Celebration of Life

“They tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise

They tell me of an unclouded day.”

    “Uncloudy Day,” Staple Singers

IUN held a “Celebration of Life” event in honor of Academic Affairs Administrative Assistant Lydia Hairston, who passed away two weeks ago at age 52.  Because she was a huge Steelers fan, many folks wore Pittsgurgh jerseys and tables were decorated in Steeler colors with black and gold jellybeans on them.  The food - hot dogs, burger, chips, popcorn, and the like – was like what you’d find at a stadium concession stand.  Evidently Lydia microwaved popcorn every morning at 11, something Rhiman Rotz used to do in Tamarack. She was, Vice Chancellor David Malik, declared, a confidante and friend who cared so much about students she’d often walk them to where they needed to go to in order to ensure they that their needs were met.  Several people mentioned that  Lydia was a fitness buff, and she’d chide them if they were eating improperly.

Lydia was born in a West Virginia coal town named for Judge Elbert H. Gary.  The Appalachian town predated Gary, Indiana, by a couple years and during World War II boasted over 15,000 residences.  After U.S. Steel ceased coal operation in 1986, however, it has become virtually a ghost town with a population less than 1,000.  Delores Crawford mentioned being outdoors with Lydia when her wig fell off.  Delores told her it was a good thing it didn’t happen in church or she would have had to change congregations.  At that they both laughed until tears came to their eyes.  Next time they were together Lydia said, “Are you sure your wig is pinned down?”  “Delores replied, “You couldn’t pull it off if you tried.”  James Wallace captured a shot of me saying a few words about what a classy and caring person Lydia, below, was.

 

Kay Fetters of the Indiana Historical Society requested a photo for a Hoosier Historian Riker Award press release. Chris Sheid set up an appointment with IT administrator Tome Trajkovski, who took a half dozen shots and even got rid of forehead wrinkles.  When Bill Dorin and I made a pictorial DVD to go along with my “Centennial History of Gary,” Tome helped with the production.

The Post-Trib carried an obit for 82 year-old Fred Eichhorn, a corporate attorney who served 15 years on IU’s Board of Trustees.  After Coach Bob Knight got caught beating up on players, it was Fred who was primarily responsible for the “zero tolerance” policy that led to “The General’s” ouster.  Fred’s wife Judy worked in Admissions when I first got hired at IUN and was a great university booster.  When Paul Kern, John Haller, Nick Kanellos, and I played tennis at Marquette Park, we’d often see Fred and Judy Smith’s husband on the next court. The "Celebration of Life" for Fred is taking place prior to an IU football game, and people are encouraged to dress as if going to a tailgate party.

Eighty years ago, Al Smith went up to 1932 candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt and said, “Hello, you old potato.”  Earlier, during the Democratic convention Smith had tried to deny FDR the nomination, hoping that he could be the candidate like four years before, only this time he’d be a cinch to defeat Hoover.  Smith campaigned for FDR in the fall but, denied any significant role in his a

Anne Balay showed me a letter of recommendation William Buckley wrote that contained the word valorize.  I don’t think I’d ever heard it, even though it is derived from “Valor,” the title of Sheriff Dominguez’s autobiography.  It means to assign merit or to enhance.

administration, became highly critical of the New Deal.

Obama’s closing words during the debate were quite eloquent, I believe, in contrast with Romney’s rant.  The President concluded, “Four years ago I said that I’m not a perfect man and I wouldn’t be a perfect president. And that’s probably a promise that Governor Romney thinks I’ve kept. But I also promised that I’d fight every single day on behalf of the American people and the middle class and all those who are striving to get in the middle class. I’ve kept that promise and if you’ll vote for me, then I promise I’ll fight just as hard in a second term.”

Simply put, I think the election will come down to whether a majority of undecided voters believe that Obama, though perhaps well-meaning, is inept – like the perceived but erroneous knock on Jimmy Carter – or whether they trust him more than Romney to deal with the daunting problems he will certainly face in the next four years. MSNBC’s Al Sharpton speculated that Obama adopted Muhammad Ali’s strategy against George Foreman of doing a rope-a-dope, letter Romney tire and make mistakes.  Let’s hope round two turns out like the title fight in Zaire did.

Ken Keller reminded me that my talk about Vivian Carter and Vee-Jay Records is in two weeks, and he promised to have a CD player on hand.  I shall play parts of these songs: “Goodnite Sweetheart” (Spaniels), “Oh What a Night” (Dells), “You Got Me Dizzy” (Jimmy Reed), “For Your Precious Love” (Jerry Butler), “Hey Little Girl” (Dee Clark), “Duke of Earl” (Gene Chandler), “Boom Boom” (John Lee Hooker), and “Unclouded Day” (Staple Singers).  Even though Roebuck “Pops” Staples and other family members spell their last name with as “s” on the end, the “Staple” in Staple Singers is singular.

Miller Council member Marilyn Krusas (below) was indicted for apparently failing to file income tax statements for then past decade.  Represented by former mayor Scott King she has pleaded not guilty.

 

Two important Marxist historians died, Eugene Genovese, who wrote about America’s “peculiar Institution” of slavery, and Eric Hobsbawm (above), who did pioneering work in the field of economic history.  His most important works were “The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848,” “The Age of Capital: 1848-1875,” “The Age of Empire: 1875-1914,” and “The Age of Extremes: 1914-1991.”