When in the Course

I was born at the beginning of the Eisenhower era and was raised by Republican parents. Even so, they preferred JFK to Richard Nixon, so there’s that. I came of age during the Viet Nam war; however, I was too young to be drafted. Many who graduated high school before me paid a terrible price. … Continue reading When in the Course →

Bookends

We recently returned from a tour that included several cities in Hungary, Austria, Germany, and The Netherlands. We began in Budapest, where we visited the “Shoes on the Danube Bank” memorial to 800 Jewish people who were forced to give up their shoes before being shot and thrown into the river. Seeing the pairs of … Continue reading Bookends →

Letter to Senators

I sent this letter to my Senator yesterday. It is really an open letter to all Senators. I moved to Indiana in 1980 and have been registered as a Republican for 51 years. My parents were life-long Republicans. I was born in the Eisenhower era and learned to respect and admire many of what I … Continue reading Letter to Senators →

It Was Never About the Trumpet

I taught trumpet for more than 42 years. I lost track of the number of private lessons many years ago. After teaching at the same university for 37 years, I was “retired” in a time of “financial exigency.” Three of my music colleagues were likewise “retired” that same year. In my case, the reason given … Continue reading It Was Never About the Trumpet →