On the Wednesday, January 2, 2019 broadcast of Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons we featured an interview I held in 2016 with the late Roy Rowan of Greenwich on my other radio show Marvels of China: Pathways to the Pacific Rim on 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com anywhere.
That broadcast is now Asia Today with Jeffrey Bingham Mead.
That broadcast is now Asia Today with Jeffrey Bingham Mead.
Roy Rowan was a living legend. Rowan was a veteran author-journalist and avid fisherman -but he was much more.
Rowan was one of the great, legendary American reporters for Henry Luce and Time and Life magazines. He covered the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s, the Korean War and other places for 50 years.
In another twist of circumstance, it turned out that 96-year-old Roy Rowan and I were almost neighbors here in Greenwich, Connecticut USA. I couldn't believe my luck.
His book, Chasing the Dragon: A Veteran Journalist's Firsthand Account of the 1949 Chinese Revolution was given to me by a mutual friend of ours. I was captivated.
Accompanied by Mr. Liming Guan of The China Press of New York City, we paid Roy Rowan a visit to his home on Steamboat Road near Greenwich Harbor.
Another dimension of China's history came alive that day from the comfort of Mr. Rowan's living room.
"Roy Rowan's spellbinding account of China's earth-rattling Communist Revolution," said Tom Brokaw of NBC News, "is high drama and great journalism-all that I'd expect from one of the best."
Stella Dong, author of Shanghai: The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City 1842-1949 said, "Chasing the Dragon is both enthralling personal history and an invaluable eyewitness account of China. Rowan offers a riveting insider's view of pre-Communist China and records its last death those with a keen eye for history and human detail."
Waltar Isaacson, president of the Aspen Club and author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life has this to say about Roy Rowan and his memoir: "This colorful eyewitness account of the Communists' 1949 takeover of China is the perfect blend of journalism and history. Roy Rowan tells this amazing tale with the firsthand excitement of a young reporter and the wisdom of a veteran China watcher. In a very personal and readable way, his book explores war, historic forces, colorful characters and the thrill of journalism."
We also heard about how the people of Greenwich bid farewell to 1928 and welcomed 1929.
Tune in to the broadcast of Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons on Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com anywhere. It starts at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time every other Wednesday morning after the top-of-the-hour news.
The host and producer of the show is Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a descendant of the founders of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut (Founded July 18, 1640).
Learn more at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com.
Also, please CLICK THIS LINK to the current crowdfunding campaign to support and underwrite the costs of producing and bringing you Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons on 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com anywhere.
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