For us, grand kids, our earliest recollections of "oh gosh" were related to those funny guys on TV!

As silly kids when we would have a summer lemonade stand on the front lawn, we might add..that we grew up in the home that Shemp and Babe lived earlier. Frequently, tour buses would drive up quite slowly and stop dead center of our house, not interested in an ice cold lemonade, fresh squeezed from one of Shemp's nurtured lemon trees. The tourists would snap photos and point. Of course we smiled , jumped around like idiots and ran into the house to tell our mom. To this day those buses still make the route to the Shemp Howard home. After school also we would do the channel 52 Stooges hour. Our mother Geri would say "Look girls, there's your papa Shemp. We always referred to him and still do as "Papa Shemp". During our high school years we would often feel some of our friend were only close to us because of the connections to such famous personalities. Our neighborhood was tightly woven with movie stars, their kids, we're sure, share those same feelings as us.

Today at any given time whether it be on the airwaves, a comedy series, TV talk shows, The Stooges are always mentioned in one form or another. Everyone loves those Stooges!.. Their popularity continues to soar and we all know that it will continue into generations to follow. Shemp was truly proud of the comedy the Stooges invented together. Sandie has been told throughout her life that she resembles Shemp. Wasn't he voted the ugliest man in Hollywood? "Thanks Papa Shemp for that legacy, thanks a bunch!"

The last thing we would like to address is how many ways we have heard the pronunciation of Shemp's name and how we both have seen it written. Here goes.... Say it out loud yourself to see how funny it sounds.. CHEMP, SHRIMP, SKEMP, SHAM, SHEP, SEMP, SKEMPT, SHLEMP. Thank you all and hope you have enjoyed a little piece of our family history.
Jill and Sandie Howard >Shemp's #1 fans.