One of the benefits of having a long memory is that various stimuli can evoke pleasant recollections from ages past. I had that experience recently during a browsing visit to the local Barnes & Noble. I saw a book that demanded, “Take me home!” The cover featured a dramatic painting in art deco-ish style. Towering over the composition was the bow of an ocean liner and a bit of her superstructure and funnels. Tucked away in the corner of the painting was the small figure of a fedora-clad man leaning against a bollard. The man was William Francis Gibbs, and he was peering toward his greatest creation, the SS United States .
