Passing It On

My Dad an old man? No way

Age is a relative thing.

I was reminded of this at a family reunion near Underwood, Iowa, this past weekend. Besides the grand potluck, homemade strawberry ice cream, cherry picking, balloon toss and clumsy volleyball games there was the opportunity to share family stories and catch up with the wide range of relatives, many of them unfamiliar, that make up the family tree begun in 1920 when Jens and Ellen Andersen left Denmark to start a new life in America.

Prizes were awarded to those who came the farthest (my Uncle Harold, from Florida) and the oldest (my Dad, Jack, 87). That’s when it hit me. My Dad will never be the oldest in my family, at least not in my mind.

Though he’s lived longer than his own father by more than 20 years and my other grandfather, Jens, by a few years, he’ll always seem younger to me than either of them. For whatever reason, I see my grandfathers as old men, probably because they carried the unofficial titles of family patriarchs for all the years I knew them. My earliest memories of my Dad, however, go back to when he was a relatively young pup in his 30s.

I suspect this skewed view of the aging process is common when evaluating people we’re familiar with. For instance, my view of former president Ronald Reagan is one of a senior statesman while I see John F. Kennedy as a robust, energetic young leader. But they were pretty much contemporaries, having been born just six years apart. My view of them is doubtless tempered by the fact that JFK was just 46 when he was assassinated while Reagan was nearly 70 when he first took office as president. Consider, too, that Martin Luther King was nearly 12 years younger than Kennedy and never reached his 39th birthday.

Do you see your family tree in a similar way?

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo: Jack, Elsie and Liz Lehmer at Andersen family reunion on July 5, 2008. Courtesy of lwlehmer.

After all these years, they still want roots in America

 

Today’s Des Moines Register reminded me of what a melting pot America continues to be.

The front page centerpiece by Reid Forgrave told of the reunion of brothers who had fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. One of the brothers, a former Hussein bodyguard, had waited 17 years to be reunited with his younger brother.

Many people unfamiliar with the Midwest in general and Iowa in particular may be surprised to know that the area is not exclusively populated by farmers and assorted bucolic characters. In fact, Iowans eagerly opened their doors to Asian refugees over 30 years ago at a time when much of the nation was still feeling the sting of our prolonged sad involvement in Vietnam. Des Moines has an ever-growing Latino, Asian and Bosnian community.

Decades earlier it was the promise of the United States that lured my then 21-year-old grandfather to its shores. I’ve always regretted not asking him directly why he left his comfortable life as a cabinetmaker in Denmark for the uncertainty of life here.

That's him in the photo, clowning around in front of one of the grandfather clocks he built for family members.

Do you know why your foreign-born ancestors rolled the dice to make the often arduous journey to this land? This is a question worth pondering as you preserve your own family history.

One lucky World War II veteran from Central Iowa will receive a free video biography from my friend, John Windschitl, aka That Video Guy. John has recently started his own videography business after many years of learning his craft while working in television and the corporate world.

John and I are looking forward to working together on a combined video-written biography project, but this offer is for a video only. If you live in Central Iowa and know of someone you would like to be considered for the free video, send John an e-mail or call him at (515) 664-7409. Make sure you tell him why this person is a worthy candidate. Deadline is Oct. 12.

It’s been many, many years since I concluded my formal education. This weekend I’m returning to my collegiate alma mater for my first homecoming. So, if you’re a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha (or its predecessor, Omaha University) and plan to be at Saturday’s picnic or football game, look me up. I’m always glad to meet UNO grads and readers of my blog.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family stories. To learn more, check out his web site or shoot him an e-mail.