When I was a young teenager, the television happened to be on, when I noticed that an instructional program was about to be shown to teach how to play “Folk Guitar.” I ran upstairs to find my brother’s guitar that he had always intended to learn to play.

The series was only a few lessons, but I learned the names of the guitar strings, basic chords, how to strum in different ways, and how to do runs, along with a little bit about reading music. I ordered the instructional booklets so that I could keep the information and the words to the songs demonstrated. I still have two or three but lost one or two, having loaned them to someone else.

The series was created by Laura Weber and Virginia Duncan in 1966. At the time, this video series was cutting edge technology, and was recorded long before the first how-to-videos for quilting were ever done. I would call this a pioneer program and have never seen anything like it since! While I have sometimes said that I received virtually no formal musical training, actually I learned a lot through this free, educational folk guitar series. Of course, I also learned a lot as a member of the Glee Club in high school!

There is a lot to be said for sharing information freely. Apparently, Jim and I believe in that theory as you will notice, if you view our website. Information is the best resource known to man. Often, it helps to guide our ways, or inspires us to new levels of creativity.

I am a strong believer in public television. One can count on the stations for unbiased presentation of material. When my son was small, he devoured every episode of Sesame Street. When he was grown-up, he enjoyed “Pride and Prejudice,” and other Jane Austen movies. There have been wonderful and enriching musical programs from “Celtic Woman,” to “Andrea Boccelli,” (my personal favorite).

Whether you like music, drama, quality programs for kids, or just want to learn to cook, turn to Public Television. In these hard economic times, think about sending them a few dollars of support. You will feel good about that, knowing that every dollar is used wisely and helps them to continue in their educational mission.

The local call letters for public television are in Boston, and . Please be generous.

Patricia Cummings