Seattle has become one of the most important cultural and economic centers of the world.The Seattle baby-boomers (and a few, early Generation X slackers) have led the way in business, high-tech, music and the arts. Our area is known for as producing open-minded and creative people.

What shared experience sparked our imaginations? Was it a lack of oxygen at the top of the Space Needle? Was it a bad batch of clams from Ivars? No, I think we all know whose fault it is!

It's J.P., the guy we spent two hours with every day! (2 hours a day over 10-15 years adds up to thousands of hours...If you're still reading (and with your attention span that's a stretch) this should frighten you.

To a child growing up near Puget Sound in the 60s and 70s, appearing on the J.P. Patches Show was one of the requirements of a full life (right up there with visiting ¹DisneyLand). If you weren't on the show, the next best thing was meeting J.P. in person (and thanks to the generous and indefatigable J.P., there were plenty of opportunities ). It's something that every Patches Pal remembers as a highlight of their childhood (again, this should concern you).

J.P.'s show outlasted other children's programs on the air and in the memories of his viewers.

¹DisneyLand" is trademark of the large and litigious Walt Disney Corporation and should not to be confused with PatchesLand, a "city dump" theme park now in it's 23^rd year of construction in Dumpsville, WA.