Saturday, July 30, 2005

Moving On A new version of the class News & Views page is running in another location. Please update your bookmarks. This location will close down in late August. 2:11:22 PM    comment []

	Thursday, July 28, 2005

New Lincoln Museum in Springfield The presidential museum has drawn lots of national attention, and one of the better articles appeared early in July in the Washington Post. The exhibits try to bring antebellum days to life, mostly with special-effects. Still to come is a presidential library, which will be one of the nation's great centers for research on the nineteenth-century Midwest. The areas around the Old State Capitol and the Lincoln Home recreate that era, as does the Elijah Iles house, at Seventh and Cook, which will open in late September, 2005. 10:05:55 AM    comment []

The American Fifties If you'd like to understand better the era in which we grew up, I have two recommendations: a fabulous book by David Halberstam, The Fifties (1994), also available on tape, and a course at Penn called "The Literature & Culture of the American 1950s." There's a more commercial site of nostalgia and trivia, Fifties Web, which is fun to surf as well. 9:58:06 AM    comment []

The Wages of Entitlement Donald Murray, a columnist for The Boston Globe, recently wrote some sentiments that many of us may feel as we approach the age of retirement and Social Security: "As children of the Great Depression, we didn't feel entitled to a home, an auto, icebox, wringer, radio, four-party phone, electric fan. I can't remember any sense of entitlement. If you wanted a bike or a hot-water heater for the bathtub, you could have it -- if you worked for it. "My grandchildren can't imagine an age without laptops and cellphones. I remember shoes that were resoled with metal, frozen long johns stiffly dancing on the clothes line. "Pencils were worn down to the nub, brown grocery bags flattened out and used for homework, collars and cuffs turned inside-out so the wear wouldn't show. Children were not asked what they wanted for supper, they were served and the plate cleaned or . . .. "The irony is that we were able to give our children and grandchildren the benefits of our wealth, but in doing so, we were not able to pass on the energy and drive that came with economic and social hunger." Text of the full column is here. 9:43:26 AM    comment []

	Saturday, July 9, 2005

Address Changes New addresses appear in the Directory on the '58 Web site for: Bob Fitzsimmons Ruth Lance Gore Bill Ice Laurel Loibl McKee Judy Vicars Van Hagen 9:14:37 AM    comment []

	Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Where's George? Ever wonder where the dollar bill in your wallet has traveled? You may register its number at Where's George and get a report on the places it turns up in the future. Even if you don't want to play, it's kind of fun to see how far our money goes these days. 12:13:24 PM    comment []

	Friday, June 3, 2005

Nick Graebel Nick is retiring after 40 years in the Madison, WI fire department. He has the second-longest term of service in the department's history, according to a story on the NBC-TV site for Madison. Here is the text: He's spent his career risking his life to save others. This Friday, one of Madison's most dedicated public servants is calling it quits. Saturday morning he's officially retiring after more than 40 years as a member of the Madison Fire Department. Lt. Richard Graebel says his years of service leave him with memories of helping people. but some fire calls stand out. "But one of the sillier ones we had, we had a case down at the Edgewater Hotel where a guy caught his head in a bar rail, and we got called out for that one." Graebel says new technology makes firefighting better than ever, and says he'd do it all over again. Friday, his co-workers gathered to wish him well and thank him for his dedication. Graebel is the second longest serving firefighter in Madison history. 11:06:42 PM    comment []

	Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Lois Body About two weeks ago, Miss Body had a bad fall in her home on West Governor Street in Springfield. She sustained several injuries and was alone for about 30 minutes before her neighbor and caregiver, Jerry Myers, found her. She recovered in Memorial Hospital and then asked to be transferred to a nursing home in Watseka, Illinois, where she grew up on a nearby farm. She will remain there for the foreseeable future. Miss Body means a great deal to the many students who took her English classes at SHS. You may send cards to her or else an e-mail message to me; I will collect and pass them on, perhaps with flowers or candy. Jerry says that she is alert, has a good memory, and that she enjoys hearing from friends, but is unable to write messages. Jerry will keep me posted on her condition, and I will let you know here. Her age is now 91 and her birth date is March 23, 1914. Her mailing address: Miss Lois M. Body Iroquois Resident Home 200 East Fairman Avenue Watseka, IL 60970 9:39:15 PM    comment []

	Sunday, May 8, 2005

Catching Up I apologize to my readers for the long silence. I've been passing through Spring Crunch, which every year makes March and April very crowded, as we graduate one group of students and admit another. In the midst of lectures, seminars, papers, exams, letters, grants, and meetings, there's little time left for private enterprise. In this interval, much has happened. On the plus side, Illinois went to the Final Two, the Lincoln museum and library opened, Jim Hollis published a new book, and Gourmet Magazine declared Cozy Dog one of America's Ten Greatest Drive-Ins. On the down side, both Bill Ice and Pat Dowling underwent major surgeries, Suzanne Lee Boyd lost her husband, Ray, and Janet Bailey Kerner lost her mother, aged 92. I'll have more to say soon about some of these items. To everyone, thanks for your notes of news and your kind remarks about the '58 site and news page. Our friends in Springfield are already beginning to think about plans for a Fabulous 50th Reunion in 2008. Let's hope we have a huge turnout! 8:22:30 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2005 William Howarth. Last update: 7/30/05; 2:11:29 PM.