This is Our American Stories, and we bring you stories of all kinds from the arts to sports

and from business to history and everything in between, including your story. Send them to our

American Network.org. That's OurAmericannetwork.org.

That's our Americannetwork.org.

And now it's time for the McClellan files,

where we go deep inside the life of Bob McClellan.

Bob is one of our favorite features on the show,

bringing us stories about his own life,

love, loss, comedy, tragedy, and success.

Today, Bob brings us a tragedy, the death of his father.

My father's doctor called to schedule a biopsy of lung tissue that they suspected might be lung

cancer. Since his lungs were in such poor condition, due to his emphysema, they wanted to use surgery and come in through the back to obtain more tissue, to be sure.

This news finally penetrated the veneer of his indifference to his health, and I heard the anxiousness in his voice when he called for me to come up to the hotel to talk to him about it.

His concern was compounded by the request to do it

the very next morning. Sitting on the bed, cigarette between his fingers, he brooded about what was

ahead. This was not the news he had anticipated and he was rattled by it. He preferred a quick

death rather than the lingering death from cancer.

We went over the entire conversations he'd had with the surgeon to figure out what to do.

Silence followed when we finished and we sat there with our own thoughts.

Finally, he lifted his big head and turning to me, he said,

You know, Bob, maybe she was still, so we could go downstairs to the bar and have a few drinks together.

I was astonished that he said that.

...