Memorial

When I wrote a few weeks ago about the passing of my brother-in-spirit, Ken Gibson, I mentioned that he was caring for his father, who had himself been in the hospital for two days when Ken died.Ken's father was also named Kenneth Gibson, and this had been a source of confusion for me and others, going all the way back to high school when I had to remember to ask for "John" … [Read more...] about Ken Gibson, Rest In Peace (reprise)

Someone named David M. left a moving comment on Scott Greenfield's Memorial Day post: My grandfather was drafted out of the Hitler Youth into the Luftwaffe in ’43, when he was 16. In early ’45, he was assigned to man an AA gun, shooting at American planes. When the Americans crossed the Rhine in March and it was clear that the war was lost, he deserted along with a few of his … [Read more...] about Memorial Day 2015

Dammit, Roger Ebert died.Over at the Chicago Sun-Times, Neil Steinberg has an obituary/eulogy for him. As with other great eulogies I've read, I finish it feeling like I've missed out on something good by never getting to know the subject personally.Yet, in a way I can't help feeling like I did know Roger Ebert personally. He's been part of my life since I was a child, … [Read more...] about Going To The Movies Won’t Be The Same

Memorial Day always makes me think of my father. He was a veteran of World War II and he was born on May 30, the traditional date for Memorial Day, although my dad always called it by its original name, Decoration Day. It was, in origin, a day for decorating the graves of soldiers. Fortunately, the day doesn't have a lot of personal significance for me. Other than veterans like … [Read more...] about Decoration Day