Escape From Laos

Escape From Laos
On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   Escape From Laos   When the communist Pathet Lao took over the country late in 1975, in the same year that the bloody war in Viet Nam had finally ended, the citizens of Laos held their...
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QUIET HERO

QUIET HERO
I actually have a few hero's in my family; but, since it is Veterans Day, I think it is so important to share the stories of the members of the military in my family.  The first, would be my father-in-law, Elroy  J. Gierach.   Elroy was an 18 year old "kid"...
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The Beginning of a Name

The Beginning of a Name
Dear Friends, Over the years we have shared and discussed many things: that is the way with friends. I want to tell you the story of Cherith. Perhaps, it will help my grieving heart to heal a bit. I believe Sean wants me to share this story; it is, after all,...
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1761 Views
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Gifts of Finest Wine

Gifts of Finest Wine
On the road… again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   Gifts of Finest Wine   We couldn’t send them home, so we proceeded to drink them—one bottle at a time.  First was a Haut du Médoc (2009), then a Mouton Cadet (2011), then a Gewurztraminer...
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I Did It!

A few months ago, I took a short course called Writing Your Life Story at the University of North Florida OLLI (Oshner Lifelong Learning Institute) program. Our wonderful teacher gave us an assignment (one of several) to write a brief story about the topic "What no one knows about me". This...
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Duty Roster

Duty Roster
On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   Duty Roster   Family is important in Vietnamese society; and taking care of elders is one of the expectations one has while growing up in the Vietnamese culture. Xuan Thi Nguyen is now the oldest member...
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2588 Views
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Five Languages At Lunch

Five Languages At Lunch
On the road …again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   Five Languages At Lunch   It was a typical family get-together for lunch.  Except this was no typical family and no ordinary lunch.  The sit-down lunch was composed of extended family members from different towns,...
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Just one more piece...

“Well? What do you think?” Mom prodded. Dad chewed thoughtfully on a bite of the pecan pie (his favorite) that my mother, his young bride, had baked specially for him. It was her first attempt at pie baking. With little cooking experience, Mom was eager to please, and anything but confident....
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Zina and Gale Hanks

We are thankful for a lady like Zina Hanks.  She was born and raised in Spring Lake, Utah.  She will be 90 on July 12, 2014, and has enjoyed good health up until the end of September when she suffered a slight stroke. She and her husband Gale were married in...
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France Revisited

France Revisited
On the road…again…! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek     France Revisited   Footloose Forester wrote briefly in his Chronicles of a Footloose Forester about the Comoros Islands, Cambodia and France; but also about how the people and events in those three countries were blended...
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Mary Howarth Draper (KWJ7-4N2) - Daughter of Thomas Howarth & Betty Collins

Mary Howarth Draper (KWJ7-4N2) - Daughter of Thomas Howarth & Betty Collins
Mary Howarth Draper (KWJ7-4N2) Daughter of Thomas Howarth & Betty Collins MARY HOWARTH DRAPER 1831-1902 (KWJ7-4N2) History by daughter Irene Draper Bradley in 1932 BORN:         14 February 1831 PLACE:      Hyde, Cheshire, England BAPTISM:     7 February 1847 MARRIED:    William Draper Jr. DATE:          18 December 1853 DEATH:...
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Courage, Faith, and Love

If put to the test of what I can't imagine living without, it would be courage, faith,and love.  The first of the three, I believe I had when I took my first steps learning to walk.  In those days every experience was a discovery and, having had few disappointments, I was...
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My Great-Grandpa Jensen

  Our family visited my great-grandma and great-grandpa Jensen (my dad’s grandparents on his mother’s side of the family) this past summer, which was really a great experience.  They live in Southern Alberta, Canada and we rarely get to visit with them.  They are both getting quite old and have moved...
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1668 Views
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The Catch of a Lifetime

I remember the first time I met Virginia, who was always "Gin" to me.  In fact, I met Gin for the first time when the love of her life, C.W, also met her for the first time. C.W, myself and another friend were going to Arkansas on a fishing trip when...
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From a Former Student

I graduated from EHS with the class of 1977. I just wanted to say that my memories of "Mrs. Fouse" only bring a smile to my face.  Her gentle motivation and beautiful smile are still remembered by me.  Because of her encouragement, I agreed to volunteer to help teach English to...
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Your Virginia

Hello C.W. , You probably don’t remember me. I know you met so many of Virginia’s counselor friends over the years. You and I had a sweet conversation a few years ago when you came to one of our regional meetings and motivated us with your wonderful words. Virginia is the...
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Memories from Robin Finley

 I loved Virginia!  Working with her on the Arkansas School Counselor Association board for at least 5 years- she was an incredible person.  She was ALWAYS so cheerful and happy.  She would periodically send me such sweet, encouraging messages thanking me on behalf of all school counselors for work done with...
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1549 Views
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Toys

Toys   I don’t remember any toys I had when I was very small. There are pictures of me holding a poor stuffed giraffe by the neck. Karen and I usually got our toys at Christmas. I don’t remember either of us getting a toy as a birthday present or at...
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1788 Views
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ANNA DUSTON HER STORY

Anna Duston Her Story        Anna Duston was born in 1866 the second child of Hugh Philander Duston and Hannah Florena (Ernsbarger) Duston.  She was born in Caldwell Co. Missouri and in 1870 and 1880 census resided on family farm near Kingston, Missouri with her parents and siblings, Margaret,...
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HUGH PHILANDER DUSTON HIS STORY

Hugh Philander Duston His Story          Hugh Philander Duston was born in Caldwell County Missouri, August 1st,1840.   He was the son of Dr. John H.Duston I, a pioneer citizen of America . His mother previous to her marriage to Mr. Duston was Sophia White, sister of the...
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