Sunday, May 6, 2007

The other May 4 feast

This one is a family feast. That's my maternal grandfather, William, on the left (a.k.a. Will to his wife and Bill to everyone else including his grandchildren). He was born May 4, in the 1890s and this photo was taken in 1940, so he was well into his forties. I don't publish a lot of personal or family details here, but I wanted to name him among the holy people. I always remember him on this day and I loved him dearly, though I didn't know him long; he died when I was just under 8 years old and he was the only grandfather I knew. (The other one had died a couple of years before my birth.)

It's also the birthday of one of my cousins (she and I were our grandfather's birthday presents that year -- she on his birthday, May 4, and I three days later on May 7) and of one of my nephews. Must be a cosmic family day.

On May 4, 1970, the day my elder nephew was born, the Kent State murders happened.* I was in college at Oberlin, also in Ohio, not far away. For both of these reasons I will never forget that day.

*Apparently controversy about the events of that day is not over.

1 comment:

Padre Rob+ said...

My Dad is a 4 May baby too.

I enjoyed reading a bit of your family story. Thanks for sharing it.