A Growing Family

I returned home from Korea in September 1954, and Ann and I began building a home and growing a family.  And the family did grow.  Our son Sandy Jr. was born in November 1953 while I was overseas.  Stuart came along in 1956, Harold in 1959, Robert in 1960, and Eric in 1964.  All the […]

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Eight months after Ann and I were married, I completed work on my master’s degree at the University of North Carolina.  Within a few weeks I entered the United States Army, and, following basic training, the remainder of my military service was overseas. I told the story in last week’s post titled “In the Army […]

Communicate

I have been posing items in this blog for more that six months.  Occasionally I get a bit of feedback, mostly positive, but I really have no idea how many people are reading my posts.  The web site tracks some users, but those who come to it via twitter or facebook are not recorded.  I […]

In the Army Now!

When Ann and I left Chapel Hill in August 1952, the Korean War was just a bit over two years old.  Many people today tend to forget that it was a United Nations endorsed effort in support of South Korea, and many nations furnished troops to fend off North Korean and Chinese aggressors.  Of course, […]

The Blind Side

I am writing about the blind side.  No, I am not referring to the American game of football and the sad truth that quarterbacks do not have eyes in the back of their head. Instead, I refer to the political and social biases that make it so hard for us to see and understand the […]

High School and College

After finishing the sixth grade at Carolina Beach Elementary School, my next two school years (1941-43) were spent at Winter Park Junior High on the eastern outskirts of Wilmington.  The school was about 15 miles distant from the beach, and a school bus picked us up every weekday morning.  Because of the distance from home […]

Beyond Ourselves

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace. This beautiful sentence of Elizabeth Barrett Browning expresses the sort of feeling that is beyond our ability to describe.  No dictionary can provide words adequate to describe such […]

Important Post

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised to pass the new Equality Act.  Do you understand what is in it?  I urge you to read the my post, “LGBT Issues.,” that I wrote in early November but am republishing today.  Also read the following article by Emilie Kao, Director of the Richard and Helen Devos Center for […]

Taxes, Deficits, and Debt

Among many other things, Benjamin Franklin is remembered for saying “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I do not pretend to be an expert on economics or financial matters.  The mysteries of national and international financial manipulations are beyond my ken, and I tend to avoid thinking or […]