wrote:

I was pleased with my local VE team's performance (all four,
not just three) and congratulated them after the testing was
over. [I observed them while they were observing me and the
applicant group]

They were ARRL VEs, weren't they?

Perhaps this was the same VE team that tested the 4 1/2 year old? That way,
they could likewise "mentor" old geezers during their examination, so said
bitter old geezers could get their 'license'?