Wednesday’s post about my father’s upcoming 90th birthday brought nearly 500 views (huge in my world) and elicited all sorts of comments from family and friends. I heard from the head of the Heritage Foundation in Franklin who said she was “feeling proud that the Heritage Foundation not only saved his beloved Franklin Theatre but the Bearden House too!” (They rescued the house after the city had let it fall into serious disrepair.) A long-time musician friend said he had seen my father earlier in the week and, “He was truly excited about his upcoming birthday celebration.”
Tom Brown
Of course, major birthdays are not without their traumas in our family, and Dad’s 90th is no different. On the day I posted my celebration of all things Tom Brown, he slipped on his patio and dislocated his shoulder. My sisters and brother again came to the rescue, seeing him through an ER visit where they popped it back in place. He’s now in a sling and moving a bit slower, but still ready to celebrate. We’ve spent the past two days with him, and are looking forward to the rest of the weekend.
Of the many comments made about my blog post, one touched me as especially thoughtful and in a way that captured Daddy’s generous spirit. It came from a Facebook post by my nephew Kelsey, as he shared my post with his friends. With his permission I’m sharing it with readers of More to Come in its entirety.
“My Uncle David wrote this wonderful post about my Granddaddy. I’d really recommend everyone who knows me to take the time to read it.
Today the loudest voices of bigotry, in particular regarding race and LGBT issues, are associated with Christians and people from “the South.” My Granddaddy embodies all the best parts of both those groups. He is kind, liberal, and a good man, not in spite of his Christianity or southern-ness, but because of them. I hope that one day, everyone who identifies themselves in such a way is more like my Granddaddy than the people spewing hate on the news.
In honor of my Granddaddy’s 90th birthday, I’d like to add a #91 to David’s list:
91. When I came out as transgender to him via email, I got a simple message back “This is an area in which I am not familiar, so I will have to read up on it. Just rest assured that I love you.” When I went to visit him a few months later, he told me that he appreciated my email, and while it was outside his realm of experience, he still loved me. We went out to dinner later that day, and the waitress commented on him being out with his son and grandson, and Granddaddy smiled at her and told her we were visiting for the weekend.
I can only hope to grow into the kind of man my Granddaddy is. The world could use more men like him.
I couldn’t have said it any better. I am so proud of my father, and I am so proud of Kelsey.
My father is celebrating his 90th birthday on Sunday, July 5th, and the night before fireworks will be set off in his honor all across America!
Daddy told me recently he didn’t think he would live past 73. So while he may not be a very good prognosticator, he still has much to recommend him. That got me to thinking, and in the spirit of my 60 Lessons from 60 Years, I’ve pulled together 90 things about the wonderful life of Tom Brown on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Just like George Bailey in the movie of the same name, life for so many people would be much the poorer if Tom Brown had not lived these 90 years (and counting!).
These are all true, even if they aren’t all factual. If you have others you would like to add, please list them in the comments section below. (And thanks to Candice, Claire, and Andrew for their contributions to this list. Besides being a pretty terrific dad, he’s an amazing grandfather and father-in-law.)
1. Rode his bike to work when biking to work wasn’t cool.
2. Still in love with the woman he married 65 years ago yesterday.
My parents – Helen and Tom Brown – in 1950
3. Rewired our house on Main Street by himself. (I didn’t get those genes, as I can barely screw in a lightbulb!) Of course, Daddy’s college degree from Vanderbilt was in electrical engineering, and his entire work career was with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), so maybe that’s to be expected.
4. Gave up smoking cigars 60 years ago on March 4, 1955 – my birthday – saying that he “couldn’t afford two expensive habits at the same time.” I always thought that was a great line. However, when he was more reflective, he would say that the real reason was that he wanted to set a good example for his children.
5. Is a voracious reader, and passed along his love of books to (most) of his children. He is also a great “gifter” of books (if that’s a word). If he thinks you’ll enjoy one, he’ll just give it to you.
6. Drove around in a VW microbus before Arlo Guthrie and Alice’s Restaurant made them cool.
7. Served our country in WWII.
Navy portrait from 1945
8. Will always welcome a stranger.
9. Has a great smile and uses it often.
10. They know what he wants to eat the second he walks in the door at the City Cafe.
11. When he gives his grandchildren cash for birthday or Christmas gifts, he will add the admonition, “Don’t spend it all in one place.”
12. We saw many a power station and power-generating dam on family vacations. And you could pretty much count on him telling you where the 500 KV line you were driving under at any point both originated and ended.
13. Has amassed an impressive theological library.
14. Is a good friend and stays in touch with people.
15. Swims every morning at the YMCA…and then has a doughnut and coffee with the crew and other patrons.
16. Has great looking legs. Might have something to do with #15.
17. Shamelessly flirts with nurses and physical therapists. That’s a good thing, because it is a sign he’s feeling better.
18. Can’t carry a tune in a bucket, but has always enjoyed great musicians such as Lena Horne and Teddy Wilson.
19. Can float on his back for hours.
20. Took a two-year sabbatical from his long-time church while in his 80s to attend the local Black Baptist Church, because he thought it had more spirit and “showed a little emotion.” He had to leave after a couple of years because he couldn’t keep up with the gymnastics that are part of a truly participatory church.
21. Had great hair as a kid, and didn’t mind it when his children kidded him about it after he went bald.
Tom Brown as a child
22. Even as he is growing older and is hard of hearing, he is just happy to be among family and friends.
23. Fell on his kitchen floor, ended up with two broken legs, and waited several hours for someone to find him. How did they know something was wrong? He hadn’t made it to Sunday evening church services! I told him he needed a better story than he simply tripped while walking toward the sink.
24. Does the crossword puzzle everyday. Usually in ink. It is a habit that both Andrew and Claire have begun.
25. Has an awesome collection of suspenders…and wears them.
Daddy’s suspenders
26. Is aging gracefully, and doesn’t burden you with stories about his health or illnesses.
27. Lent his car to his grandchildren before they had a license so they could practice driving in a mega-church parking lot. I was glad to learn that those suburban mega-churches are good for something.
28. Allowed all five of his children to grow into the people they are, instead of trying to force us into any preconceived molds. The consternation we each caused our parents in different ways and at different times (except for Debbie, who was always the perfect child) must have been hard to live through. But he stuck with his principles.
Debbie, Joe, Carol, Daddy, Mom, Steve, and DJB around 1974…the country-rock band era
29. Took out his first subscription to Mother Jones magazine while in his 70s.
30. Really understands the importance of the separation of church and state, and writes killer Letters to the Editor on the subject, to help educate his neighbors in Middle Tennessee.
31. Does the right thing without telling anyone of what he’s done.
32. Keeps his mother’s memory alive by sharing stories and sayings that he remembers from his childhood. One of my favorites (which I remember Grandmother saying to me on occasion) was “Make yourself useful as well as ornamental.”
Mary Dixie Bearden Brown and George Alma Brown – my grandparents
33. Still follows his mother’s advice and takes his hat off while indoors.
34. Has modeled how to be a wonderful husband and father. So many things I do in both roles, I learned from Daddy.
Tom and David Brown, 1955
35. Loves to read funny stories from the newspaper out loud to his family at the dining room table.
36. The Rev. Will B. Dunn is among his favorite Baptist preachers.
The Rev. Will B. Dunn as featured in Kudzu by Doug Marlette
37. Ensured that his children addressed the two African-American cooks who worked for our Baptist church in Murfreesboro as Mr. and Mrs. Smith – and not by their first names as so many others did. This sign of respect came from his parents. Although he grew up during a time in the South when the races were segregated and his parents were part of that culture, he has written that he never heard them speak insultingly to any black person. His neighborhood was in the old part of Franklin and was an integrated neighborhood, and some of his playmates were black boys in the neighborhood.
38. Was the ticket taker and back-up projectionist at his hometown theatre while growing up – and he returned there in 2011 as the local Heritage Foundation was beginning a restoration. I remember hearing those stories when I was young. Candice and I were delighted to buy a seat in his honor as part of the restoration.
Tom Brown at the Lighting of the Marquee at the Franklin Theatre
39. Isn’t afraid to tell his own story honestly. He once sent the following out to his family: “When I was young I had a poor self-image. I was skinny, not athletic, wore glasses and was not really accomplished in any area. I did fairly well in my studies. As a result I compensated for this by criticizing others. This bad attitude was called to my attention in a peculiar way while I was in the Navy. One day a man said to me, ‘Brown, why do you think everybody but you is full of shit?’ He expressed it very well.”
40. While he self-identifies as a blue-dog Democrat, in reality he is a die-hard liberal by today’s standards, and he is not afraid to speak his mind.
41. Repaired our washer and dryer by himself rather than calling Sears. My long-time friend (and now preservation colleague) Van West said that every time he came to our house and entered through the back door, Daddy had the parts of the washer or dryer spread out across the floor.
42. Proud graduate of Vanderbilt University and a lifelong Vanderbilt sports fan (which can be difficult in the Southeastern Conference).
Proud Vanderbilt graduate
43. Has donated blood all his life…and has the t-shirts to prove it. (And by the way, he irons those t-shirts. Who does that?!)
44. While we were growing up, Daddy could play two songs on the piano: Body and Soul and the St. Louis Blues. To this day, those are two of my top ten favorite songs.
45. Has long been a nuanced thinker about political and social questions, and loves engaging in civil conversations around those questions.
46. Loves all his grandchildren for the people they are…and they are very different!
Tom Brown and a group of his grandchildren on Christmas Eve 2009
47. Slept in small, wet tents on the hard ground just so he could be out with his sons as assistant scout master of Troop 416.
48. Has a very high respect for women and always treats them as equals. One of the things of which Daddy was most proud was the fact that Mom was the first female deacon in the history of First Baptist Church.
49. For years he cooked a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast five days a week for the entire family, before heading out to work. To this day, when I think of breakfast, that’s the meal that comes to my mind, and I always picture it being made by a man.
50. Hiked muddy, wet, and hot trails at Shiloh and Franklin battlefields during the Civil War centennial of the 1960s because he knew of my love of history.
51. Spent many a Christmas Eve (and spilling over into Christmas morning) putting together bicycles and other gifts for his children. I never understood what love this was…until I was up late on Christmas Eve putting together toys for Andrew and Claire.
Christmas morning 1964
52. Hates University of Alabama football because they beat Vanderbilt by a score of 71-0 in 1945. (The year before, Alabama filled out its team with 17-year olds and young men who were too injured to serve, but not – presumably – to play football. By the time 1945 rolled around they had a year’s experience on everyone and went 10-0.)
53. Is a good man.
54. Always has a positive outlook on life.
55. Has a spreadsheet to remind him to take his pills that only an engineer could construct.
56. Drove to Franklin each week in the summer so he could visit with his mother while I mowed her yard. I think Joe took over as I got older. All in all it was a win-win-win.
Bearden-Brown House in Franklin, where my father grew up and where I mowed the yard during the summers.
57. Likes being out with people. These days that is usually at church gatherings, but years ago he liked to go to the theatre, concerts, and similar places. He is just plain sociable.
58. Is friends with his children. At some point in life, he stopped “being the father” and was very comfortable treating his children as adults who had interesting lives.
59. Enjoyed playing games with his family.
Getting ready for a game of badminton, circa 1950
60. Gail Collins and Molly Ivins are two of his favorite political commentators. Just reading that, you know he likes a little fun – or perhaps devilment – with his op-ed pages. I can’t imagine him reading a stick-in-the-mud such as George Will.
61. Comfortable in his own skin.
62. When he laughs, he has a cackle that leaves the Wicked Witch of the West in the dust.
63. Went out in terrible storms in the middle of the night to ensure that homes in our community had power. Whenever I hear people complain about the local power company not getting their lights on immediately, I think back to my father’s work ethic and sacrifice, and have a great deal of sympathy for those men in the crew.
Tom Brown at the power station at Sewanee, TN
64. Even when he has something negative to say, he does so in a way that doesn’t condemn others. Sometimes he’ll just say, “Consider the source.”
65. Has made wonderful choices for the “next third” of his life, so that he has lived an active, intellectually curious three decades since retirement.
66. Has email correspondents all over the world, and sends out notes to connect with them all on a regular basis.
67. Taught driver safety at the local retirement community…when he was more than 70 years old!
68. Opens up his house to a group of teenage boys from church each week so they can have a place away from their homes to have pizza and talk as a group. Of course, the teenage boys think it is pretty neat that they can go to the home of someone who is almost 90 years old and find a warm welcome. They probably also appreciate the fact that he can’t hear a word they say!
69. Knows his family tree as well as anyone, and still makes all the family reunions.
1966 Bearden Family Reunion
70. Made the decision on his 70th birthday that he was going to get in shape and stay in shape…and he has stuck to that decision now for 20 years. (Do you see a pattern of making decisions on major birthdays?)
71. Has a wealth of great sayings, such as when you call and ask if he’s doing anything, he’ll reply, “No, just the usual sixes and sevens.”
72. Has been known to drive the 30 miles to Franklin on his wedding anniversary, visit the church where he and my Mom were married, and sit and reflect on their life together.
Franklin, TN, my father’s hometown
73. Has a great memory, but says that his “Central Processing Unit (CPU) runs slowly.”
74. Did you know he paid more for his last car than he did for his first home? (Just one of many stories and sayings I’ve heard all my life.)
75. Likes to make “remarks” at family gatherings. He’ll usually type out what he wants to say and will read it aloud when the entire group is gathered. These are among the ways he gives blessings to his family.
76. Co-signed the bank note so I could buy my Gibson mandolin when I was in college. Has always loved hearing his children and grandchildren play music together.
Playing music with my brother Joe (left) and my nephews
77. As an early riser myself, I often walked in on my father reading his Bible and praying in the morning before he would wake up the family and cook breakfast for us…and still make it to work by 7 a.m. It was how he remained centered through the day.
78. Because he went to work so early, he was always home by about 3:30 in the afternoon. That meant he was available for baseball games, school plays, dinner…you name it. He was a very active father.
79. Never differentiated between a “man’s work” and “women’s work” around the house (or outside the house, for that matter). He was our chief cook growing up. He would wash and iron clothes regularly. Especially when my mom began to work outside the home, he did more than his share of the housework.
80. Moved his family to a bigger house (on East Main Street) and brought his mother in to live with us in the rear apartment. He explained why she had to come and live with us, but I suspect he knew that we would all be blessed to have our very wise Grandmother living in the same house. Looking back, that was a wonderful time in my personal growth.
81. Always had a “home improvement project” underway on the East Main Street house. It was a big old house that was lived in, but also well-loved. As they got older, my brothers Steve and Joe made major contributions to these projects.
407 East Main Street, Murfreesboro – The Old Home Place
82. Is a very good patient. Whatever the doctor tells him to do, he does. He is on his second generation Primary Care Physician in Murfreesboro, as he now sees the daughter of his long-time physician.
83. Doesn’t think of himself as old. But he does say that “Growing old is not for wimps.”
84. The Brown and Bearden families had “good names” in Franklin, where he grew up, but he never “got above his raising.”
85. Must have at least 150 pictures of family – present and past – hanging in his house. I always loved this one of Pappy Bearden – my father’s grandfather.
Thomas Bruce Bearden – Our Andrew’s middle name is Bearden, which was my Grandmother’s family name
86. Gives freely of his time, money, and possessions. Things do not mean much to him, but relationships are everything.
87. Gives love freely.
88. Lives with a wonderful understanding of grace. He told us at one point that his mother’s favorite Bible verse was “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians. 2:8-9. In the note to our family, he said that his mother often quoted it to him, and it had the most impact on his life.
89. Is a holy man.
Tom Brown – Thank you for your wonderful life
90. Writes thank you notes for every gift he receives. He’s done it for years. This is our thank you note back for 90 wonderful years of life – 60 of which I’ve been privileged to share with him, 33 for Candice, and 22 each for Andrew and Claire. We can’t imagine a more wonderful father, father-in-law, and grandfather. Happy 90th Birthday, Tom Brown! Love, David, Candice, Andrew, and Claire.
We’ve all heard the saying, “God Works in Mysterious Ways.” A tired trope, right? Not in the hands of President Obama, who gave it fresh and meaningful power in his moving eulogy for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney of Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston. And not in light of the events of the last seven days.
“God Works in Mysterious Ways” was just one of literally dozens of memorable phrases and comments that arose during this most remarkable of weeks. Our part of the world cracked open a door to examine some of its deepest wounds and also saw change for millions who have been denied life’s basic liberties and access to a safe and civil society.
For almost forty minutes in Charleston, Barack Obama reflected on race and the meaning of grace. This was not the carefully constructed speeches on racial divides that he used as a candidate or during his first years as president. This was a deeply emotional and moving reflection that came from experience and spoke with power to those — of all races — who share or work to understand that experience.
In last week’s blog, I commented on the fact that the grace-filled forgiveness of the families of the Emanuel 9 to the alleged killer was the one ray of hope in a very sad situation, but I was quick to assume a pessimistic outlook as to its impact, given that major media reports at the time were not focused on what our rector, the Rev. Dr. Deborah Meister, called “the weapons of Christ” in her sermon on the subject last Sunday.
“When David faced Goliath, Saul tried to clothe him in his own armor: fine armor of bronze, fit for a king. But David realized that he could not even walk in it; it was the tool of a different sort of man. Even so, we must learn to walk in ways that are not the ways of violence. In our popular culture, the villains use guns and bombs — but so do the heroes. Dirty Harry, Luke Skywalker, Rambo, even Harry Potter – all these use violence to fight violence. But the master’s tools can never take down the master’s house. When Nadine Collier, niece of one of the people who were killed in Charleston, confronted the alleged killer and said, “I forgive you. You took something very precious from me. I will never talk to her again. I will never, ever hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul,” she was using the weapons of Christ — and her words did not come cheap. We, too, must learn to fight with the weapons of peace and of true justice, for we work in the name of the Lord of Hosts, who loves those people who are perishing.“
It turns out that the words of the families — and the grace with which they were spoken — did have an impact. I’ll once again turn to the New York Times report to explain the context for how God moves in mysterious ways.
“Mr. Obama joined with others paying tribute in stressing that the 21-year-old white man charged in the killings had failed to achieve his stated goal of inciting racial conflagration. Rather, he said, the killings had the opposite effect, generating an unprecedented show of racial unity and inspiring a nationwide revolt against Confederate symbols.
“It was an act that drew on a long history of bombs and arson and shots fired at churches,” Mr. Obama said, “not random, but as a means of control, a way to terrorize and oppress, an act that he imagined would incite fear and recrimination, violence and suspicion, an act that he presumed would deepen divisions that trace back to our nation’s original sin.”
He paused for effect. “Oh, but God works in mysterious ways,” Mr. Obama said. “God has different ideas. He didn’t know he was being used by God.” The crowd erupted in applause as women waved their hands toward the ceiling.“
I almost cried when I first listened to that part of the eulogy. The Times report continued.
“Mr. Obama commended South Carolina’s Republican governor, Nikki R. Haley, for her call this week to bring down the Confederate flag in Columbia, saying it would be “a meaningful balm for so many unhealed wounds.”
“Removing the flag from this state’s Capitol would not be an act of political correctness,” Mr. Obama said. “It would not be an insult to the valor of Confederate soldiers. It would simply be an acknowledgment that the cause for which they fought — the cause of slavery — was wrong. The imposition of Jim Crow after the Civil War, the resistance to civil rights for all people, was wrong.”
It was one of the most powerful moments in a eulogy full of them – including the President breaking into song with Amazing Grace and having the organist come in to offer support and take the emotion even higher. The note that God moves in mysterious ways was a powerful moment in an emotional conversation about race and grace that must – for the health of our nation and the health of our souls – continue.
Marriage Equality (Or how both my children can now marry the people they love no matter where they may live in America)
Justice Andrew Kennedy had the definitive statement for me in the long-expected but still amazing ruling on marriage equality that came from a divided Supreme Court on Friday.
“It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves.“
These men and women are my family. My co-workers. My friends. Plus millions I do not know. And it is past time that we recognized them not only as children of God — as we all are, in whatever way we understand that phrase — but complete human beings who deserve the same rights and protections as the rest of our country.
The vitriol in the dissents — especially that of Antonin Scalia — demonstrated that we still have a long way to go in this country to address our differences and welcome our fellow human beings with grace. As one admittedly partisan commentator noted, Scalia’s “notion that the court is made up of patrician Ivy League elitists is tested mightily when he offers up legal opinions that sound like they have been culled from newspaper website comment threads.” When pronouncements from Supreme Court justices include sharp personal attacks and practically sputter in their denial of reality, the impact of 30+ years of false victim-hood by cable news, radio, and internet outlets is clear.
Speaking of Reality
The Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) decision on Thursday, by a larger 6-3 majority, provided some relief by demonstrating that we still have a government that — when necessary — can face reality. Linda Greenhouse, the Supreme Court observer, noted that “Ideology came face to face with reality, and reality prevailed.” Yet another concise take on the events of the week when God — if not the Supreme Court — moved in mysterious ways.
Universal health care for Americans is something that has been on the nation’s agenda since the Roosevelt administration. That’s Theodore Roosevelt! Every other so-called first-world and industrialized nation in the world has figured out how to do this without blowing up the government, the economy, or health care. Some third world countries have done a pretty good job of it as well. For us…not so much. When I hear that Americans don’t like the Affordable Care Act and don’t want universal coverage, I think of the following: President Obama campaigned in 2008 on providing universal health insurance and won big. Then – with the help of a lot of people who paid for it politically – the Affordable Care Act was passed based on a model that had originally been devised by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Naturally, the new law was derided by conservatives. President Obama ran again in 2012 on a platform of maintaining the ACA against a candidate who promised to repeal the act. Again, he won big. And millions of Americans who didn’t have health coverage before now have it, while those of us who have had health care still benefit from provisions in the law such as being able to keep our children on our policies through their mid-20s and not being punished for pre-existing conditions. Reality is that the program has worked pretty much as advertised.
In discussing how the Supreme Court’s majority came to see the case for the “cynically manufactured and meritless argument” which tried to turn the court into “a partisan tool,” Greenhouse wrote:
“The chief justice’s masterful opinion showed that line of argument for the simplistic and agenda-driven construct that it was. Parsing the 1,000-plus-page statute in a succinct 21-page opinion, he deftly wove in quotations from recent Supreme Court opinions.“
These were all opinions — written by Justice Scalia — which rightly noted that short ambiguous phrases could be easily understood in the context of the law’s purpose and framework. Of course, Gail Collins had a perhaps more direct take:
The court decided — in what opponents decried as a wild leap of judgment — that it was not going to strip millions of people of their health coverage and upend one of the most important pieces of legislation in modern history because of a four-word drafting error.
Reality won. God really does move in mysterious ways.
“Nothing in this world is indifferent to us”
While I am stretching my 7-day time frame a bit, these recent words from Pope Francis’ encyclical on Care for our Common Homefits into the pattern of change. For far too long, we have heard from the religious right that humans are the masters of the universe, and that changes in our climate are either non-existent or not related to human activity. But Pope Francis, writing to all the peoples of the world, speaks from a very different perspective.
“This sister (our common home) now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.“
Dana Beach of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League connected the dots between the pope’s encyclical and the events at Mother Emanuel.
“Like the Emanuel AME community, Francis emphasizes the central role love must play in our world, in this case, to stop catastrophic environmental degradation. From his extensive declaration, ‘A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings.'”
And yet another long and contentious conversation is changed by grace.
Amazing Grace
At some other point I’ll write more about how these themes played out in my work over the past week — where colleagues in Charleston visited Emanuel A.M.E. Church, saw the tangible expressions of concern, support, hope, and prayer that people left in front of the church, and helped the members of Mother Emanuel begin planning for their preservation. Where the National Trust and other preservation groups highlighted landmarks of the LGBT civil rights movement, places that each in their own way helped lead to this week’s ruling. Where colleagues and I met in New York to advance our work to build sustainable and livable cities as part of our common home. But all of that is for another post or two. I want to give President Obama the last word, as he wrapped up his powerful reflection on grace.
“That’s what I’ve felt this week — an open heart. That, more than any particular policy or analysis, is what’s called upon right now, I think — what a friend of mine, the writer Marilyn Robinson, calls “that reservoir of goodness, beyond, and of another kind, that we are able to do each other in the ordinary cause of things.”
That reservoir of goodness. If we can find that grace, anything is possible. If we can tap that grace, everything can change.
Amazing grace. Amazing grace.
(Begins to sing) — Amazing grace — how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.
Clementa Pinckney found that grace.
Cynthia Hurd found that grace.
Susie Jackson found that grace.
Ethel Lance found that grace.
DePayne Middleton-Doctor found that grace.
Tywanza Sanders found that grace.
Daniel L. Simmons, Sr. found that grace.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton found that grace.
Myra Thompson found that grace.
Through the example of their lives, they’ve now passed it on to us. May we find ourselves worthy of that precious and extraordinary gift, as long as our lives endure. May grace now lead them home. May God continue to shed His grace on the United States of America.“
The horrific murders during the Wednesday evening Bible study of nine members of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, have rarely left my mind over the past few days. I have talked about it with colleagues who live in the city, prayed for the victims and their families during a conference on the legacy of African-American Rosenwald Schools, read dozens of articles and commentaries, and had long conversations over the family dinner table — all to try to make sense out of the senseless.
To take another step in that process, I’m adding to my “Observations from home” series with this collection of unrelated observations and thoughts which all revolve around the many issues raised by this racist rampage.
Bible Study — Those of us who grew up in the 20th century South in the evangelical tradition understand the nature of a weekday gathering to study scripture. The regulars are the spiritual seekers and mentors who take their faith very seriously. When I heard that the shootings had taken place at the weekday Bible study, I didn’t have to wait for the news reports to tell me that these people would be nurturing, loving leaders who lived out their faith in their daily lives. And the reports soon confirmed that these were nine remarkable people – beginning with the 41-year-old pastor and State Senator but also including a poet, a librarian, a girls’ track coach, the church sexton, and more.
As I write this, the Emanuel AME Church website has not been updated to reflect the carnage that took place in this sacred place last Wednesday at the hands of a 21-year-old white supremacist. So it is especially heart-rendering to read the description of Wednesday evening Bible study found there:
“Is something missing from your life? Are you doing all you can to have a closer relationship with God? If you have a desire to learn more about God, then join us on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the lower level of the church. We look forward to seeing you!“
I Forgive You — There will be many responses — and non-responses — to this race-based terrorist attack from those who profess a Christian faith. Many of those responses will be very sincere and meaningful, but others will simply attempt to frame the discussion in a way that upholds their worldview. One of the worst stains among many in the South’s racial history is the church’s role in supporting first slavery and then racial inequality.
I could go on a rant here about how the so-called Christian right (which is neither) espouses beliefs that are the antithesis of the teachings of Jesus. But I couldn’t do a better job of demonstrating Jesus’ true response than the family members of the victims did at the bail hearing. Time and again, they simply said, “I forgive you” to the angry young man who found it was appropriate to kill nine innocent people because he – in his own misguided way and spurred by the hatred so often found in our public discourse – felt his world was threatened.
The New York Times covered this remarkable outpouring by reporting:
“One by one, they looked to the screen in a corner of the courtroom on Friday, into the expressionless face of the young man charged with making them motherless, snuffing out the life of a promising son, taking away a loving wife for good, bringing a grandmother’s life to a horrific end. And they answered him with forgiveness.
‘You took something very precious away from me,’ said Nadine Collier, daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance, her voice rising in anguish. ‘I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul.’”
But the Times, like almost all of the national media, missed the chance to compare this moving and deep faith-based response with the typical stand of today’s politicians and professional pastors who claim the religious mantle as their own, but quickly call for violence as a response to violence — be it domestic or international. To me, this witness by the family members of the victims was the one ray of hope to come from this inexplicable sadness.
Terrorism — I cannot follow all the arguments about how we do — or don’t — describe this act. But there is no doubt that it fits within a 400+ year history of terrorism against African-Americans in the United States. We are quick to respond to perceived terrorist threats from abroad, but as a country we have turned a blind eye to the terrorism at home. 4,000 lynchings from 1877 to 1950; the KKK’s 1870 burning of nearly every black church in Tuskegee, Alabama; the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1963 that left four little girls dead; the recent wave of killings against unarmed African Americans…all are part and parcel of a racial history in the United States that has seen one group of American citizens live in fear and search — usually in vain — for a safe place. And what should be the safest place of all — a House of God — is often the first target. This most recent example was a hate crime. It was racially motivated. And while it may have been perpetrated by a lone individual acting out his own misguided sense of how his country should respond to change, it was part of a centuries-long terrorist campaign.
Guns, Race, Flags…Oh, the South — William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom, includes the famous passage where Quentin Compson’s puzzled Canadian roommate at Harvard says to him:
“’Tell about the South. What it’s like there. What do they do there. Why do they live there. Why do they live at all.’”
This is one of those times when you wonder if those who look at the baggage of the South and suggest that perhaps we would be better off without the region may be right. I know I look at the worst impulses of South today and fear for our country and our souls.
Let’s start with the region’s obsession with guns. We’ll have commentators who will say that easy access to guns doesn’t have a thing to do with our violent history. Or worse, we’ll have a board member of the NRA from Texas blame the church’s pastor for voting against a measure in the South Carolina legislature which would have made it legal to carry concealed guns into churches. Why didn’t I think of that? The world will be much safer and better off if we have armed guards at Bible study!
Then there is race, and the extra toxic mixture of racial inequality and the Confederate flag. One of the most willfully misleading strains of thought I heard came from commentators who said that the killer was focusing on Christians, and not African-Americans. Let’s just get out the blinders. This is a region – as noted in The Bitter Southerner – where people…
“…will argue, in all sincerity, that the Confederacy entered the Civil War only to defend the concept of states’ rights and that secession had nothing to do with the desire to keep slavery alive. We still become a national laughing stock because some small town somewhere has not figured out how to hold a high school prom that includes kids of all races. “
I have heard “heritage not hate” about the Confederate flag for years, often from people who are related to me in one way or the other. These are people who are reading airbrushed Southern history, or have had teachers (sometimes their parents) who simply do not know what they are talking about.
God I want to believe that there are a growing number of people in the South who “do things that honor genuinely honorable traditions” yet view “our region’s contradictions and are determined to throw our dishonorable traditions out the window.” My hope begins with those family members of the victims who said, “I forgive you.” But of course, we need many more people — and especially white Southerners — to take up that mantle.
“Nine people were shot in a black church by a white guy who hated them, who wanted to start some kind of civil war. The Confederate flag flies over South Carolina, and the roads are named for Confederate generals, and the white guy’s the one who feels like his country is being taken away from him. We’re bringing it on ourselves. And that’s the thing. Al-Qaeda, all those guys, ISIS, they’re not s— compared to the damage that we can apparently do to ourselves on a regular basis.”
“The regularity of mass killings breeds familiarity. The rhythms of grief and outrage that accompany them become—for those not directly affected by tragedy—ritualised and then blend into the background noise. That normalisation makes it ever less likely that America’s political system will groan into action to take steps to reduce their frequency or deadliness. Those who live in America, or visit it, might do best to regard them the way one regards air pollution in China: an endemic local health hazard which, for deep-rooted cultural, social, economic and political reasons, the country is incapable of addressing. This may, however, be a bit unfair. China seems to be making progress on pollution.”
I don’t know how or when we may work through this as a people, but sooner or later we have to own this past. That, it seems to me, is the first step. As an individual I have to find my personal response, even in the face of hopelessness; my own way to play a role in helping throw our dishonorable traditions out the window.
I was at Nationals Park on Saturday, enjoying a sunny, summer day; appreciating the Nat’s celebration of the anniversary of D-Day; and joining in the banter of friends – new and long-time – that can only come when you have 3+ hours to sit and chat between pitches. One of those friends opined that a bad day at the ballpark (the Nats lost) is still better than almost any other day. So count that as the first observation in a series of unrelated thoughts in this “June Weekend” edition of Observations From Home. As noted before, you can take them or leave them.
Remembering D-Day – Saturday was June 6th, and a series of WWII veterans – many who saw action at Normandy in June of 1944 – were honored at the ballpark and helped throw out the first pitch. I’ve written about these heroes before – including one who lives next door – but it is becoming very clear that we have only a few more years before this generation passes on to its reward. Every chance we get to celebrate the sacrifice they made, we should take it. It was an honor to stand and cheer for these veterans yesterday.
The Capital Crescent Trail
Take the bike ride – This afternoon, I was weighing a nap versus a bike ride. I took the bike ride – about 90 minutes along the Capital Crescent Trail (our unpaved, non-superhighway side from Silver Spring to Bethesda). It was beautiful, with a gentle breeze and – surprisingly – not too many users on the trail. I love our bike trails – the Capital Crescent and Sligo Creek trails being the two I ride most often. I know what is usually the right choice between a nap and a bike ride. Take the bike ride.
Thank God it is only June – I’ll circle back to the Nationals. After a couple of weeks of lackluster play against the Reds, Blue Jays, and Cubs, we all have to stop and remember that it is only June. (Perhaps some of the Nats should join the “Yoga in the Outfield” promotion that is taking place right about now following yet another Nats loss to the Cubs.) I hope that F.P. (one of the Nats’ television announcers) is right about the team only playing well when the weather warms up. This late-May, early-June coolness certainly cooled off the bats. As part of the banter among our section at the park yesterday, my friend Dolores – who is part of my season ticket group and who I’ll join for 2 or 3 games each year – was talking about Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. She made the comment that she has “had it” with Strasburg and all his injuries and issues, and noted that “One is headstrong and the other’s a head case.” The headstrong one was fine by her (and me). I’m not ready to write Strasburg off, but it is tough…as Tom Boswell recently noted:
When I watch Strasburg pitch on his funk days, a dark cloud passes across my mind. I feel the same mean desire to say, “Million-dollar arm, ten-cent head” that swept over me when I watched the early years of other young underachievers: Nolan Ryan, Bert Blyleven and Randy Johnson. In moments of lucidity, I would realize that their “makeup” — in different ways — was blocking peak performance. Plenty of their early managers and teammates saw them as “head cases,” too. All got ripped for years. None were cut slack. (Now they’re all in the Hall of Fame.)
Okay, time to come back to the ballpark and do it again. It is a long season.
Did the American Civil War Ever End? – One of the best sustained remembrances of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War has been the “Disunion” series in the New York Times. I hadn’t focused on the fact that the editor – Ted Widmer – was the assistant to the President of Brown University, or I might have looked him up when we were there for Andrew’s graduation a couple of weeks ago.
In any event, Widmer wrote a piece last week for the series that asked the question, “Did the American Civil War Ever End?” It is well worth a read. Here’s a sample, where Widmer speaks about the impact of a huge number of veterans and the unintended consequences of the huge number of guns:
Many veterans retained their sidearms, including Confederate officers, and weapons were easily available, thanks to an arms industry that had done great service to the Union cause. They could hardly be expected to voluntarily go out of business. With new products (like Winchester’s Model 1866 rifle), sophisticated distribution networks and a public eager to buy, the industry entered a highly profitable phase. Winchester’s repeating rifles needed hardly any time for reloading, and sold briskly in Europe, where American arms tipped the balance in local conflicts.
The Winchester was easily transported to the West, where new military campaigns were undertaken against Native Americans, and few could be blamed for wondering if the Civil War had in fact ended. Many of the same actors were present, and it could be argued that this was simply another phase of the crisis of Union, reconciling East and West, rather than North and South.
This tragic epilogue does not fit cleanly into the familiar narrative of the Civil War as a war of liberation. Peoples who had lived on ancestral lands for thousands of years were no match for a grimly experienced army, eager to occupy new lands, in part to reward the soldiers who had done the fighting.
Natives called the repeating rifles “spirit guns,” and had no answer for them. They fought courageously, but in the end had no choice but to accept relocation, often to reservations hundreds of miles away. Adolf Hitler would cite these removals as a precedent for the Nazi concentration camps.
Take the time to read this piece. It will make you think.
Andrew has been singing professionally since he was 8 years old. So fourteen years later, it comes as no surprise that as we celebrate his graduation from Brown University, the weekend has been filled with his music.
Andrew has been singing since his days as a National Cathedral Chorister, so it was no surprise that graduation weekend was filled with his music.
(Editor’s Note: This is the second of two posts about the commencement weekends as the twins graduated from college. I treat my blog like the 21st century version of letter writing, in that I can write one item and it can go out to family and friends everywhere. These blog posts are all about family. If you don’t want to read about how wonderful my children are – then stop reading. Note…you’ve been warned!)
Candice, Claire, and I arrived home on Tuesday from Claire’s graduation just in time to fall into bed, get up the next morning to run errands and wash clothes, and then pile into the car on Thursday to drive to Providence to be with Andrew. As one friend said, “You all must be approaching exhaustion, but what a lovely way to get there . . .”
Lovely, indeed.
We connected with Andrew on Friday and began the necessary task of packing the dorm room. Andrew benefited by being the second twin in this regard. We came prepared with boxes, supplies, and a plan! Two hours later we were well past the halfway point and walked down to celebrate over a lunch of Greek delicacies at Andreas – one of Andrew’s favorites along the commercial core – Thayer Street – that cuts through the college campus.
The first of four musical treats came later in the day, as the Brown University Madrigal Singers held their Commencement 2015 Concert in the beautiful St. Stephens Episcopal Church, located in the heart of the college campus in Providence.
Alex Warstadt and Andrew, the two graduating singers from the Madrigals
Andrew was one of two graduating seniors in the Madrigals, and he also served as the music director for the year. (Alex Warstadt, the other graduating senior, had that role his junior year.) The group performed a wonderful 60-minute concert, beginning with the beautiful Ubi Caritas by Maurice Duruflé.
Brown University Madrigal Singers
The selections were varied, with several holding personal meaning for three of the singers. Alex introduced a Kyrie that he had composed for a contrapuntal composition class. Sami Overby noted that two of the songs – from Ogden Nash’s Four Animal Poems – had been set to music by his great-uncle, Rolf Overby, while at St. Olaf’s College. The Termite – with a “knock, knock” going on behind the main lyrics – was a crowd favorite:
“Some primal termite knocked on wood And tasted it, and found it good! And that is why your Cousin May Fell through the parlor floor today.“
Then Andrew floored me with the introduction to Orlando Gibbons‘ Magnificat (Short Service). He said it was important to him to have this piece included in the concert because he had heard it as a young boy on a recording of his father’s early music group Canticum Novum*, and always loved its simple beauty. He noted that I was in the audience that evening, and then the Madrigals sang this wonderful composition – bringing memories from my heart and tears to my eyes.
(*Note: If you go to the link above, check out Lesson #37)
After a delightful Now is the Month of Maying, and a tune performed for the seniors, Andrew announced that the traditional ending for a Brown University Madrigals Concert was John Clements’ Flower of Beauty, and he invited the alumni from the group to join them.
The Madrigal Singers and their Alumni sing “Flower of Beauty”
It was a wonderful evening, and we were delighted that another Brown alumni – our dear friend Kristin Faust who, with her daughter Sojourner, moved from Silver Spring to Chicago last spring – was there to share it with us. Andrew and Claire then left to go to the “The Campus Dance” (along with 11,000 of their closest friends) for a night of fun and fireworks, while Candice and I had a wonderful meal at one of our favorite Providence restaurants, Gracie’s.
Andrew and Claire at the Campus Dance
Fireworks at the Campus Dance
Saturday dawned bright, clear, and cool in Providence, and we were up not too much after dawn! Andrew was one of two soloists for the morning’s All-class Memorial Service, a very moving remembrance, led by The Reverend Janet Cooper Nelson, Chaplain of the University. Our good friends from Silver Spring – Dolores McDonagh and Jamie Karn – joined us, as they were in town for Dolores’ 35th reunion at Brown. (Andrew has now figured out that he’ll see Kristin and Dolores at each of his major reunions in the future. Both have been very supportive of Andrew. Kristin, who heads up Neighborhood Housing Services in Chicago – has bonded with Andrew over his Urban Studies work, while Dolores – a fellow a capella aficionado – has encouraged him in his singing.)
Andrew sings at the All Class Memorial Service, with University Organist Mark Steinbach on the piano
In the early afternoon, it was time for the Baccalaureate Service, held at the historic First Baptist Church in America. Besides the music and Urban Studies communities, Andrew has many friends through his membership in the Alpha Delta Phi Society at Brown, and we were thrilled to see the seniors from Alpha Delta Phi processing down the hill together. This is a remarkable group of young men and women – as their website describes them, “a cozy, co-ed community of musicians, scientists, and philosophers.” Andrew has lived in the Alpha Delta Phi house on campus for three years, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know these remarkable individuals and their parents. (Plus, we always enjoy the Friday afternoon tea held during Parents’ Weekend!)
Andrew and his fellow seniors from the Alpha Delta Phi Society in the procession to Saturday’s Baccalaureate Service
During the service, which we watched on the big screen in Sayles Hall on the College Green, Andrew joined the chorus in singing Randall Thompson’s Alleluia.
Andrew (far left in the rear) as part of the chorus singing Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia” at Saturday’s Baccalaureate Service
Following the service, we hustled down to the Grant Recital Hall for the 34th annual senior recital – The Carl and Dorothy O. Jagolinzer Memorial Commencement Concert. The Jagolinzer family – who sponsor the recital in honor of their parents – joined friends and family to hear two hours of wonderful music from music concentrators and others – like Andrew – who have studied extensively in the music department at Brown.
Andrew and pianist Simon Goldring, following their performance of Mozart at the Jagolinzer Memorial Concert
Accompanied by Simon Goldring – a very talented musician from Hingham, Norfolk, England – Andrew sang Mozart’s Del più sublime soglio, closing out his singing career at Brown with a wonderful performance. Afterwards, the family had a chance to meet Arlene Cole, whose Advanced Musicianship class ranks as Andrew’s most favorite and challenging class in the music department. He has loved his connections with Fred Jodry, Brad Fugate, and all his music professors at Brown.
Andrew with his Advanced Music professor, Arlene Cole
I have to admit that when we woke up on Sunday morning for graduation day, I still didn’t understand how this “processional” from the College Green, through the Van Wickle Gates (where they processed in as freshmen), and down the hill to The First Baptist Church in America was going to work…and hold my attention for two hours. As we hiked up College Hill early in the morning, the stripe (in Brown’s school colors) and the barriers gave a hint that something big was in the works.
The Brown colors in the center stripe designate the processional route
But Andrew (and our Brown friends) kept insisting that the processional was the heart and soul of the Brown commencement, and that we really wanted to experience it on-site, as opposed to watching on the big screens at the College Green. Andrew suggested we join the Alpha Delta Phi Society cheering section outside the Gerard House (an earlier house of Alpha Delta Phi, before they moved on campus) to get the full flavor. Oh my!
We joined the Alpha Delta Phi cheering section along the processional route
What came next was the most remarkable two hours of commencement I’ve ever seen – without any official speakers or conferring of degrees. Brown has a tremendous reunion culture, in part because the alumni get to participate in – and relive – the processional each year. The procession comes through the Van Wickle gates, led by the oldest reunion classes (75th, in this year’s case…remember, that’s a 97-year old individual!). The reunion classes then line the streets, creating a tunnel of humanity that is clapping, cheering, and generally having a wonderful time for two full hours. The classes are easy to spot – not only by the age of the graduates, but by the signs they make to tell the class of 2015 what Brown was like “back in the day.”
You can tell the reunion groups by their signs along the procession
Once all the reunion classes are in place, then the students from the class of 2015 begin their walk down College Hill, and the cheering is incredible. Everyone is in a very festive mood.
Andrew processes through the ranks of reunion groups and faculty on graduation day
When Andrew and his fellow seniors from Alpha Delta Phi came by our vantage point, the “cheering section” began to sing one of the society’s songs – with the soon-to-be-graduates joining in. Claire was my “spotter” in finding Andrew – and other friends – in the crowd, while she and Candice also took pictures and videos on their iPhones. At the bottom of the hill, the class of 2015 lines up along the sides of the road and then the alumni reunion groups process through them – to raucous cheering and singing. This goes on for almost two hours. On a picture-perfect weather day, it was magical.
The happy graduate!
After a brief ceremony on the lawn of The First Baptist Church in America, the class walks back up College Hill for ceremonies on the Green. As was the case last week, the two student speakers were outstanding, and the actual ceremony was relatively short. Because of the size of the graduating class, diplomas are given out by departments. The Urban Studies distribution ceremony and reception was held at the Brown Faculty Club, a fitting historic building for a program focused on the design and function of urban areas.
Andrew is recognized during the Urban Studies reception at the Faculty Club
Program Director Dietrich Neumann is one of Andrew’s favorite professors – especially following a six-week class on Modern Architecture and Urbanism that he took in Spain the summer after his sophomore year. Professor Neumann (an expert on Mies van der Rohe – and yes, we did talk about flood mitigation at the Farnsworth House!) was the MC for the event, which recognized outstanding work by urban studies students. The 14 concentrators received their diplomas, and then all the parents and family toasted the new graduates.
2015 Urban Studies graduates with program director Dietrich Neumann
Andrew receives his diploma at the Urban Studies reception from professors Stefano Bloch and Dietrich Neumann, along with Brown Corporation Trustee Emeritus James Winoker
Claire’s champagne salute “to her favorite urban studies graduate”
Following the ceremony at the Faculty Club, we joined the other graduates and their families, plus the members of the faculty and staff of the Urban Studies program, for a lively reception full of hugs, pictures, and stories.
Candice, DJB, and Claire with the happy graduate, at the Brown Faculty Club
Andrew with Jenna Klorfein, DUG Co-Leaders for the Urban Studies Program
Andrew with Professor Dietrich Neumann, Director of the Urban Studies Program at Brown University
We ended Sunday night at another of our favorite Providence restaurants, The Salted Slate. The room was packed with celebratory families and friends – including a couple of Andrew’s friends – and we toasted the newly minted Brown University graduate.
Celebrating Andrew’s graduation at The Salted Slate, one of our favorite Providence restaurants
Monday we arose for breakfast at Blue State Coffee (which, along with Ellie’s, ranks at the top of my list of bakeries and coffee houses), before completing the packing of Andrew’s dorm room. We then met up with our friends Kristen and Sojourner for a delightful lunch along Thayer Street. Because Providence is such a wonderful food town, we’re heading out again on Monday night for dinner at The Grange, a highly recommended Vegetable Restaurant, to close out our celebration of Andrew’s wonderful accomplishments.
The members of Alpha Delta Phi gave Andrew and the other seniors a remembrance of the years at Brown University. For Andrew’s, each member wrote something to describe him or to say what he meant to them. Over and over I read words such as kind, caring, passionate, talented, intelligent, and more. Several mentioned about how he was always there for them. I smiled, thinking of how these “musicians, scientists, and philosophers” had seen the same talented, sensitive and caring young man that we so love.
Congratulations, Andrew! What a wonderful accomplishment. Mom and I are so proud of you and we can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings!
With love and more to come…
Dad
Image: Andrew at Brown University’s Van Wickle Gates — part of the rite of passage of the Class of 2015
Twenty-two years ago, I never dreamed this day would come.
Our Claire…always the student
Not that Claire wasn’t always eager to learn. But when your hands are full with new twins, two decades seems like such a long time in the future.
But the years have flown by and this weekend finds us in Southern California for Claire’s graduation from Pomona College. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were all flying here to leave our daughter on the west coast, at a school she obviously loved but that seemed so far away from home?
Pomona was recommended to Claire by Leonard King, her insightful and supportive high school teacher and college counselor at Maret, who had an amazing record of linking students with just the right college that offered the most chance for personal and intellectual growth. Claire and I first saw Pomona together on a spring break trip. When she decided to apply early decision and Candice was concerned about having her so far from home, I did what any take-charge father would do: I said to Candice, “You take her for a visit and then you tell her she can’t go!” (Clever, huh?) Candice – just like Claire and me – fell in love with the beautiful campus, the intellectual pursuits of the faculty and students, and the feeling of support and understanding that permeates the college.
Claire’s senior year began last August, after our memorable cross-country road trip, which could stand as a metaphor for the year ahead. Nine months later, here we are, celebrating the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Andrew – flying in from Boston – joined us on Thursday night (actually Friday morning, as his plane was late) so the three of us could be in attendance to celebrate our Claire. We began the packing of the dorm room on Friday morning, to get a jump on the work that no one really wants to undertake.
Claire with Jason Harris at Friday’s taco dinner
Claire has met the most amazing and thoughtful group of friends while at Pomona, and their generosity of spirit came through on Friday night. Claire and her suitemates joined two other suites to host a taco dinner for their families, as a way of saying “thank you.” While the (welcomed in drought-striken Southern California) rain drove the party indoors, it was a great time to reconnect with families and friends we’ve come to know over these four years – some from as close as Georgetown and others from throughout the world. That generosity continued on Saturday morning when one of Claire’s swim teammates – Hannah – and her family included us in their rooftop brunch to kick off the day of celebration.
Rooftop Garden Brunch
It didn’t take us long to realize that we were going to eat our way through the graduation weekend. From the rooftop garden of Sontag Hall, we walked over to Lincoln Hall – and the amazing James Turrell Skyspace installation – for a luncheon with the Psychology majors and faculty.
Claire with Shlomi Sher (L) and Sharon Goto (R), members of the Psychology Faculty, at Saturday’s lunch
Claire with Psychology Professor Jessie Borelli beside the James Turrell Skyspace
Claire has loved her work in psychology with these amazing professors, and is excited to have a position in Los Angeles beginning in August with the Episcopal Urban Internship Program that will let her build on her study in real world applications.
One of the traditions at Pomona is that the incoming freshman class walks through the gates to the college, and the graduating seniors walk back out through those gates during graduation weekend. Led by a bagpiper, the class of 2015 celebrated as they walked through those gates and off to Class Day and dinner. We closed out the evening with a Glee Club concert in Little Bridges Music Hall that was wonderful. Andrew – our professional – was singing their praises through the rest of the weekend.
Claire – and the class of 2015 – march through the gates of Pomona and out into the world
Sunday morning finally arrived, and – having scoped out the scene the day before – we arrived early to sit where we could see Claire in the procession and have a great view of the stage. Held on Marston Quadrangle in the middle of campus, graduation takes place beneath a shade canopy. Here’s an excerpt from the description in the program:
“The shade canopy above the graduates is the work of Los Angeles artists Jenna Didier and Oliver Hess and architectural designer Emily White. It was first installed for the Pomona 2009 College Commencement, with faculty, students, and staff helping to attach the streamers to the net. The shade structure is based on “Voronoi tessellaions,” algorithms of weaving and lace-making, coordinated with a solar incidence angle study that determines an optimum density pattern, allowing for shade where most needed, and keeping the canopy as lightweight and transparent as possible. The net’s lattice follows a pattern…derived from string figures, known as ‘clown’s collar.'”
Pomona College Graduation Shade Canopy
Another Pomona tradition is the wearing of leis by many of the graduates. We had ordered two – one from our family and one from Claire’s Grandmother Colando – and Andrew and I met Claire on Sunday morning to help her prepare for the processional. While there, swim team coach Jean-Paul Gowdy – known to all as J.P. and a true mentor for Claire in her four years on the team – stopped by for a hug and congratulations.
Andrew helps Claire with her graduation lei
Swim Coach JP Gowdy stops by to add his congratulations
Andrew and DJB with Claire, as she prepares to process into graduation
Then we took our seats and it was time for the processional.
Claire processes in for graduation
Claire has had multiple communities at Pomona – all of which have nurtured and helped her grow while she has contributed to their health and vitality. The swim team is one of the most important, and they were there throughout commencement. J.P. looked cool in his shades, while the team cheered loudly – and waved “Big Heads” – anytime a swim team senior received a diploma.
Coach JP – the coolest faculty member in the procession
Swim team cheering section – with Jackie and Claire looking over the proceedings
This was one of those ceremonies where the student speakers gave the featured commencement speaker a run for her money…they were that good. Of the four honorary degrees, we all agreed that the remarks by Michael Dickerson (’01), were not only the most humorous, but also the most insightful. Dickerson – the administrator of the newly created U.S. Digital Service in the White House – spoke about how his work at Google, with the Obama campaign, and as one of the chief “fixers” of HealthCare.gov was not part of any great plan. In fact, he said he “Wasn’t speaking to all those folks at the top of the program who were graduating with various honors and probably had their lives figured out, but to everyone else who didn’t have a clue as to what they would be doing tomorrow.” That spoke to not only a great many graduates, but also their families.
The Browns were also pleased to see that another of the honorary degrees went to Andrew Lewison Hoyem (’57), the founder of the Arion Press. When he was being introduced as someone who had been recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Claire turned to her seatmate and said, “That’s where my dad works!”
Two hours into the ceremony, the college began handing out the degrees. And it was a wonderful celebration!
Claire receives her degree from Pomona President David Oxtoby
Claire in the recessional
We cheered for Claire and her friends (both old and new), cried a bit (well, at least I did), and joined the new graduates on the quad for photos, photos, and more photos. (Yes, I was the official photographer of Claire Brown’s graduation.)
Candice celebrates with the new graduate
Candice, DJB, and Andrew with the graduate – the Happy Family
One of the first group of students Claire met her freshman year was the sponsor group from her dorm. These graduating seniors met on the steps of Little Bridges after the ceremony one last time for a photo and hugs. Of course the swim team seniors also gathered, with a large group of supporters there to cheer them on.
Freshman Sponsor Group
2015 Pomona-Pitzer Swim Team Seniors following graduation
There are a number of Washington-area students at Pomona and the Claremont Colleges. One who Claire didn’t know until she arrived at Pomona is now her dear friend Ella Taranto. Of course, Andrew used to sing with Ella’s older sister at the National Cathedral, and the Taranto’s have multiple connections to friends of ours in the DC-area. And – no surprise here – both will be in Southern California come this fall.
Claire and Ella – they lived several miles from each other and went to high schools that were less than two miles apart, but had to travel across the country to find each other and establish a wonderful friendship
Claire’s suitemates her Sophomore and Senior years have all become very special friends. Two – Jackie and Ali – were in her suite both years and are fellow swim team members. Kyra was in the sophomore group, and Susan joined the crew their senior year. These are all incredibly talented and wonderful young ladies, and our entire family’s life has been enriched by knowing them.
Claire with her suitemate Susan
Claire with her suitemate Jackie
Claire with her suitemate Ali
Claire’s suitemates from her Sophomore and Senior Years – Susan (Sr), Ali (So/Sr), Jackie (So/Sr), and Kyra (So)
And the parents of these wonderful young ladies have also become friends, so we gathered for pictures – and a celebratory high-five.
Vickie, Bruce, Candice, David, John, and Margaret – Parents from the Senior Suite
The parents celebrate graduation!
Sunday’s celebration ended at Union on Yale, Claire’s favorite Claremont restaurant (since Claremont Craft Ales doesn’t technically count as a restautant!). We toasted the graduate, enjoyed oysters and other good food, and reflected on the past four wonderful years at Pomona College.
Celebrating the graduate at Union on Yale – Claire’s favorite Claremont restaurant
Andrew may have said it best on his Facebook post as he jumped on the red-eye back to Boston to begin his Senior Week celebrations.
“Today, I saw my twin sister and best friend graduate from Pomona College after four years of hard work, joys, challenges, and triumphs. I can’t even begin to describe how proud I am to call you my sister. Congratulations, Claire! I love you.“
I can’t even begin to describe how proud Mom and I are to call you our daughter. Congratulations, and all our love.
Twenty years ago today, an unspeakable horror took place at the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Five years ago, I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial, erected to memorialize the lives lost, and wrote this post about that place and the need for remembrance.
In his recent series about Why Old Places Matter?, my colleague Tom Mayes wrote about the importance of memory. He quotes Randall Mason in noting that “Memory is an essential part of consciousness….” Tom adds, “Memory contributes to the sense of continuity. Memory also gives people identity—both individual identity and a collective identity.”
No place demonstrates that better than the Oklahoma City National Memorial. At the 20th anniversary of the events of April 19, 1995, this memorial continues to help us to remember, while also helping us to regain the consciousness we need as humans.
A reminder from The First Baptist Church, Providence, RI
We are hearing a great deal these days about religious freedom. Much of it comes from individuals who appear – from their comments – to know little of our country’s history. For the past three days, I’ve been immersed in a state where all Americans would be well advised to come for a class on Religious Freedom 101.
One of the truly misunderstood stories in American history is that of Rhode Island and the establishment of religious freedom. My father – that lonely breed of Southern Christian liberal – has spent the past decade or more writing letters to the editor that remind his fellow church-goers of the importance of the separation of church and state. For my part, I’ve been in Providence and Newport this week, and took the time to visit two of the landmarks of the nation’s move to ensure that all had religious freedom, including the right not to worship.
Friday, I was in Newport for a series of meetings that began at Touro Synagogue, a National Historic Landmark and an affiliate site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Standing as a landmark to religious freedom for all Americans, Touro Synagogue, dedicated in 1763, is the oldest synagogue building in the United States. As described on the National Trust website:
A structure of exquisite beauty and design, steeped in history and ideals, the synagogue is considered one of the ten most architecturally distinguished buildings of 18th century America and the most historically significant Jewish building in the United States.
The congregation was founded in 1658 by the descendants of Jewish families who had fled the Inquisitions in Spain and Portugal and who themselves left the Caribbean seeking the greater religious tolerance that Rhode Island offered.
Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI (Photo: National Trust for Historic Preservation)
By the time those families came to Rhode Island, the “lively experiment” that was Rhode Island was already underway. An exhibit in the Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. Visitor’s Center (and captured on the website) explains it best:
Rhode Island’s experience was a catalyst to the development of these values (that the acceptance of the separation of church and state was a uniquely American value). Under the terms of its founding Charter, Rhode Island stood alone among the colonies in its desire to “hold forth a lively experiment, that a most flourishing civil State may stand and best be maintained, with a full liberty of religious concernments.”
Roger Williams and his followers were convinced that religion was a matter of conscience between an individual and his God, not the government. The founding documents for Providence, Rhode Island indicate a clear division between the public, civil realm and the private world of belief:
We, whose names are here under, desirous to inhabit in the town of Providence, do promise to subject ourselves, in active or passive obedience, to all such orders or agreements as shall be made for public good of the body in an orderly way, by the major assent of the present inhabitants, masters of families, incorporated together into a town-fellowship, and such others whom they shall admit unto them, only in civil things.
“Only in civil things.” This phrase, assumed to be from the pen of Roger Williams himself, establishes the principal of religious liberty that was to become the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the Rhode Island Colony, only matters of civil interest were to be considered by the town-fellowship. Matters of theology, doctrine, and religious practice were to be considered apart from the realm of civic discourse and within the confines of the individual consciousness or “soul-thought.”
The Charter of the Rhode Island Colony, negotiated in 1663 by Newport founder John Clark on behalf of the Rhode Island colonists from King Charles II of England, clearly demonstrates that religious freedom was the prime reason for the colony’s existence. Rhode Island’s Charter, which served as state constitution until 1842, includes this unique provision:
No person within the said Colony, at any time hereafter, shall be any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any differences in opinion, in matters of religion, who does not actually disturb the peace of our said Colony ; but that all and every person and persons may, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and fully have and enjoy his own and their judgments and consciences, in matters of religious concernments, throughout the tract of land heretofore mentioned, they behaving themselves peaceably and quietly and not using this liberty to licentiousness and profaneness, nor to the civil injury or outward disturbance of others.
Touro’s unique place in American history came about in 1790, when in response to a letter from the congregation, President George Washington eloquently defined the new nation’s standard for religious freedom and civil liberties. He declared that America would…“give to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”
Providence – where I spent the rest of the trip – is a city that celebrates its religious history. Few communities carry off having a “Steeple Street” with the history that Providence does. (It is even obvious in the city’s name!)
Steeple Street, Providence
The most important of those houses of worship, from a historical standpoint, is The First Baptist Church, Providence.
The First Baptist Church, Providence, RI
Note that I didn’t write “the First Baptist Church in Providence.” No, this is THE FIRST Baptist Church IN AMERICA.
Historical Marker on The First Baptist Church, Providence,
Coupled with the Roger Williams National Memorial, managed by the National Park Service, The First Baptist Church tells an important story that is as fresh as today’s headlines. I’ve given a couple of speeches recently that focus on the relevance of historic places today. Here’s what I said in the most recent one:
When we change our focus (in preservation, from buildings) to people, we become serious about relevance. In many of the places we save, and in the way we approach their conservation, we often talk about the “period of significance.” But at the National Trust we are turning that on its head, and asking, “What if the period of significance is now?”
At President Lincoln’s Cottage, where Abraham Lincoln conceived the Emancipation Proclamation, understanding that “the period of significance is now” leads us to use of the site as the springboard for exhibits, lectures, and projects that address human trafficking in the 21st century. Slavery, unfortunately, didn’t end in 1865.
Old places can be eloquent in helping us think about how the lessons of the past inform us about today’s issues…whether those issues be human trafficking (Lincoln’s Cottage), immigration (The Lower East Side Tenement Museum), labor relations and income inequality (Pullman), or religious liberty (Touro Synagogue and The First Baptist Church).
Visit a historic site, and connect the past with today’s big issues.
First, there are lots of changing seasons. Playoffs are just starting in hockey and basketball. (Do you know that WWII wasn’t as long as the NBA playoffs?) Baseball is in its first week. Golf begins to come back onto the radar screen. And those folks who think football is the only game get all excited about…the draft. (Please. Get a life, people.)
This afternoon, I watched about all the golf I will take in on television over the course of the year – the last nine holes of the Masters. It takes me about an hour of CBS coverage of the Masters to remind myself why I think golf is so damn pretentious and full of itself. The hushed tones, the endless references to history, the endless paeans to Phil (I make millions of dollars, but I still complain about having to pay taxes) Mickelson. (The guy actually wears logos of a bank and an auditing firm. That should tell you something about this “game.”) Give me a break.
After the impressive win by Jordan Spieth at the Masters, I quickly switched over to ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. In spite of the 455th installment of Yankees vs. Red Sox on the world-wide leader in sports, it was quickly apparent why baseball vs. golf = no contest. You have real characters in baseball, even among the announcers. (Love Kruk’s sling…I feel like a kindred spirit. Kruk once said, “I’m not an athlete, I’m a baseball player.” Priceless.) Big Papi and kids – these guys are having fun. The Nats win their second of the year, with Zim flashing some leather, despite having a team batting average well below the Mendoza Line. The Royals are mad because despite being in the World Series last year, many folks have said they won’t make the playoffs. Plus, a fun report on a Red Sox bar in the heart of New York City. You don’t get this stuff in golf.
So bring it on. Even if we do have the Yankees and Red Sox again tonight, golf doesn’t stand a chance.
