Category: Uncategorized
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Reflections on August 1962, August 1976 and August 14-15, 2026 I dropped my daughter off at Purdue yesterday, and you got your shoulderboards today. Not related? Hear me out. I’m guessing that a lot of you in CGA 2030 have had the experience of going through a cheer tunnel. Not me. Until yesterday. And it…
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Reflections on August 1976 from the perspective of August 2026 The cadre told us to stencil our serial number on all of our issued items. Most everything was a dark color, so they gave us a white pen. The problem was that it had runny ink, and it flowed under the edges of the stencil.…
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Reflections on July 1976 and July 2026 I remember the wall. The height of it. The pressure builds as the line gets shorter. Taller as I get closer. Jump! Yes – a grip on the top edge. Kinda rough. Pull, swing legs. A long way down on the other side. Must be safe, or they…
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Reflections on June 20, 2026 about the day June 28, 1976 Generally, I believe in progress. I’m usually willing to leave old traditions in my wake and steer towards the innovations that appear on the horizon. But there is one particular value handed down to me over time that I have learned to steer by…
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Reflections on the date of June 29, 1976 In my day, long hair was a statement. It began as a form of protest against the war in Vietnam, as if to say, “Hell no, I won’t go.” Hair the musical hit Broadway in 1968. At first, the older generation sneered at long-haired men, but by…
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Reflections back to June 28, 1976 and forward to June 29, 2026 All epic adventures begin with a call. Jesus called the twelve, the Fellowship of the Ring was called to Rivendell, and the Reaping placed a call on Katniss and Peeta. Both you and I, in our respective times, received a call to the…
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Reflections on the date of May 17, 1976 and May 17, 2026 My stepdaughter graduates from high school today in the Class of 2026, like many of you. She is an impressive young person – her first seven years of school were in Thailand and the last five here in the states. Twice, she was…
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Reflections on May 1976 It was supposed to be a big day for me, the honor ceremony at my high school. An officer of the U.S. Coast Guard stood at the podium and announced my appointment to the academy. But he was less than impressive. He looked a bit disheveled, he stumbled over his words,…
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Reflections on May 4, 1970 and May 4, 1976 Tin soldiers and Nixon’s comin’;We’re finally on our own.This summer I hear the drummin’Four dead in Ohio. I was 11 years old and living overseas. When Time magazine was delivered to our apartment that summer, it showed a Kent State student lying dead on the ground.…
Ears to Hear 