Category: Memoir

2024 Reading Roundup

Books have brought me into worlds I wouldn’t otherwise know

This past year’s reading has brought me into worlds and cultures I wouldn’t otherwise know. I have visited Nazi Germany (three times), ancient Palestine, Soviet Russia, Revolutionary Russia, Cold War Europe, South Africa, Victorian Australia, Spanish colonization, Antarctica, even those spheres of oppression, depression, gene editing, scientific research, cosmology, and quantum physics.

These books have taught me more about myself and those around me. I have reveled in the wonders of my own body, and have gained insights into wellness, happiness, and better working and personal relationships.

These books have ignited my imagination through creative storytelling. I’ve entered several classic tales for the first time, and have revisited some inspiring old favorites.

These books have expanded my knowledge in a great many subjects: natural, geologic, and cultural history; economics, public policy, activism; exploitation, greed, commerce, philanthropy; psychology, volunteer organizing, and leadership in philosophical differences and changing cultures. And so much more!

My favorites and recommendations are noted with an asterisk. But here are my special mentions:

  • Most satisfying ending: Angel of Vengeance
  • Most surprising over what I thought I knew about it: Tarzan of the Apes
  • Most over my head: The Physics of Immortality
  • Most annoying: HHhH (author reports true things, then confesses he made them up)
  • Most wide-ranging scope: Saving the Redwoods
  • Most spiritually revealing: New Morning Mercies
  • Most enjoyable biography/memoir: Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story
  1. * Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, Hans J. Massaquoi
  2. The Handbook for Health: 5 Essential Pillars for Optimized Wellness, Dr. Christopher Turnpaugh with Dr. Cynthia West
  3. The 6 Types of Working Genius: a Better Way to Understand Your Frustrations and Your Team, Patrick Lencioni
  4. * The Body: a Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
  5. * Only One Year: How Joseph Stalin’s Daughter Broke Through the Iron Curtain, Svetlana Alliluyeva
  6. The Millionaires, Brad Meltzner
  7. Name All the Animals: a Memoir, Alison Smith
  8. * The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People, Dan Buettner
  9. * The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race, Walter Isaacson
  10. * From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Vern
  11. A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, Aldo Leopold
  12. * Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
  13. * Inkspell, Cornelia Funke
  14. * Inkdeath, Cornelia Funke
  15. * The Noticer, Andy Andrews
  16. HHhH “Himmler’s brain is called Heydrich”, Laurent Binet
  17. Bethlehem, Karen Kelly
  18. Homecoming, Kate Morton
  19. The Trail, Robert Whitlow
  20. Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton
  21. * The Last Days of Night, Graham Moore
  22. * Still Life With Crows, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  23. * Shackleton’s Stowaway, Victoria McKernan
  24. The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis
  25. White Fire, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  26. Three Sisters, Heather Morris
  27. * Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
  28. Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom, Elliot Roosevelt
  29. * The Scorpion’s Tail, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  30. The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing and Multiplying Leaders, John C. Maxwell
  31. Mayday, Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block
  32. * The Oath, Frank Peretti
  33. Community Recreation and Parks Handbook, Sue Landes
  34. Financing Municipal Recreation and Parks, Sue Landes
  35. Absolute Friends, John le Carré
  36. * The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, Jim DeFede
  37. Humorous Stories and Sketches, Mark Twain
  38. Murders on Alcatraz, George DeVincenzi
  39. * Palisades Park, Alan Brennert
  40. Skin: Revenge is Beautiful, Ted Dekker
  41. * A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
  42. * Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughes
  43. Just Tell Them I Love Them: a Hospice Chaplain’s Invitation to Live Well, Helen Burke
  44. * Take This Cup, Bodie and Brock Thoene
  45. The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Michael D. Watkins
  46. * Saving the Redwoods: The Movement to Rescue a Wonder of the Natural World, Joseph H. Engbeck, Jr.
  47. * Eternal, Lisa Scottoline
  48. * Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story by Jack Benny and his daughter Joan
  49. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Roobinson
  50. * Healing Stones, Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn
  51. * Angel of Vengeance, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  52. The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead, Frank J. Tippler
  53. * New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional, Paul David Tripp

The Grange Fair

150th edition!

We were pleased to attend the 150th annual Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair this week. The historic affair started in 1874 as an extension of the National Grange to improve the economic wellbeing of farmers, a group particularly hard hit by the aftermath of the Civil War and economic downturn.

It was lovely. It was not stinking hot, nor humid, nor rainy, nor muddy, nor particularly crowded. And! It was Seniors Day, so our admission was gratefully free!

But it was not our first visit. In 1976, the singing/touring group I was a part of, Re-Creation, performed on the Grange Stage with a patriotic afternoon show in our red-white-and-blues, and in the evening, in our gowns and leisure suits with our Christian program. What I remember most was that it was quite cold that evening: we guys buttoned up our lime green leisure suits right to the neck, covering up our lusciously large, pointy-lapelled shirts with the large green triangles on them. What you can’t see from this image is our two-toned green vinyl shoes!

For comparison, here’s a pic of the same stage this week with the famous Van-Dells performing in their farewell tour. As you can see, the little shed situated right on the stage deck is gone, and they’ve built a full-sized grandstand. The only thing’s the same, even though you can’t see it, is the mountain in the distance.

Anyway, we enjoyed viewing the competitive crafts, canned goods, fresh vegetables, prize-winning boxes of hay, and livestock – even the light farm tractor pulls. You can’t see those just anywhere anymore. Here are a few views of the wares and encampment. Sorry no animal pics this time, although we did visit the beef and dairy cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, sheep, and swine stalls.

An old friend died last week

God rest his soul

One of my unforgettable college memories didn’t happen in class, in the dorm, or even on campus. It did, however, involve a quite chilly night, a great snowy hill, a goofy bunch of friends, a slick toboggan, and a lot of carrying on in the dark on the farm of our hosts, Elna and Charles Antle. And as I recall, the rowdy antics continued indoors with some boisterous singing around Elna at the piano, and some spilling of hot chocolate.

When I met Charles, he was a Penn State statistics professor who loved working his farm, and the company of students—and he had a knack of bringing them together!

He effortlessly ensnared when he told me he had some work I could do for him on the farm. Which I did. It was hot and strenuous. I grew up on a farm, so the work was not strange to me, but it’s not like I was actually looking for a list of unpaid chores to do, either! Turns out Charles was a regular Tom Sawyer who convinced me I’d be doing myself a favor by helping him out. Several times!

What rang out so true in his memorial service yesterday, which was conducted entirely by his loving grandchildren, was his unflappable sunny optimism, his relentless cheerfulness, his extreme generosity, his thankful nature, and his loving spirit. What a guy!

Carol had the privilege of being his therapist and caregiver in the last seven years of his life. Together she’d get him to exercise his legs a bit, walk around the house, or drive him around to visit friends, or for a ride through the valley farms, or for a haircut, and even to McDonald’s for ten cheeseburgers at a time (which he’d freeze at home for later!) And she absorbed many of his stories about his time in Korea, his early life, farming, his family, and his unshakeable belief in all the goodness around him—even in his 93-yr-old frailty.  

To me, Charles was more of an influence on me than I realized until I had my own family—at least, in his penchant for enlisting free labor.

As our four grown children can testify, there was always some work to do outside as they were growing up on the Herd Homestead. On our few acres tucked up against the Blue Mountain and the headwaters of the Hokendauqua Creek, they—and this is the critical comparison—they and their visiting friends were often enlisted on some “short” project, that “won’t take long,” but usually did anyway. Whether it was hauling the maple leaves out of the front yard on a tarp; or weeding the garden; or removing the old rain gutters from the two-story garage (or even better—scaling the ladder to remove all the former maple-seeds-gone-to-black-gunk in the house gutters!); or to help to prepare all the materials for our company’s annual Staff Training Day, they didn’t escape. And in doing so, not only did they help me out, but they also developed a little personal keepsake called Real Character: A legacy gift, I’d say, passed on from a true gentleman farmer; a truly good man, our friend, Mr. Charles Antle.

When you have to kick your family out of your restaurant

How could it come to this?

Following my attendance at back-to-back professional conferences last month in Salt Lake City and Seattle, we took the Pacific northwest opportunity to visit our son Andrew, who lives near Vancouver, BC.

From there we accepted an invitation to visit my second cousins Jill and Barry Bryan, who live on Vancouver Island. The last time we visited, we made the 6-hour trip from Andrew’s place via bus and train to the terminal, then on a huge ferry threading through the smaller islands of the Salish Sea to Vancouver Island, then another bus to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, where they live. (Seems funny that the provincial capital is not on the mainland, eh?) This time he rented an EVO car, and we cut 2 hours off the land portion of the commute.

On the day we arrived, their daughter Elizabeth opened her new restaurant, Emmaline’s, and we were very pleased to attend her premier. This is not her first restaurant: she had great popular success with her previous venture, Dock Lunch in Vancouver City, until she lost the lease on the building. Here’s a wonderful background story on the new venture.  

We arrived at opening hour with Jill and Barry, and enjoyed the sparkling ambiance with other early patrons. The outside seating area and neighboring businesses were reflected in its newly painted glass door. For us, it was a relaxing, beautiful evening in a beautiful setting. For Elizabeth, it was quite different: I was lucky to capture her for the 1/500th of a second it took to take her photo.

Soon, we were happy to see that her eager patrons had filled the dining area and lined up out the door onto the sidewalk! And very soon after that, the owner asked (told!) her parents to go home—she needed the table! She brought her dad a piece of chocolate cake to go. And offered to bring more home—if there was any left at closing!

We gladly vacated, grateful to be able to share in her opening night. We wish Elizabeth and her business partners a huge success with Emmaline’s!

Commencements revisited

50 years a graduate

Fifty years ago today, I graduated from high school. Photographic proof: My sideburns and me accepting our diploma from the school board president.

Northampton Area High School does a classy thing each year when it invites alumni who had graduated 50 years previously to attend the current class’s Commencement exercises.

More than 100 of my classmates returned to a reception in our honor, and mingled with vaguely familiar people who reminded us of old friends we used to know! (What a half-century can do to a person!)

Under perfect weather for an evening outdoors, we were privileged to sit behind the graduating class in the very same stadium in which we had last assembled. Each of us was respectfully introduced by name, before ceremonies moved forward with the speeches and business at hand. And at sunset, we stood and sang the Alma Mater with our younger mates, with lyrics that—remarkably!—came back to mind.

Speaking of privilege, the historic day’s other momentous event must be called out. 80 years ago, and 30 years prior to our own day in the sun, boys about the same age that we were then died in the D-Day Operation of June 6, 1944, in the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The sacrifices of our parents’ generation for ours, and for those of today, cannot be overappreciated. We stand on the crucial—and at times sacrificial and heroic—work of those who have preceded us. May it ever be so with each generation’s contributions to the future good of society. Here’s to the Class of 2024!

A legacy in writing

Among the little things I inherited with the passing of my dad is what may yet prove to be a lifetime supply of No. 3 pencils, all embossed with his name, business and address. They’re modest, durable, and reliable—just like the man himself.

The Dean of weather forecasting

celebrating a legacy

I was a highly impressed freshman meteorology student when I first met the dean of Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Charles Hosler. He regaled us with stories from when he was a professor of meteorology in the 1950s and 60s, conducting then-cutting-edge experiments in weather modification. He confessed that if it rained after an experiment, it was tremendously difficult to tell if was due to the experiment, or it would have rained anyway! So the experiments were abandoned, but not before he had aroused fierce opposition from local farmers who attributed everything they didn’t like about the weather to him and Penn State—even accusing the university of flying a black airplane at night to seed the clouds when no one would notice. Once he was even shot at.

Dean Hosler, as I knew him, died last November at the age of 99. Today, I attended the Celebration of Charles Hosler’s Penn State Life and Legacy on campus, in the building that used to house the weather tower on the eighth floor when I was a student (and which is connected to what is now named the Hosler Building).

In the college’s announcement of his passing, it noted that “Hosler was one of the early titans of weather forecasting. He created one of the first television weather shows when he started broadcasting weather forecasts from Penn State in 1957, with a goal of providing more accurate weather forecasts for Pennsylvanians.”

Dr. Hosler received many awards for his research and administrative excellence over his long career. After serving 20 years as dean of the Earth and Mineral Sciences College, he became Penn State’s senior vice president for research and the dean of the Graduate School, and acting executive vice president and provost before retiring in 1992. I was glad to have been inspired by his example and earn my degree under his leadership in the atmospheric sciences.

Jerks I have known and resisted

(And how not to be one)

In the 2024 Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump urged supporters to go vote for him despite a life-threatening cold snap. “You can’t sit home,” he demanded. “Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.” (reported in The Week, Jan. 26, 2024)

Jerks have a way of making everything about them, without a care for others.

Trouble is, jerks have infested nearly every area of life. Not only do they harm people, they are often contagious, influencing imitators of their poor behaviors. See above.

But to those who are aware that behaviors have consequences, jerks can be great role models—for how NOT to act.

This short list comes from my personal experiences. My purpose in identifying some of the noxious results is to hopefully arrest the actions of potential jerks before they permanently damage other people.

Belittler. He was the VP at Orkin Exterminating, where I worked as a termite inspector salesman, who occasionally attended our daily 7:30 AM sales meetings to “motivate” our salesmanship. “If your customer doesn’t want to buy,” he declared in all seriousness, “you just bring on the tears.” Another time, he publicly belittled our top salesman in front of everyone, to show (I suppose) who was the real Top Dog. Of course, that motivated our guy to move on to other opportunities. After more than 40 years, what I remember most about Mr. VP is his stupidly uncaring arrogance.

• Be a builder of people instead of a demolisher.

Deceiver. When I worked at Kiawah Island Resort, I directed and sang with a small group of interns who performed every Saturday night at the Pig & Oyster Roast. My boss had hired them based on whether they said they could sing. (I was lucky: they could!) But he continually misled them on their working expectations. They, in turned complained to me. I eventually confronted him about his lying, and he broke down and bawled in front of me. I was just 22 years old myself, and didn’t know how to respond to that. What I remember most is his excessive self-boasting to (apparently) cover up his insecurities.

• Honesty builds trust. Trust builds relationships. Relationships build respect.

Micromanager. I became one of the first Recycling Coordinators in Pennsylvania when the state law requiring it went into effect, working for the City of Bethlehem. I reported to the head of the City Health Department. Two memorable quotes from his mouth: “Listen, I know more about this than you!” as he berated a citizen over the phone who had questioned him. And in a particularly revealing moment with me, he confided: “I should have been a cop because I like telling people what to do.” To this day, he has been my prime example of the interfering and ineffective micromanager.

• Hire good people, give good guidance, and let them make good for you.

Yeller. I once took up an offer of no rent from a farmer in exchange for feeding his pigs everyday (upwards of 200) and mucking out the stalls on Saturdays. It didn’t take long to discover his unpredictable temper that could explode at any moment. I got screamed at several times a week, mainly for infractions he seemed to make up on the spot. (He reminded me of the temperamental character of Quint in the movie Jaws.) He never apologized, and then carried on as if nothing at all happened. I remember him as a pitiable, angry man who preferred ignorance.

• Get the best of your temper before it brings out the worst in you.

Bully. I sold my business to a nonprofit group that was to pay me over a period of years, but unfortunately didn’t understand the work involved to make it successful. The Board promptly ran it into the ground in 18 months, and then sued me to get out of the agreement. Bullying can be verbal, physical, social, cyber or legal, as in my case; they stiffed me on 90 percent of our agreed sale price. I could have countersued, but the assets no longer existed. I donated the remains of the business in exchange for them dropping the suit. (See Matt. 5:40 for my legal guidance.)

• If you habitually force others to get your way, or to feel better about yourself, seek interventional help.

Such classic jerk behaviors come in many forms. But perhaps the most insidious are those that arise unchecked from within. How many of us have ever been unintentionally rude, sharp, or disrespectful? Disparaging, resentful, or unforgiving? Pushy, flippant, or ungracious? I know I have at times. The jerk resistance movement must start within me.

MasterPoint: Deny the jerk within to prevent its contagion abroad.

When the unexpected arrives

I wish you grace

Four years ago today my organization canceled its largest-ever statewide conference, just four days before it was to begin, due to the emerging pandemic.

Today is the start of this year‘s conference. And we have returned to same venue for the first time since the “Greatest Conference That Ever Wasn’t.”

And when I opened my daily devotional this morning (New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp), I see my note in the margin from the last time I used this book four years ago.

Tripp’s particularly timely reminder for this day: “You are always facing the unexpected. Almost daily you are required to deal with something you wouldn’t have chosen for your life…“

Today, and every time you face the unexpected, I wish you grace.

Wonder of wonders

“even a poor tailor is entitled to some happiness”

Who is this earnest young performer?

Subtract an incredible 50 years, and “it’s me—myself!” as  Motel the tailor exclaimed, in my high school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. It was one of the highlights of my senior year.

My featured song was Wonder of Wonders, captured here as I expressed its sentiments to my betrothed Tzeitel, the milkman’s daughter.

The song’s ending lyrics:

“But of all God’s miracles large and small,
The most miraculous one of all
Is the one I thought could never be:
God has given you to me.”

I was very glad my girlfriend had been able to come see our show. She quietly told me afterward she had wished I was singing it to her. She was so cute—I married her.

Exit mobile version
%%footer%%