On February 29, 1976, a phone call from John Seigenthaler to 28-year-old Al Gore Jr. set in motion the beginning of a political career whose twists and turns have been unique in American history.
Included in this story about that call and its aftermath are audio links with never-before-broadcast recollections from the late Sen. Albert Gore Sr. of his son's decision to run for the congressional seat vacated by Joe L. Evins. I interviewed the senator in 1992 for a feature on Al Gore's journalistic career:
Albert Gore Sr. was in California on the morning of March 1 when the telephone woke him at about 2:00 a.m. He picked up the phone and heard his son's voice. "Son! Are you hurt?" asked the Senator.
"No, no Dad. Nothing bad has happened. Congressman Joe Evins has just announced he will not seek re-election, and I'm running."
The father paused. "That sort of took my breath away," he recalls, "and I finally got around to saying, 'Well, son, I'll vote for you.' That's the extent of the conversation we had and the part I had in his decision to run for Congress."
Just thought I'd share.
-Tom