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Tag: John

James dorm room
Not his father’s dorm room

Not his father’s dorm room

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Did you know Farmer Gary went to Rose-Hulman, too? Here’s the story: During his junior year of high school (circa 1972), Gary decided to participate in College Day. That’s the annual opportunity to meet with representatives from various colleges and universities. The appointment schedules for these one-on-one meetings were taped up in the hallway. As Gary made his way from list to list, he noticed one school’s sign-up sheet was blank. So he signed up. His interview with Rose-Hulman was…

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President Truman addresses Boys Nation 1946
Best All Around in ’46

Best All Around in ’46

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Remember when Bill Clinton was running for president and this picture went public of him as a teenager, shaking hands with President John Kennedy? Well, that was during an annual event called Boys Nation. It was (and still is) sponsored by the American Legion. My dad attended the very first gathering back in August of 1946. Dad also shook the president’s hand, as is tradition during the week-long convention for future leaders from every state. Only his presidential handshake was…

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Johnny, Christmas 1992
Merry mondegreen

Merry mondegreen

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What in the world is a mondegreen? It’s when you mis-hear words, phrases, lyrics. Here’s an example: Creedence Clearwater Revival’s There’s a bad moon on the rise is heard by some as There’s a bathroom on the right. With this nod to the 25th of the month, here’s an August Christmas story. John has always been a singer. Even as a little kid, our middle child would belt out songs at the top of his lungs. Even when he didn’t…

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1944 8th Grade Graduation - Mom
Graduation day

Graduation day

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Nowadays, there are graduation ceremonies to celebrate moving on from nearly every grade and every activity. It used to annoy me until I realized the end result could be a photo like this one: Back in my parents’ day, though, it took many years of study to achieve a graduation ceremony. At St. Francis School in New Haven, Connecticut, there was even a group portrait taken when the class passed out of 8th grade. There’s Mom – Joan Cassidy- in…

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Gary and Paula Werne family, 2002
Too Much Brudders

Too Much Brudders

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This whole retirement thing has been a fascinating experiment. Tomorrow marks the start of Week 2; the most interesting part so far has been the reaction of my (now former) co-workers. “What will you do?” “Will you stay in the area?” “Will you travel? All questions were accompanied by looks of deep concern. It was baffling. The worst part was the incessant use of the term “your next chapter.” So in fact, those questions were: What will you do in…

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