· World War II Patriots · It’s not Veterans Day and it’s not Father’s Day, but let me introduce you to some Fighting Fathers, American Patriots. I’ve written about my father, Harold L. Potter, before and I’ll write about him again. Despite a successful career, and a happy marriage and family, he couldn’t help but remember growing up during the Great Depression and his years serving in the US Army during World War II in the European Theater. Harold L Potter WWII service record They were … [Read more...] about Our Fighting Fathers
Archives for April 2019
The Story You Tell Makes a Difference
· Rural America · Recently I attended a community meeting organized by Heal Reno County http://www.healrenocounty.org where a rural sociologist, Ben Winchester, University of Minnesota Extension, painted a positive picture of rural America instead of one resonating doom and gloom. It was clearly an example of perception. Is the glass half empty or half full? Instead of doom and gloom, Winchester recommended that residents who regularly tell a sad story of loss about their town, change the … [Read more...] about The Story You Tell Makes a Difference
Book Club
· Reading Rendezvous · It was good for me to get back to the monthly Reading Rendezvous Book Club at Metropolitan Coffee in Hutchinson, Kansas. If you’ve never been a part of a group discussing books, you may not realize that success starts with amazing leaders. Miriam Bebe Kitson and Rebecca Shetler co-share that responsibility at Metropolitan http://www.metrocoffeehutch.com. They are excellent on many levels, including being prepared, welcoming, curious, flexible, interesting, and … [Read more...] about Book Club
Lyrical Literature
· Diane Wahto · Diane Wahto’s combination of lyrical and descriptive power in her poetry makes music in my mind. The Sad Joy of Leaving is an emotional, imaginative, and beautiful book. Wahto had a stroke last December but she’s recovering well. Now, she’s back and busy producing material for her second book of poems that a publisher has requested. I won’t mention Diane’s age, but anytime a writer tells the reader that she used to own a ’47 Chevy, you can do the math. This is a memory … [Read more...] about Lyrical Literature
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
· The St. Louis Browns and Eddie Gaedel · Herb Potter, my uncle who died last year, used to tell me about a major league baseball (MLB) game he attended in St. Louis when he was almost 14 years old. It was a double-header home game for the St. Louis Browns vs the Detroit Tigers. I searched for the date. It was August 19, 1951. Herb was in baseball heaven from the moment he entered Sportsman Park with my dad, his oldest brother. “They had a band playing inside,” recalled Herb, “and we … [Read more...] about Take Me Out to the Ball Game