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Today would be my Daddy's 99th birthday, if he was still alive. Like Mark Twain, he was born the year Hailey's Comet came through and died when it next returned. Not that I think there's any cause and effect there, but it's an interesting point of trivia.
A few facts about my Daddy:
His given name was Haakon (pronounced "Hawk-on"), a traditional Norwegian name. (There have been Norwegian kings named Haakon. Alternate spelling: Hakon.) His parents were Norwegian immigrants.
He was scouted by a professional baseball team when he was in his teens, but his father, a minister, refused to sign the consent form because it would have meant playing on Sundays.
He worked to organize labor unions in the 1930s, worked for Gulf Oil company for 35 years and was a yellow-dog Democrat. His job was considered part of an essential industry; he didn't serve in the armed forces during WWII.
He and my mother were married two months short of 35 years at the time of her death. He never seriously dated or remarried afterward.
He caught the mumps from my older brother...I am living proof that an adult man having the mumps is NOT always sterile!
He did the New York Times crossword puzzles in ink, and the standing rule when playing Scrabble at our house was "No words of fewer than four letters can be made while there are still tiles available.".
I still miss him.
A few facts about my Daddy:
His given name was Haakon (pronounced "Hawk-on"), a traditional Norwegian name. (There have been Norwegian kings named Haakon. Alternate spelling: Hakon.) His parents were Norwegian immigrants.
He was scouted by a professional baseball team when he was in his teens, but his father, a minister, refused to sign the consent form because it would have meant playing on Sundays.
He worked to organize labor unions in the 1930s, worked for Gulf Oil company for 35 years and was a yellow-dog Democrat. His job was considered part of an essential industry; he didn't serve in the armed forces during WWII.
He and my mother were married two months short of 35 years at the time of her death. He never seriously dated or remarried afterward.
He caught the mumps from my older brother...I am living proof that an adult man having the mumps is NOT always sterile!
He did the New York Times crossword puzzles in ink, and the standing rule when playing Scrabble at our house was "No words of fewer than four letters can be made while there are still tiles available.".
I still miss him.