"How did you and your spouse meet? What was your first date?"
We met in church -- when we were seven years old. His family attended the church, and my aunt, who was also my godmother, took her duties seriously, and dragged me along. Our first date? Gosh, I can't really remember what I would call a first date. I think it was going out for ice cream or something old-fashioned like that.
"Who was your best friend growing up? What sort of adventures did you have?"
My best friend in high school was Ellen. She moved to our city, Jacksonville, Florida, from up north. She was a native of Long Island, and had the accent. We did a bunch of crazy and silly things together. One winter morning (north Florida had some bitter winters in the 1960s), we hopped the city bus and went downtown to the most popular and toniest department store of the day, Cohen Brothers. It was very cold, and the management of the store took pity on the few of us who were waiting outside for opening. They let us in, into a roped-off area, where we could wait in the warmth. At precisely the hour of opening, the bugle call "Post Time" (which they play at horse races) sounded, and Ellen and I hollered out, "Charge it!" The other patrons and the store employees who heard us were amused.
"Favorite class in school? Least favorite?"
I'll start with the least favorite: algebra. I was miserable at it, didn't understand it. I barely squeaked by, which was unusual for me. Geometry, on the other hand, was fun, and I grasped it with no trouble. Favorite course? At the time, English, because we had some outstanding, stellar English teachers at our school.
"Who was the mean neighbor when you were a kid? What would they do?"
I'm not sure we had a truly mean neighbor. We had some who pretty much kept to themselves. But I don't remember having an actual grouch.
"Where was the scariest place you ever happened to be?"
At the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, with my foot stuck in the mud. I went to a summer camp a few years in a row. It was in the Florida Panhandle, on the Gulf. There was a pier, and a diving board off it. Out in the water, there was a raft, a platform of wood over sealed, empty 55-gallon drums. One day, a bunch of us dared each other to jump off the raft and go as deep as we could. I got to the bottom, but it was very deep mud, and one of my feet got caught. I struggled, gazing up at the sun shining on the surface of the water, wishing I was there. With one last effort, I drew my body in like a spring, being careful not to get the other foot stuck, and gave one mighty effort to get free. It worked, and I got to the surface, happy to be there.
"Growing up, what was the far away place you always wanted to visit? Ever get there?"
I don't think I gave that much thought. I would like to have gone to various places here in the U.S., but those trips never came off.
"Who were your heroes? Why?"
Eleanor Roosevelt was one. She went from "ugly duckling," criticized by her family, to being the First Lady of the land, and one of the most active, outwardly-directed First Ladies in the history of this nation. Eliot Ness was another, because of his dedication and incorruptibility. My father was one, too. He was a Naval aviator and flight instructor in World War II. He died when I had just turned seven years old.
"Is there a time or place you’ve always been drawn to? Why do you think that is?"
I've always been fond of American History, and was interested in the 1920s and 1930s. Not sure why. It just seemed like an interesting period, though it became a very difficult one for so many people. Perhaps it was because my mother's generation was young during the Great Depression, and she and my grandma both spoke of their experiences during that time. One place I just love going back to is Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, for the same reason of my fondness for American history.
We met in church -- when we were seven years old. His family attended the church, and my aunt, who was also my godmother, took her duties seriously, and dragged me along. Our first date? Gosh, I can't really remember what I would call a first date. I think it was going out for ice cream or something old-fashioned like that.
"Who was your best friend growing up? What sort of adventures did you have?"
My best friend in high school was Ellen. She moved to our city, Jacksonville, Florida, from up north. She was a native of Long Island, and had the accent. We did a bunch of crazy and silly things together. One winter morning (north Florida had some bitter winters in the 1960s), we hopped the city bus and went downtown to the most popular and toniest department store of the day, Cohen Brothers. It was very cold, and the management of the store took pity on the few of us who were waiting outside for opening. They let us in, into a roped-off area, where we could wait in the warmth. At precisely the hour of opening, the bugle call "Post Time" (which they play at horse races) sounded, and Ellen and I hollered out, "Charge it!" The other patrons and the store employees who heard us were amused.
"Favorite class in school? Least favorite?"
I'll start with the least favorite: algebra. I was miserable at it, didn't understand it. I barely squeaked by, which was unusual for me. Geometry, on the other hand, was fun, and I grasped it with no trouble. Favorite course? At the time, English, because we had some outstanding, stellar English teachers at our school.
"Who was the mean neighbor when you were a kid? What would they do?"
I'm not sure we had a truly mean neighbor. We had some who pretty much kept to themselves. But I don't remember having an actual grouch.
"Where was the scariest place you ever happened to be?"
At the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, with my foot stuck in the mud. I went to a summer camp a few years in a row. It was in the Florida Panhandle, on the Gulf. There was a pier, and a diving board off it. Out in the water, there was a raft, a platform of wood over sealed, empty 55-gallon drums. One day, a bunch of us dared each other to jump off the raft and go as deep as we could. I got to the bottom, but it was very deep mud, and one of my feet got caught. I struggled, gazing up at the sun shining on the surface of the water, wishing I was there. With one last effort, I drew my body in like a spring, being careful not to get the other foot stuck, and gave one mighty effort to get free. It worked, and I got to the surface, happy to be there.
"Growing up, what was the far away place you always wanted to visit? Ever get there?"
I don't think I gave that much thought. I would like to have gone to various places here in the U.S., but those trips never came off.
"Who were your heroes? Why?"
Eleanor Roosevelt was one. She went from "ugly duckling," criticized by her family, to being the First Lady of the land, and one of the most active, outwardly-directed First Ladies in the history of this nation. Eliot Ness was another, because of his dedication and incorruptibility. My father was one, too. He was a Naval aviator and flight instructor in World War II. He died when I had just turned seven years old.
"Is there a time or place you’ve always been drawn to? Why do you think that is?"
I've always been fond of American History, and was interested in the 1920s and 1930s. Not sure why. It just seemed like an interesting period, though it became a very difficult one for so many people. Perhaps it was because my mother's generation was young during the Great Depression, and she and my grandma both spoke of their experiences during that time. One place I just love going back to is Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, for the same reason of my fondness for American history.
