It was September 1982. I was a freshman at Ohio University and I had learned a few months earlier that my cousin John was a senior there. I got his telephone number and called him. He knew about me being there. We just needed to connect. When I reached him, the conversation went something like, “John, this is your …
Category: FAMILY
A tribute to my Uncle Charlie, my Italy buddy
The first time I went to Italy, I spent a month with cousins in Grotte, Sicily, discovering my mother’s hometown. Then I was back in Rome, ready to start an internship with the Associated Press. I was 22. My Uncle Charlie was the next Grotte visitor. He and my mom went back to their hometown …
Continue reading A tribute to my Uncle Charlie, my Italy buddy
Catching up with Cousins, Lots of Cousins
At our family picnics, there are so many cousins and children of cousins and their children, it can be a challenge to meet and greet everyone. My Aunt Joleen has the system nailed down though, as I witnessed at our recent gathering. “Now, who are you?” she simply asked, as she made the rounds. And that’s …