Ron Day View: An Exclusive "Living Room Session" with the Bow Tie Baron and the Songstress of Silk

Ron Day View: An Exclusive "Living Room Session" with the Bow Tie Baron and the Songstress of Silk

Re Imagined and Retold from a Re Edited Ron Day View Interview

Midstate Community Television

Apr 26, 2019

Ron: (Leaning into the camera with a grin wide enough to span the Farmington Canal) "Welcome back to Ron Day View! We are coming to you live from the most stylish Living Room in all of Cheshire, Connecticut 06410. I’m here with a duo that has more rhythm than a metronome and more class than a Harvard graduation. I’m talking about Burdon ‘Don’ G. Lowe—the man who makes a bow tie look like a weapon of mass sophistication—and his lovely bride, Ann Lowe, the woman who literally keeps this town in stitches! Don, Ann, thanks for letting me into the inner sanctum."

Don: (Adjusting a sharp butterfly-style tie) "Well, Ron, we figured since you're already wearing a clip-on, we’d bring you in and show you how a real man 'ties one on' without losing his dignity!"

Ron: (Laughing) "Ouch! Right in the polyester! Now, Don, I’ve heard the rumors. You weren't always a deacon and a bow-tie mogul. You were a drummer! A 'Colgatean'! And Ann, you were a radio star at 13 on WATR! How did this musical merger happen?"

Don: "It was the late 30s, Ron. I was the drummer for Francis Delfino and his Orchestra. I was back there keeping the beat, and I looked up and saw the most beautiful vocalist in the Naugatuck Valley. I followed her around with my drum kit for two years. Finally, in 1941, I told her: 'Ann, I think it’s time we go out and buy a kitchen set.'"

Ron: "A kitchen set? That’s the most 'purchasing agent' proposal I’ve ever heard! Is that true, Ann? Did he win you over with appliances?"

Ann: (Smiling) "It was practical, Ron! But really, I think he just married me so he could stop paying me. I was his singer, and he owed me two years of back pay. He figured if we got married, the debt would just... disappear into the household budget!"

Don: "And I’ve been playing for her ever since, Ron. No paycheck, just 64 years of 'communication and forgiveness'—and maybe a few bad jokes."

Ron: "Speaking of 'stitches,' Ann, let’s talk about these ties. How did Lowe Bow Originals start? Was it a grand business plan hatched at Risdon Manufacturing?"

Ann: "Not at all. Don just refused to wear those long 'four-in-hand' ties. He said they were messy. So

I bought a pattern, sat down at my sewing machine, and made him one. Then his friends wanted them. Then the neighbors. I was making them 'just for kicks' until we realized we had a global empire in our basement!"

Ron: "A global empire! Don, I saw the Wall Street Journal from June 1996. You were on the front page! Orders from Russia, China, England... and the packaging! Tell the folks about your 'high-tech' shipping department."

Don: (Proudly) "It’s top-of-the-line, Ron. I head down to Stop & Shop or find those Crystal Light containers—perfect size, mind you—and I pack 'em up. I put a big sticker on the front: 'This box is recycled.' We were green before it was even a color!"

Ron: "I love it! Now, I have to ask about the 'Big Names.' I heard a certain Surgeon General was a fan?"

Don: "Oh, Dr. C. Everett Koop? A wonderful man. He sent me letters, Ron. He separated Siamese twins, but he couldn't resist a Lowe Bow. He used to sign his letters to me as 'Chicken Koop.' And I told him, 'Doctor, you keep wearing the bows, and I’ll keep the jokes coming!'"

Ron: "Speaking of jokes, Don—you’re 87, you just learned to use a computer (which you call

'purgatory'), and you’ve got a book out: 'Deacon Jokes That a Pastor Can Tell.' Give me one. One clean one for the Cheshire audience."

Don: "Alright, Ron. Why did the man lay down on the bed to let the neighbor tie his bow tie? Because the neighbor used to be an undertaker! It was the only way he knew how to do it!"

Ron: (Doubled over) "Classic! Pure gold! Before we fade out, what's the secret? 65 years almost, two kids—Nancy and Martin—grandkids, a business, and you’re both still smiling."

Don: "It’s simple, Ron. Communication, forgiveness, and a really good silk butterfly tie. Because as I always say... The best is yet to come!"

Ron: "There you have it, folks! The Lowes of Cheshire. Putting the 'original' in Original. I’m off to go find a Chili Pepper tie and see if Ann can teach me how to tie it without looking like a pretzel. Back to you in the studio!"

Ron Day View: The "Lowe-Down" on Cheshire History Trivia!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPxbhYojE7E

Ron: "Alright, Cheshire neighbors! I’m still here in the Lowe family home—honestly, I might never leave, the company is too good and the silk is too soft. But before I let Don and Ann get back to their 'back-pay' negotiations, I’ve whipped up a little Cheshire History & Lowe Legend Trivia Sheet.Test your knowledge, 06410! See if you’re a true local historian or if you’ve just been wearing your clip-on too tight!

1) "The Question The "Lowe-Down" Answer Where was Don Lowe "table-born" in 1914?

2) At what age did Ann DelGrosso host her own WATR radio show?

3) What was the "proposal" that won Ann’s heart in 1941?

4) What famous surgeon signed his letters "Chicken Koop"?

5) Which Cheshire school did son Martin attend?

6) What "high-tech" shipping material did Don source from Stop & Shop?

7) What did Don call the process of learning to use a computer at age 87?

8) What are the four signature Lowe Bow styles?

9) What was the secret to a 64-year marriage according to Don?

10) Where did the Lowes serve for 27 years as a Deacon?

1) Right on the kitchen table in Waterbury! (Talk about home delivery!)

2) A mere 13 years old. She was the Shirley Temple of the Naugatuck Valley!

3) Don suggested it was time to "go out and buy a kitchen set." (The peak of romantic purchasing!)

4) Dr. C. Everett Koop, the former U.S. Surgeon General and loyal Lowe Bow fan.

5) Cheshire Academy.

6) Recycled cardboard cartons (specifically those sturdy Crystal Light ones).

7) "Purgatory." (Though he conquered it to write his joke book!)

8) Butterfly, Straight, Pointed, and the spicy "Chili Pepper."

9) "Communication and Forgiveness." (And never wearing a four-in-hand tie!)

10) St. Bridget of Sweden Church right here in town.

Ron: "Alright, settle in, Cheshire! I've twisted Don’s arm—well, not literally, he’s a Deacon after all—to give us the 'Best of the Basement.' You know, Don always says humor is the best medicine for the 'purgatory' of life, and at 91 years young, he’s got the delivery of a Vegas pro.

Straight from his book, 'Deacon Jokes That a Pastor Can Tell... Possibly Even a Bishop,' here are the top 5 'Clean as a Whistle' zingers that raised thousands for the Hartford Diocese. Take it away, Don!"

### The Deacon’s "Top 5" Good Humor List

1. The "Knotty" Professional

"A fellow was heading to a big fancy banquet at the Copley Plaza, but he realized he couldn't tie his own bow tie to save his life. He knocked on the door of the room next to him and asked the gentleman there for help. The man said, 'Sure, but you’ll have to lie down flat on the bed.' The fellow thought it was odd, but he did it. The man tied a perfect butterfly knot. As he stood up, the fellow asked, 'Why’d I have to lie down?' The man replied, 'Well, in my day job, I’m an undertaker, and it’s the only way I know how to work!'"

2. The High-Seas Caffeine

"I was reading about the Titanic the other day. Truly a tragedy, but did you know they had a very specific brand of coffee on board? It’s a historical fact! They called it... Sanka!" (Don follows this with a loud, infectious laugh—you can't help but join in!)

3. The Kitchen Table Legacy

"People ask me about my name, Burdon. My father named me after his boss at the Scovill Manufacturing factory. I was born right on the kitchen table in Waterbury, and when my mother saw me, she told my father, 'Well, he’s mine!' I think my dad was just trying to get a raise naming me after the boss. I never did find out if he got that nickel-an-hour bump!"

4. The "In Stitches" Retirement

"Folks always ask if I miss running the bow tie business now that we've reached the 'Golden Years' here in Cheshire. I just tell them the truth: Ann is in stitches, and I can’t tie one on anymore! It’s a 'seamless' transition into retirement, don’t you think?"

5. The Computer Purgatory

"I learned to use a word processor at 87 years old to write my book. Now, I’ve heard many sermons about the afterlife, but I can tell you from personal experience: Purgatory isn't a place you go after you die—it’s trying to figure out where your file went when you hit the 'Save' button!"

Ron: "There you have it! The 'Purveyor of Good Humor' himself. Don, you’ve got better timing than a Swiss watch!

I’m going to go see if I can find a Chili Pepper tie in the archives to wear to the next Historical Society meeting. Ann, Don—thank you for keeping Cheshire colorful, musical, and always laughing.