Posts

Love of a Bug.

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Linda's Dad bought a new 1962 bug for his family of five in California. He was always sort of a "nutty professor" and he loved that car. Linda inherited it and I learned to love Volkswagens and bought a 1968 Bug while in the Navy. We were a 2 Bug family. It was a sad day when I posted this ad on the Sperry's (Navy ship I was on) bulletin board. FYI....Linda and I owned 4 Bugs, 1 Fastback, 2 Buses, 1 Rabbit in days gone by.

A Story of WW2, by Paul Sell. Friend and relative.

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  One Day in My Life-A Story of WWII, by Paul & Lowell Sell By  Karen  in  Sell ,  Train Wreck at Valery-en-Caux ,  Veterans Day ,  World War II Today, on the eve of Veterans Day, I am pleased to share this WWII story about a local WWII soldier, Sgt. Lowell Sell. A big thank you to Dr. Jerry and Connie Sell for sharing this story that involved Jerry’s uncle Lowell Sell in January 1945, shortly after Lowell arrived in France to begin his service in the war. Lowell Sell told the story to his brother Paul and Paul wrote the narrative in 1999. Four Sell brothers grew up on 707 south of Rockford. Three of the Sell brothers, Lowell, Paul, and Carl, and their cousin Otis “Leroy” Sell, all served in WWII. In addition to Lowell Sell’s story, their cousin Leroy’s father, Charles Dillon Sell, wrote a poem about sixteen Rockford-area men who served in WWII. His poem,  The Otterbein Sixteen , appears here, after Lowell’s story. Otterbein United Brethren in Christ Church, aka Stringtown United B

It's a buckeye.

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We were at the Cleveland Clinic a few weeks ago. I stopped at McDonalds for a couple senior coffees for the road. Two old black guys were behind me, waiting for their order. I noticed the one guy had an Ohio State hat. I turned around and asked him if he was a Buckeye fan? He was hesitant, we were in a black area of Cleveland......I was the only white person in the whole place. He responded that indeed....he was a fan. I reached in my pocket and handed him a buckeye nut. I told him I always carried one for luck and wanted him to have it. You would have thought I had given him a hundred bucks. “I have never seen a buckeye” he said, and gave me a heartfelt thanks. I told him the buckeyes always brought me luck and I hoped it did the same for him, I keep spares at home. We parted ways friends.

Nora Peterson Rodenbeck

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Congratulations Chuck. 30 May 2023 Your daughter Rachel and her husband Mycal have produced your first grandchild, a beautiful baby girl.  She is perfect, has two wonderful parents and is destined for a great life.  I am so happy...but jealous. We met Rachel last week and took Nora in her first long stroller ride around Parkview Hospital.  Linda and I were so glad Rachel  thought of us. We should have celebrated your 71st birthday this year but your name lives on in Nora Peterson Rodenbeck.  You can be proud.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

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  The Sunshine Skyway, Florida.  I crossed this bridge driving a large truck about once a week for 30 years. I once had a truck break down at the top. The wrecker had to leave from St. Petersburg, drive south across the bridge, turn around and cross the bridge going north (picking my truck up on the way). We moved to Florida in 1982, two years before a freighter hit the old bridge in a bad fog, killing 35 people.  The fog was so bad no one recognized the bridge had collapsed and cars and buses kept driving into the bay. The old bridge stood for years with one side gone. Mangled steel hanging....a reminder of the Greyhound bus that went over the side. My Mom always closed her eyes for the entire trip across. There is a telephone at the top  for suicide jumpers to make one last call. I talked a friend down at the top one night about 2am. Funny, he had a gun and was going to shoot himself before jumping? I told him to give me the gun...the fall alone was sufficient.

William Henry Harrison 9th President

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  William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison, an American military officer and politician, was the ninth President of the United States (1841), the oldest President to be elected at the time. On his 32nd day, he became the first to die in office, serving the shortest tenure in U.S. Presidential history. William Harrison was an aide to Mad Anthony Wayne, for who Fort Wayne, Indiana is named. My great great grandfather, Rev. David McMichael's second wife (Maria Harrison) was a 2nd cousin of President Harrison. Their child, Mary Caroline McMichael was the mother of Laura Boice....my mother's mother.

A visit with the Lintons.

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                             A little history. I just rescued this old picture of my grandmother's family. Taken in 1928 in Midland Michigan. It's a great picture but has one caveat. One person, the baby in the picture, Irene Macklin Weaver is alive and well in Geneva, Indiana. My grandfather took some wonderful pictures with that Brownie Camera.