Editor’s note: I am sure most people think that its hard to shake me up anymore when I meet a visiting celebrity. But I was sitting there having lunch across the table from Noel Paul Stookey, who was the “Paul” of Peter, Paul, and Mary for fifty years. He’s now 72, and looks great, very bright eyed and bushy tailed. I looked him in the eyes and blurted out, “I grew up singing your songs!” I distinctly remember singing along with “Puff The Magic Dragon” as well as “If I Had A Hammer”. Then during my college years in the late sixties, the group’s “Blowing In the Wind”, written by Bob Dylan, became an international cry for peace as the Vietnam War took its toll.
Noel assured me that the songs were never meant to be political, just a plea for everyone in the world to stop fighting and come together. He also wanted to set the record straight on “Puff ”, that it was not about drugs, and was not written during the drug era, but back in the fifties. That said, Noel confided that his own favorite folk singer/song writer has always been Pete Seger. And one of Peter, Paul, and Mary’s most poifgnant moments was when they performed along side of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Capitol Plaza just before he delivered the “Dream” speech.
Noel married his high school sweetheart, Betty, 46 years ago, and they are visibly still in love. he perfomed with P,P. and M for fifty years. They enjoy coming down to the Keys and managed to spend a month here this year and last year. Noel says me mostly fishes and plays golf while here, but at night they caught Randy Robert’s recent concert at Tennesee Williams Theatre, and just loved the tap dancers, and also caught the most recent Bobby In the Lobby. Obviously he is able to go to things incognito. They assured me that they will be back again next year. It was truly a pleasure to meet this lovely couple. And I still can’t believe I ate lunch with Noel Paul Stookey.