I Don't Gotta Be "He" Anymore. But I Will.

For the first 10 years and half-billion members Facebook users had two choices for gender - male or female.  Worked for me, but then I’m so last millennium.   Facebook has now added 51 new gender choices, none of which include the most accurate gender description for me:  “inverse age-intellectual maturity level male”.   Or, as I often remind people, you are only young once but you can be immature forever.  In the absence of this gender ID, I plan to stick with my same old garden variety male gender identification on Facebook.

I HAVE been at odds with society in another area and I have an announcement to make.  I’m changing teams.  I was raised an “Astronomical Seasonal” person.  These people celebrate the first day of Spring the same day the Vernal Equinox occurs, either March 20 or 21.  I, on the other hand, have always considered March 1 to be the first day of spring.  It turns out there is a name for people like me - I am a Meteorological Seasonal guy.  Meteorological Seasonal people identify winter as the coldest three months of the year - December, January and February.  For us, spring begins on March 1.  There is a third option – Solar Seasonal.  Solar Seasonal people consider winter as the three months of the year with the least sunlight - November, December and January.  For Solar Seasonal people, spring began on February 1.  That is too radical, even for a “take a walk on the wild side” guy like me.

So, spring begins tomorrow for us Meteorological Seasonal people!  Hooray!  Unfortunately, that has zero effect on the weather forecast.  As of this morning it contained the “S” word on 5 days of the 10 day forecast.  No matter how one identifies seasons, I think we can all agree that Henry Van Dyke hit the nail precisely on the head when he observed “The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.  The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month”.

Never fear – according to the National Weather Service, March 3-7 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Missouri, a definite harbinger of spring.  A state-wide tornado siren drill is scheduled for March 4 at 1:30 pm.  If the possibility of tornados exists on March 4, the day after our current Winter Storm Watch ends, the drill will be moved to March 6.

This is Missouri. 

Don’t rule it out.

The Name Doesn't Ring a Bell

Note:  This blog was originally published August 23, 2010

After my recent high school "Class of '66" reunion, I received an email. In it, it said that my favorite teacher in high school, now age 86, had recently moved to Tennessee to live with her daughter's family. The email also said her daughter felt she would enjoy phone calls from her former students.

Though I had several teachers in high school who made a lasting impression on me (some good, some not), Mrs. Bell was always my favorite. In my yearbook she wrote:

Dear Doug,

In all my career I've never had a student like you! (Note: I chose to take that in a positive way). Beyond comparison you can temporize longer than a senator! You've cheered the 4th hour class many times & I'm sure they're grateful for your contributions. May you achieve your goals and aims in life along with happiness.

Semper Magistra Latina tua, (Your Latin Teacher always,)

Rebecca Bell

On Saturday I gave Mrs. Bell a call.

(ring, ring, ring)

Mrs. Bell: Hello?

Me: Mrs. Bell?

Mrs. Bell: Yes

Me: Mrs Bell, this is Doug Reece . . . one of your Latin students from the class of '66!

Mrs. Bell: Why, hello!

Me: How are you?

Mrs. Bell: Well, I'm OK. But my daughter and I are bickering a little. (Note: When my mother-in-law moved in with us, she & and her daughter (my wife) bickered a LOT, so I know how that goes).

Me: Mrs. Bell, I just wanted to call you and let you know what a great influence you have had on my life and how much what you taught me in Latin class helped me improve my vocabulary. Of all my teachers, you were my favorite and I just wanted to let you know.

Mrs. Bell: (pause) Excuse me . . . who is this?

Me:  Doug Reece!   I was in the class of '66 at Hillcrest. I took Latin two years and was vice-president of the Latin Club.

Mrs. Bell: Well, you will have to forgive me. I'm afraid my memory just isn't what it used to be.

(background) Mom, it's time for lunch!

Me: That's OK. It is really good to talk to you and thanks again for all you did for me! Goodbye.

Hummmm. I really thought she would remember me. Maybe her brain has repressed the memory of me after she saw me in a toga at the 1966 Latin banquet.

More likely, after hundreds, probably thousands, of students, a person's brain just can't keep up. Sometimes the things I forget scare me, and I'm a generation and then some behind Mrs. Bell.

I hope my call cheered her day. I think having someone I don't even remember call me up and tell me what a great influence I've had on their life would certainly be a day brightener for me.

Thanks again, Mrs. Bell.

You may not remember me, but I will never forget you.

email: aboomer@embarqmail.com

REBECCA BELL 10-12-1924 - 2-19-2014

 

Requiescat In Pace

Rebecca (Becky) Rosanna Bell of Springfield, MO died February 19, 2014 at Barton House in Nashville, TN, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s.

She was born October 12, 1924, in Humansville, MO. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Eugene Bell, and her parents, Louis and Claudia Grass.

She is survived by her daughter, Glenda (Bill) Newton, Nashville; son, Barry (Barbara) Bell, St. Louis; grandchildren, Amy (Joe) Berra; Allison (Brian) Abrahams; Lauren Lowe; Harrison Lowe, and great grandson, Ashton Lowe.

She attended Humansville High School where she graduated as valedictorian. She attended Missouri State, where she majored in Latin and English. She graduated magna cum laude in 1945.

Becky began her teaching career at Republic and Willard high schools. She then taught at Missouri State for fifteen years. She earned her Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Missouri.

She married Eugene Bell in 1949. Together, they formed a home improvement company, Bell Air Co., and started their family. Becky and Eugene enjoyed many adventures together, including annual travels across the country as devoted members of the Model T Ford Club. In 1997, they were the recipients of the Rosenthal Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the promotion of the Club.

In 1963, Becky joined the faculty at Hillcrest High School. Becky gained many honors during her teaching career, including being named favorite teacher by several of the graduating classes and having the Rebecca Bell Foreign Language Scholarship named in her honor.

In 1973, Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, PA, conferred upon her the Valley Forge Teachers Medal for her notable contribution to youth. In 1985, Drury College bestowed upon her its Community Service award and she also was first runner-up for the state of Missouri’s Teacher of the Year. In 2003, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Humansville High School.

As a freelance writer, she frequently had profiles published in Springfield! Magazine. She contributed articles to The Vintage Ford, the national publication of the Model T Ford Club of America. Becky had been a very active member of Central Christian Church since 1964, serving in many positions of leadership. Her love of the Church, coupled with her stellar teaching abilities, made her one of the most revered Sunday school teachers for almost twenty-five years.

Becky changed and inspired the lives of many of her students. She surpassed many challenges to become a celebrated teacher and leader. Her selflessness and love of teaching permeated every part of her life, as a wife, mother, grandmother, mentor, and friend.

A memorial service will be held at a future date in Springfield, Missouri.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to the Rebecca Bell Foreign Language Scholarship Fund, Hillcrest High School, Attn Brenda Stone, 3319 N. Grant, Springfield, MO 65803.

The family would like to thank Ann Moyers, Barton House, Mary Boyd/Genteeva Hospice, Central Christian Church and Jim O'Dowd as well as all the friends who have supported us during this difficult time.

 

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Meet (what's left of) The Beatles!

Ed Sullivan warning all the 14-year-old girls in the audience that if they didn't behave he was going to "call a barber"

 As I write this blog there is less than an hour before a tribute honoring the Beatles will air on CBS.  The surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, will be in attendance. It was almost 50 years ago to the minute, February 9, 1964, that the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. I was one of 73,000,000 Americans to tune in, 72,900,000 of whom watched it on a black and white TV with a 19-inch screen.  What I could hear above the screaming that evening was good, very good.

1964, the last year of Baby Boomer births, was a pretty momentous year. I was 15, going on 16, and counting the days (literally) until I could drive.  General Douglas MacArthur, Alvin York, Herbert Hoover, Alan Ladd and Harpo Marx died in 1964.  Russell Crowe, Shepard Smith, Barry Bonds, Melissa Gilbert and Michelle Obama were born.

Here is a chronology of 1964 events that were important to me.  I didn’t realize just how important some of the events, like the build-up in Vietnam, would be to me until later:

January 20 – Meet the Beatles!, the first Beatles album in the United States, is released.

February 1 – The Beatles vault to the #1 spot on the U.S. singles charts for the first time, with "I Want to Hold Your Hand.”  The British Invasion had begun.

February 7 – The Beatles arrive in New York and are greeted with a tumultuous reception from a throng of screaming (mainly female) fans. “Beatlemania" had begun.

February 9 – The Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, their first time on TV in the United States. 

February 25 – 22-year-old Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston and is crowned the heavyweight champion of the world.  I listened to the broadcast on the radio. A short time later he changed his name to Muhammad Ali 

March 9 – The first Ford Mustang rolls off the line in Detroit.

April 4 – The Beatles monopolize Billboard magazine’s TOP 100

No. 1, "Can't Buy Me Love"
No. 2, "Twist and Shout"
No. 3, "She Loves You"
No. 4, "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
No. 5, "Please Please Me"

July 27 – The U.S. sends 5,000 more military advisers to South Vietnam, bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000.

August 28 – Bob Dylan turns The Beatles on to cannabis for the first time.

September 9 – I get my driver’s license, scoring 100% on the written test and 77% on the driving test after the instructor circled both “terrible” and “pathetic” when grading my attempt at parallel parking.

September 16 – Shindig! premieres on the ABC, featuring the top musical acts of the Sixties.

October 15 – The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the New York Yankees to win the World Series in 7 games.

November 13 – Bob Pettit (St. Louis Hawks) becomes the first NBA player to score 20,000 points. Note: I mention this because I got Bob Pettit’s autograph on October 7, 1963 when the then-World Champion Boston Celtics played an exhibition game against the then-St. Louis Hawks in Springfield’s Parkview High School Gym. Can you imagine that? My friend Ronnie Potter and I sneaked into the locker room after the game to get autographs. I still have the program from that night.  Among the many autographs on it are 3 players who are now in the NBA Hall of Fame, including Bob Pettit.

It was on the way home from that game with Ronnie Potter’s dad at the wheel that I heard my very first Beatles song, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, on the radio.

The rest is history.

Excuse me while I go relive it.

Only 24 Days Until Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week

George Gissing while his blood was still pulsing vigorously

It was novelist George Gissing who observed, poetically, “For the man sound in body and serene of mind, there is no such thing as bad weather.  Every sky has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously.”

Well, my blood is pulsing pretty vigorously after shoveling the snow off of our sidewalk and taking my tractor on a face-numbing, sub-zero wind chill journey to blade the snow off of our driveway. 

The yardstick my wife has taped to a railing on our deck to measure snowfall indicates we received 6 ½ inches of the white stuff.  Not an inconsiderable amount, but a drop in the bucket compared to the GROUNDHOG DAY BLIZZARD OF 2011.  As George Gissing might say, it was then that Mother Nature gave our blood a REALLY good spanking.”

During the days leading up to Groundhog’s Day, 2011, snowfall estimates progressed from routine to dire:

January 28 - Chance of significant snowfall beginning Feb. 1

January 29 - 8-12 inches of snow beginning Feb 1

January 30 – 10-15 inches of snow beginning Feb. 1

January 31 – 6-18 inches of snow beginning Feb. 1. A WINTER STORM WARNING is issued.

February 1 – The good news?  The Winter Storm Warning was cancelled.  The bad news?  It was replaced with our first ever BLIZZARD WARNING.  Expect 12-20 inches of snow, we were told.

“Uh oh” I remember thinking to myself.  “Let’s all pray THAT’S wrong!” 

My prayers were answered. 

“Now Chester says we are going to get 18-24 inches of snow!” announced my wife.  We actually got a 21-inch snowfall at our house.  Since then, I have been more specific in which direction I hope the error will be when praying that a projected snowfall total will be wrong.  Plus, I remain "serene of mind" (interpretation - I don't get my knickers in a knot) over a piddling half-foot of snow.

George Gissing died in France on December 28, 1903, at the tender age of 46.  The cause of his death is listed as “unspecified”.  My guess is it was during weather such as we are currently experiencing.

“My, My!” said George, a big smile on his face, as he passed a fellow clearing a path through 2 feet of snow with icicles hanging from his ears and long, green strands of frozen snot suspended from his nose.

“Doesn’t this weather just whip your blood and make it pulse more vigorously?" asked George enthusiastically.

In retrospect, while poetic, that might not have been the ideal time to pose a question like that, what with surgical procedures to remove a snow shovel embedded in one’s rear at such a primitive state.

Just a hunch. . .

How a Single Consonant Can Mean the Difference Between RECESS and NO RECESS!

Miss Silvey's Classroom  Before 19 Giggling 5-year-old Bundles of Wiggles Arrive

Though Groundhog Day is not 'til Sunday, today another hairy, lethargic mammal that ventures out in cold weather only under duress was honored - ME!  It was Grandparents Day at my kindergartner grandson's school!  He is 5, which is not many, but which was 2 more than the thermometer registered when my wife and I backed out of our garage for the short drive to St. Martins school.


The classroom was quiet and empty when we arrived but that was short-lived.  Soon we were joined by 19 members of the New Millennium generation with names like Gavin & Josie & Oliver & Reese.  Big news of the day:  one student had lost a tooth.  That prompted a chorus of a song that was new to me:  "I've got a window in my mouth" in honor of the occasion.  It may have been new, but it is a song that can be identified with by many members of my generation as well.  I just wish ours could grow back too.


In addition to Grandparents Day, it was also special because it was the 100th day of class for these kindergartners and they were ready to show off.  First, they gathered in a glob on the floor and demonstrated their knowledge of vowels and consonants.  Normally, said Miss Silvey, they would form a circle, but since the turnout for Grandparents Day was so large there wasn't enough room for a circle.  We Baby Boomers are accustomed to filling classrooms to the bursting point.


After consonant versus vowel drill, the class demonstrated phonetic bingo.  Then it on to coloring a snowman per Miss Silvey's instructions.  Each student was given a paper with the outline of snowman which they were to fill in according to Miss Silvey's specifications to demonstrate their ability to follow instructions.


Miss Silvey:  Class, let's give the snowman an orange carrot nose.  This was followed by a rush of activity and - presto! - 19 orange carrot noses of various shapes appeared.


Miss Silvey - Very good, class.  Now lets give the snowman some blue eyes, which prompted another flurry of activity.


That's when it got dicey.


Miss Silvey -  OK, now let's give the snowman some boobs.  Actually, that is only what I THOUGHT Miss Silvey said.  Luckily, all 19 members of Miss Silvey's class have better hearing than me and immediately began fashioning footwear for Mr. Snowman rather than blurring his sexual identity. 


It's a good thing the grandpa's weren't invited to help color or we'd have missed recess for sure.