Blaine's "cottage industry": getting rich from his book+MORE changing syntax for what JFK allegedly said [which he did not]

Barnidge: Secret Service agent dispels JFK conspiracy theories
By Tom Barnidge
Contra Costa Times columnist
 12/20/2010
ONE OF THE recurring questions that Gerald Blaine hears as he talks about President John F. Kennedy's assassination is why he now, 47 years later, chose to write a book about the tragedy.
The former Secret Service agent, who served throughout Kennedy's presidency, said someone needed to set the record straight.
"Unfortunately, since the assassination, history has been dominated by a cottage industry called conspiracy theory," he said. "When it finally reached the point where people started accusing the agents of being part of it, well "..."
No event in American history has been more thoroughly debated or dissected than the death of our 35th president. Conspiracy theorists have linked the assassination to organized crime, Fidel Castro and every alphabet organization from the KGB to the FBI to the CIA.
If you Google "JFK assassination," you will get 882,000 hits and dozens of far-flung theories.
Judging by the crowd at the Pleasanton Library on Sunday, when Blaine talked about his book, "Kennedy Detail," interest has not waned. About 250 people crammed into a room where a sign read: "Maximum Occupancy: 139." Dozens more were turned away.
Blaine, 84, said he went years without talking about JFK's death -- not even to his family.
"I didn't want to bother the family," he said, "and I didn't know how to deal with it. I found out that was consistent with every agent who worked for President
Kennedy. Not one of them talked about it."
Blaine is certain that Lee Harvey Oswald worked alone. His marksmanship skills were more than adequate, and he perfectly fit an assassin's profile.
"He had psychiatric problems when he was a young man," Blaine said. "He had problems in military service and problems holding down a job. He even had a problem when he tried to defect, and he had a marriage that failed.
"Also, about a month or two before taking a shot at the president, he took a shot at a general in Texas. The bullet just missed, but it was traced back to Oswald's rifle."
Kennedy was shot while riding in an open-top car -- a president rides only in bulletproof vehicles today, Blaine said -- but that was in keeping with his personality. He wanted to see and be seen by the people.
The fateful Dallas appearance marked the last of several southern stops, including Tampa, Fla., San Antonio and Houston. Earlier in the trip, Secret Service agents rode on the back of the presidential limousine, which likely would have obstructed Oswald's aim. Kennedy stopped that.
"The president told us, 'I've got to use my political style, and my political style is to be among the people, to greet them and have them be able to see me,' " Blaine said.
The assassination still torments the former agent, but what makes matters worse is what he regards as misrepresentation of what he knows to be true.
"How many of you saw the movie 'JFK'?" he asked, referencing a film that reinforced conspiracy theories. "Unfortunately for our youth, that seems to be their history book.
"An article last month in USA Today said 82 percent of young people between 18 and 29 believe that President Kennedy's assassination was a conspiracy. "
He said he has no illusions of transforming the doubters, but he hopes his book, which includes input from fellow agents, will at least put facts on the table.
"If we make history out of the wild stories," he said, "you'll never trust history again." Blaine said he knows the truth about what happened in Dallas. He's had to live with it for 47 years.

Secret Service MANUAL

You won't find any Secret Service manual anywhere from any era: they are classified. And, yes: I am 1000000000000% sure there was and is and always has been a manual. Periodically, I get people randomly questioning the late Col Fletcher Prouty's "contention" that there was a manual...on THAT score, he was correct.

Beyond my absolute certainty, think about it this way: every major employer has an employee handbook---why wouldn't the Secret Service ("no,that's fine, boys; just go out there and fly blind: no written procedures or precedent needed" LOL)

Vince
For the proof there is/was a pre-assassination manual, see the only two over-the counter sources:

http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh18/html/WH_Vol18_0340a.htm

and

Bowen and Neal, "The United States Secret Service" , 1960, p. 209


Vince Palamara

VERY funny re: Amazon reviews of "The Kennedy Detail"

VERY funny re: Amazon reviews of "The Kennedy Detail"

It is VERY obvious that the grand majority of the 5-star, glowing reviews are from family and friends---one is from former agent Andy Berger's daughter, a few are from Colorado (where Blaine lives), and one is from a friend of former agent Win Lawson. One review even states "Read the book-not the REVIEWS" ...could it be because the reviews are mixed to awful, perhaps?

Expect years---decades---of my rebuttal and response to this stuff. I don't take too kindly to certified letters. To quote Rambo: "Let it go! Let it go or I'll give you a war you won't believe." He didn't "let it go" (C-Span lies, etc.)...so you know the rest.

Vince Palamara
Like Lisa McCubbin, born AFTER 11/22/63---and you point is???

Excellent comments on "The Kennedy Detail" Discovery Channel special by Randy Gunter & Randy Owen

"The Warren Omission Channel Strikes Again!"
Sat Dec-04-10 12:57 AM by Randy Gunter


think it is very easy to see this presentation from the “Warren Omission Channel” aka Discovery Channel, for what it is; An attempt by these remaining USSS agents to do a self-cleansing of their souls before they check out to meet their maker. These agents have waited 47 years to return to Dallas and basically address or disclose nothing? Why? Because they are still tormented by the Dealey Plaza Demons and Ghosts of November 22, 1963. Did you notice Win Lawson in his hospital room or convalescent home? He's on his deathbed and trying to exorcise the demons.

Like many others have said, they addressed none of the plethora of USSS issues that occurred during the Dallas Debacle but yet had the nerve to complain about “their workload”, “their long hours” and “their low pay” of 1963. Jerry Blaine made the comment “I was on poverty level, had I lived in Chicago.” I think this is a gross lie, his current day annual salary comes in around $65K.

Sorry fellows, if you’re looking for sympathy from me, it isn’t happening. You chose your job, and you failed miserably at it. If you didn’t like it, quit and move on to something else (Like Jerry “Complain” Blaine did after JFK was killed). He said he "walked out and later had regrets".

As a veteran of numerous USSS missions, I can speak personally to the life of a USSS agent. You have the prestige of protecting the most important person in the world and his family, and other heads of state. You travel to some of the most exotic and exciting places in the world. You stay in some of the best hotels, resorts, and eat some of the finest cuisine known to mankind. You have the US Government provide you with PERDIEM for travel and a clothing allowance to purchase business suits and wardrobe on top of your regular pay. You meet famous persons from all types of venues. You draw a federal retirement when you're eligible. How is this so bad again?

The USSS detail had a full day on November 21, 1963; Houston, San Antonio, and a return to Fort Worth at Midnight. So, what did they do? Go to sleep? No. They decided to make a long day the longest day by going out and staying out drinking and carousing until 5 or 6 in the a.m. on November 22nd. Then report for duty within 1-2 hours to protect the President. This ladies and gentlemen was “Dereliction of Duty” in it’s highest regard.

They were sworn to protect the President and his family, and prohibited from drinking alcohol while serving in this capacity. Whenever, I was performing a USSS mission, I was cautioned, counseled, whatever you wish to call it, that I if I was found to be drinking alcohol or drunk during a USSS mission (either by being caught in the act or the smell of alcohol on my breath), I would be court-martialed by the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice).

Total Dereliction of Duty by these agents, but yet was anyone ever punished or reprimanded for their actions? No. They are viewed by some as “Heros”. Since when are the actions I have described, one of a “Hero”?

Clint Hill said the only way he came to understand and accept what happened in DP that fateful day was by admitting “That the shooter had the advantage that day.”

Oh really, Mr. Hill? If that isn’t the biggest copout I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is. So you and your fellow USSS agents were doing all you could by staying out all night drinking, and by compromising the security and integrity of the parade route (i.e. By not posting agents or security in high threat and vulnerable areas such as the slow turns where open windows were prevalent and where cover and concealment were obvious threats (i.e. Grassy Knoll, Storm Drains, Open Building Windows), and by ordering agents not to react even when JFK was under attack?

Wow, I guess when you give all of those advantages away without a fight and saying that “The shooter had all the advantage that day”, you are correct Mr. Hill.

Randy



"A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living." - John F. Kennedy
---------------
After a delay in the U.S., “The Kennedy Detail” documentary aired last night on the Canadian Discovery Channel. The two-hour special, with former Secret Service agents, has its highlights and lowlights.

For those interested in seeing rare family films and photos of the Kennedys, the show aired several I have never seen before. There is some remarkable footage and fascinating anecdotes by some of the agents. Recently, documentary filmmakers have been using an interesting technique to make still photographs come alive. It's a simulated 3-D effect in which the subjects in the photo appear closer to the camera than the rest of the picture, and in some cases, there is a slow zoom-in on the subjects making it appear they are slowly moving. Unfortunately, the producers and edits picked the wrong picture to use this technique on. I'll explain later.

In the lead-up to the assassination, the documentary did an excellent job of showing what the Secret Service agents went through during the course of their duties...the low pay, the days and weeks of being away from their own families, and their attachment to the subjects they were supposed to protect. The agents' memories of the death of infant Patrick Kennedy is just one of the very moving segments of the show.

There are some rare views of JFK's visit to Florida in the days before his death. However, there is no discussion of possible plots to kill him, as alleged in some recent books.

As for the assassination, there is a lot of rarely seen footage. For longtime researchers, they won't find anything new, however. There is a cool animation showing the location of some of the agents in the motorcade.

It's heartbreaking to see interview subjects break down and cry, like several did in the 1988 series “The Men Who Killed Kennedy.” That was 25 years after the assassination. Now, nearly 50 years later, it's probably even more heartbreaking to see some of the agents come to tears during parts of their narrative after all these years.

Some of the issues not addressed in the show include:
-JFK's infidelities (I'd like to know what they knew and how it made them feel—this was addressed in the 2003 book “The Dark Side of Camelot” and the ABC-TV special back then “Dangerous World,” but I would have liked to have heard these particular agents' versions),
-the late night in Fort Worth the night before (not one word was mentioned about this),
-the stand-down footage at Love Field (not only was it not addressed, it wasn't even shown),
-reports of a dead SS agent (I would have liked to have seen how the agents thought this story got started—there has been some coverage elsewhere of the agents' wives who thought the worst when they heard these reports),
-the confrontation with the FBI at Parkland (an FBI agent was reportedly “decked” by a SS agent when the G-man entered the emergency area of Parkland),
-the cleaning of the limo at Parkland (any ideas on who did it and why),
-preparations for the WC investigation (I'd like to know if they received instructions, like James Hosty of the FBI--”I was told not to volunteer any information, just to answer their questions”),
-reactions to the deaths of RFK, and JFK Jr.,
-and the destruction of documents that were supposed to have been turned over to the Assassination Records Review Board in the 1990's.

No surprise that the agents believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin. I may disagree, but still respect their opinions. However, Gerald Blaine, co-author of the book that inspired this program, says Oswald fit the profile of an assassin. Really? First, there have been reports over the years that a CIA pyschological profile of Oswald showed he did not fit the profile of an assassin. Also, unlike most lone assassins, Oswald had a wife and two daughters and never claimed responsibility for his act. Hardly the profile of an assassin. While Oswald may fit some characteristics of an assassin, he just as easily as he fits some of the characteristics of a patsy.

Oh, the problem with the 3-D effect? One of the controversial photos taken during LBJ's swearing-in is the one of the “wink.” I was surprised to see it on the show. However, the 3-D effect makes the foreground subjects look larger than they really were in the photo and because of this Lady Bird Johnson's hair covered up the wink! For the producers and editors, it was a bad choice and a bad effect to use on that particular photo.



Three of the agents, Hill, Landis and Lawson, returned to Dealey Plaza and while inside the former Texas School Book Depository remarked how easy the shots were to make. I'm sure Jesse Ventura, a former Navy Seal and sharpshooter, and other marksmen would disagree.

Nearly 50 years after the murder in Dallas, it is still fascinating to see the event still resonates emotionally with the agents. One agent in particular still shows a high degree of anger when discussing Oswald's demeanor during his interrogations.

While there is very little discussion of conspiracy theories (or even conspiracy evidence), it seems the agents fail to realize one reason the theories have proliferated is because of their silence over the years. The agents also seem to not know that some conspiracy theorists or researchers have actually helped debunk some of the wilder accusations made against the Secret Service. Robert Groden has been very effective in disputing the theory that agent Bill Greer, the driver of the limousine, fatally shot JFK. Other researchers have also helped to counter the myth JFK was accidentally shot by an agent in the followup car.

Evidence aside, the show does put a human face on the agents whose service required them to be secret while carrying out their public duties. Even with a lack of counselling, the fact these agents survived an event that took a such a heavily emotional and destructive toll speaks volumes. It's unfortunate that their silence over the years, sometimes self-imposed, caused them long-suffering depression. It's also obvious that the scars of this event will not go away even after all these years.

I applaud the agents for coming forward now with their stories. I only wish they had done it sooner. One lesson to be learned from this sad chapter in history: when government officials hold back on revealing the truth at the time, it will be almost impossible to reveal it later and have people believe it.

Randy

"Secrets of the Secret Service" AND "The Kennedy Detail" on Discovery Channel tonight: HUGE CONTRADICTORY IRONIES

"Secrets of the Secret Service" AND "The Kennedy Detail" on Discovery Channel tonight: HUGE CONTRADICTORY IRONIES

IMPORTANT:

The DISCOVERY Channel will ALSO be airing an official Secret Service documentary from Dec 2009 (repeat) at 8 pm (right before THE KENNEDY DETAIL) called "Secrets of the Secret Service" which AGREES WITH MY TAKE ON THE LOVE FIELD RECALL FOOTAGE! ( I have videos on You Tube dissecting this, as well as several blogs)

HOW IS THAT FOR SOME CONTRADICTORY IRONY? :o)

Vince Palamara
PLEASE SEE
http://www.ctka.net/reviews/kennedydetailreview.html

Jim DiEugenio re: Vince Palamara in Vince Bugliosi's book :)

Jim DiEugenio re: Vince Palamara in Vince Bugliosi's book :)


Jim writes---
"Bugliosi’s next chapter deals with the Secret Service. Again, I can hardly recall any notable book saying that the Secret Service was the main plotter in the JFK case. The only one I can think of is the 1974 self-published effort entitled Murder from Within. It is a book that few people even know about, let alone use. Bugliosi seems to understand this, as he did not with the FBI. So he writes that “One other U.S. intelligence agency has had the suggestion of complicity in the assassination leveled against it by the conspiracy theorists, the Secret Service, but nowhere near as much as the CIA and FBI.” (p. 1239, italics added) But in his continual efforts to have it both ways, he later changes this to the Secret Service being behind the assassination. (p. 1241) Why does he do this, when in fact, there is virtually no one who says this? Probably so he can land another of his straw man broadsides: “... the notion that the Secret Service was behind the assassination is, like virtually all the conspiracy theories, ridiculous on its face.” (p. 1241) Yep, especially when virtually no one is saying it.

Now what does Bugliosi do with his two classifications of the Secret Service as being both “complicit” and/or “being behind” the assassination? As is his usual bent, he severely limits the discussion of both. How does he do that? Consider the following: “With respect to the Secret Service, for all intents and purposes, the inquiry about complicity in the assassination begins and ends with the motorcade route.” (ibid) This is a shocking statement. Even for someone as agenda-driven as this author is. Let me drop just one name to show how Bugliosi’s self-imposed limits are nothing but solipsistic: Abraham Bolden. Secret Service agent Bolden has described an assassination plot on Kennedy in Chicago in early November that is very similar in design to what happened in Dallas. But as I demonstrated in Part 3 of this series, since Bugliosi does all he can to curtail any discussion of the plot to kill Kennedy in Chicago, he can ignore that vitally important episode.

Let me drop another name to show how solipsistic Bugliosi’s take on the subject of the Secret Service is: Elmer Moore. As I wrote in Part 4 of this series, Moore has become one of the most important discoveries of the ARRB. As Pat Speer, Doug Horne, Gary Aguilar, and myself have noted, it is not unjustified to say that Moore was one of the most important players in the cover-up. The Secret Service agent eventually became a personal valet to Earl Warren. Again, Bugliosi does not have to deal with the very important figure of Moore. Why? For the simple reason that he does not mention him in the nearly 2,700 pages of his book.

Surprisingly, the author glosses over the name of Pat Kirkwood in this chapter. Kirkwood ran an after-hours club called The Cellar located in Fort Worth. Within days of the assassination, it became fairly well known that Secret Service agents had been at the Fort Worth club well into the early hours of the morning. Drew Pearson mentioned it this way, “Obviously, men who have been drinking until nearly 3 AM are in no condition to be trigger-alert or in the best physical shape to protect anyone.” (Jim Marrs, Crossfire, p. 246) As Marrs notes, this was a clear violation of the Secret Service rules and regulations as expressed in their manual. But James Rowley decided not to discipline any of the agents involved, even though four of them rode on the car behind the presidential limousine. Why? Because if he did, it “might have given rise to an inference that the violation of the regulation had contributed to the tragic events of November 22.” (ibid, p. 247) Which some people have said was the case. Both Ken O’Donnell and Ralph Yarborough noted the slow reaction time by the Secret Service to the fusillade.

Pat Kirkwood later elucidated what had happened. At about midnight the evening before the murder, some reporters called him and said they were out with about 17 Secret Service agents. They asked him if they could bring the agents over. According to Kirkwood, they were still there at 3:30 AM, joking about how local firemen had to replace them in guarding the president at the Fort Worth hotel. After the episode got in the papers, the White House called and told Kirkwood not to talk to anyone because the Secret Service had taken a beating in the press already. So Kirkwood and his manager didn’t say anything for years. But later manager Jim Hill said that the agents were clearly drunk since they were drinking nothing but alcohol. (ibid, p. 248) It’s incredible that Bugliosi deals with all this in one paragraph. In fact, I have told you more about what actually happened than he does. Further, the man, who has all kinds of boilerplate condemnation of the critical community, does not condemn this unprofessional and irresponsible behavior. Which actually borders on negligence.

The man who has done the best work on the Secret Service failure in Dealey Plaza is Vince Palamara. Bugliosi mentions his book called Survivor’s Guilt and briefly discusses it. (See p. 1243) What the author leaves out from Palamara is rather interesting. Thankfully, Doug Horne put it in Vol. 5 of his series Inside the ARRB.

As Horne notes, in the original security design, there was included motorcycle escorts traveling to the side of the limo. At a meeting on November 21st, Secret Service agent Winston Lawson did two things: he cut the number of guarding escort motorcycles in half—from four to two—and he then placed them to the rear of the car, not to the side. (Horne, p. 1402) Further, Horne notes that Lawson then lied about this by saying that it was Kennedy who wanted the motorcycles to the rear. (ibid, p. 1403) Palamara has also proven that it was standard practice to have motorcycles ride to the side of the limousine. Therefore, what happened in Dallas appears to be a deliberate anomaly. (ibid) As Horne writes, “If motorcycle patrolmen had been riding abreast of the limousine on Elm Street, their positioning may have obscured the President from shooters firing in front of the limousine.” (Horne, p. 1404)

This weird formation of the motorcycles is backed up by B. J. Martin, one of the cyclists. He said he was given instructions at Love Field to ride to the rear of the limousine. He said he had never heard of such a formation. (ibid, p. 1404) The HSCA investigated these charges and found them soundly based. They called the formation around the president, “uniquely insecure.” (ibid, p. 1405) In addition, Palamara found out that Floyd Boring had told Clint Hill that JFK did not want agents riding on the rear steps of the presidential limousine in Dallas. (ibid, p. 1406) As Horne writes, this assignment of agents may have obscured the aim of an assassin firing from the rear of the car. Again, the failure to do this was falsely attributed to President Kennedy. (ibid, p. 1409) Even though Bugliosi has read Palamara, there is not a word about any of this in Reclaiming History.

Just like there is not a mention of the name of Henry Rybka. Rybka is a Secret Service agent who has become famous due to a YouTube film clip. This film was shot by local television in black and white. It depicts both the presidential limo and the follow up car leaving Love Field. Agent Henry Rybka is running along the rear fender of the presidential limo as the car pulls out of the airport. As Rybka is doing this, agent Emory Roberts calls him back away from the car. Rybka is surprised by the Roberts order. He turns, shrugs his shoulders, and stretches out his arms—three times. Rybka apparently thought he was going to be on the rear steps of the limo. That is, obstructing any shots from the rear of the car. Apparently, he can’t believe he is being called off.

Palamara calls what happened in Dallas—the altering of the motorcycle formation and cutting it in half, and the removal of agents from standing on the rear of the car—“security stripping”. This clearly resulted in the assassins having a much better opportunity to hit their target than if the proper procedures had been followed. No surprise, Bugliosi apparently did not think any of this was important in discussing Secret Service complicity in the assassination."
. . . . .

Secret Service Agent John Lardner passes away-yet ANOTHER agent who didn't participate in "The Kennedy Detail"

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/12/01/john_joseph_lardner_former_secret_service_agent/
John Joseph Lardner, former Secret Service agent
John Joseph Lardner guarded President Kennedy on a winter day, with his right hand — and his trigger finger — exposed.

By J.M. Lawrence
Globe Correspondent / December 1, 2010
E-mail this article To: Invalid E-mail address Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: Invalid E-mail address
Sending your articleYour article has been sent. E-mail| Print| Reprints| Text size – + When John F. Kennedy was inaugurated in 1961, Secret Service agent John Joseph Lardner rode behind him on Pennsylvania Avenue. He was proud to be a kid from Lowell who grew up to guard the president, he told his family.

Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!Submit to DiggdiggsdiggYahoo! Buzz ShareThis There was little else he ever shared about those Kennedy years. “There’s a reason we’re called the Secret Service,’’ Mr. Lardner would often tell his nephew, Michael Walsh of Bedford, N.H.

Mr. Lardner, a US Marine Corps captain who was a Secret Service agent from 1959 to his retirement in 1983 as special agent in charge of Rhode Island and Bristol County, died of a heart attack at his home in Easton Nov. 19.

He was 80.

“My dad lived his life by the Marine Corps code,’’ God, corps, and country, said his oldest daughter, Kristin M. Brown of East Sandwich.

“It was just the way his life was.’’

Mr. Lardner would never discuss his assignment on the day Kennedy was shot or say whether he was in Dallas.

“He would never tell,’’ his daughter said.

“He had strong opinions about the assassination, but it was very difficult for him to talk about. He was never a man at a loss for words, but it was the one subject you just couldn’t approach him about.’’

Following the assassination, Mr. Lardner was assigned to the detail guarding Jacqueline Kennedy and her children. His family said they believe Mrs. Kennedy personally requested him.

After his sudden death, his daughter began sorting through his personal papers and found thank you notes from Mrs. Kennedy and jokes in the agent’s old spiral bound notebook jotted by a young Caroline Kennedy.

In one old photo, Mr. Lardner walks behind the president as he leaves a hospital pushing Mrs. Kennedy in a wheelchair. A nurse carries newborn John Jr.

In another photo, Mr. Lardner stands next to President Kennedy on a winter day. The agent wears one glove on his left hand, leaving his right hand — and his trigger finger — exposed.

Born in the Bronx, Mr. Lardner was the only son of a brick mason John and a nurse, Mary (Corcoran), who emigrated from County Kerry, Ireland. His sister Eileen died in 2009.

Mr. Lardner graduated in 1949 from Lowell High, where he played football.

He became an apprentice brick mason under his father and grandfather while going to Northeastern University. He graduated with a degree in business in 1954 and joined the Marines.

He was married more than 35 years to Karen M. (Buchwald). They met at a pub in Boston in the 1970s when she was a nurse. They had three children. His daughter Kristin recalled reveling at the sight of her father’s dress uniform.

“He would have me lead the charge through the house with my brothers and sisters in marching cadence. ‘Over hill over dale, we will hit the dusty trail . . .’ I can sing the entire song to his day,’’ said Kristin, who is a paramedic.

Mr. Lardner started out in the forgery and counterfeit department of the Secret Service before he was assigned to presidential details.

Mr. Lardner, who was known as Jack, showed little interest in his former colleague Gerald Blaine’s just published book, “The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence,’’ according to his family.

“I said, Jack you’re not going to buy the book? He said, ‘Mike, there’s a reason why we were called the Secret Service,’ ’’ his nephew said.

“I said man, oh, man, that’s old school talking.’’

Mr. Lardner also was a life-long Republican and supported Republican candidates in Massachusetts, including Senator Scott Brown.

“The only time I saw him cry in the 33 years I knew him was the day President Reagan died,’’ said his daughter. “He adored him.’’

Mr. Lardner was active in local government in Easton, where he was on the Finance Committee for several years. He was an avid tennis player and an expert skier.

In recent years, he enjoyed investing in the stock market and sharing stock tips with his family. However, he would never talk about substantial topics over cordless phones, his nephew said.

“He would always say, ‘Are you hardwired?’ He was very careful of what he would say on a telephone,’’ Michael said.

In addition to his oldest daughter and wife, Mr. Lardner leaves his son, J. Adam of Easton; another daughter, Kerry A. of Truro; and five grandchildren.

Services have been held.