that his family owned one of the first telephones in their neighborhood. Inside the phone lived an amazing person. Her name was Information Please.  She knew everyone's phone number, and the correct time! One day after his pet canary died, he called Information Please and told his sad story. She answered, "Always remember, there are other worlds to sing in," and somehow he felt better.

After that, he called Information Please for everything. She helped him with his math and geography. She told him where Philadelphia was. Eventually his family moved to Boston, and later, en route to college, his plane stopped in Seattle. He dialed his hometown operator and when he requested "information please," he heard the voice he remembered so well. He told her how much she helped him as a child, and she said she never had kids and his calls meant a lot to her. He promised to call the next time he came through town, and she said "just ask for Sally." Three months later he was back in Seattle and called her number, but a different voice answered. He asked for Sally and was told she passed away. When he explained who he was, the operator remembered that Sally left a message for him. It said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean." And he did.

To read the heartwarming story in full, visit http://bragg.com/blog/index.php/all-natural-organic-whole-live-foods/phone-on-the-wall-hello/