1966
Leroy’s first son George is killed in Viet-Nam. Leroy goes into a tailspin of legendary proportions. Kate, not comfortable with either wild excess or children, sends him home for the funeral and is relieved when he stays with Adelle for nearly a year. She works on her paintings and has been learning to play guitar on the old Martin Leroy bought her before the war news.
1967
The Summer of Love. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Leroy buys three cottage-type homes in Laurel Canyon north of LA. Kate’s got an art show in a Seattle studio, and is elated when she sells one acrylic painting for $135. Leroy’s become a war protester and is into the new music.
1968
Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy are assassinated. Their deaths push Leroy back into a dark rage against the war. He attends the violent protests at the Chicago Democratic convention, listens with anger as Richard Nixon declares himself the “law and order” candidate.
The Rag, The Wire And The Big Store Page 8