George Putnam
Friday, April 5, 2002

It is this reporter's opinion that we meet a few along the way who will always stand out in our memories. England has lost its Queen Mum ... and what a darling she was!

We remember those days when she stood up to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, told her fellow survivors that she and the royal family would not leave the castle. She traveled among them, put her feet firmly in English soil and told Adolf he would not pass.

Hitler actually referred to the Queen Mum as the most dangerous woman in the world ... and what a lassie she was! Of Scottish birth, daughter of an earl, she became the wife of her dear Albert, later King George VI.

Actually, she was first courted by Edward. Little did she know she'd become queen one way or another, in this case through abdication of the king.

Her dear Albert was ill-suited for the job, but she actually made him what he became. He was left-handed, and through being forced to use his right hand, he became a stutterer and stammerer. She would have none of that! She put him through speech therapy and he conquered the impediment.

The Queen Mum loved bawdy jokes and her gin. She loved her horses and she loved the races and she was known to "bet a bob." And her hats!! Everyone loved her hats!

The royal palace had a staff dominated by homosexuals. On one occasion, she was heard to call down the stairs, "Would one of you queens provide a bottle of gin for an old queen?" And, of course, they did.

She was five-feet-nothing, but in the hearts of her fellow Englishmen, she stood tall as the tower in the royal palace. Yes, England lost their Queen Mum ...

... and by sheer coincidence, we of NewsMax.com have at this moment lost OUR Queen Mum – Marie Ruddy. Marie, the mother of our CEO and president, Christopher Ruddy – mother of, would you believe it, 14 children, wife of a police officer and a patriot to the core. I think of her as Queen Marie.

She and the Queen Mum will live in our hearts forever.

The legendary George Putnam is 87 years young and a veteran of 67 years as a reporter, broadcaster, commentator ... and is still going strong. George is part of the all-star line-up of Southern California's KPLS Radio – Hot Talk AM 830.