Monday, February 19, 2018

 

Papa Woodstock

Hey folks,

This past weekend we laid to rest my grandfather Thomas D. Cooney.  I was honored to share some remarks about his life at the conclusion of the Funeral Liturgy.  If you'd like to hear more about this amazing man, feel free to read my comments below.  Please continue to pray for the man I called Papa and my family as well. 

Ladies and gentlemen take my and Papa's advice, always say YES to the Lord! 



Papa


This past Christmas, Papa spent the day at my parent’s house with us as we opened presents with his 5 great grandchildren or as I call it the circus. I had the opportunity to drive him back to his room in Woodstock afterwords for some much needed peace and quiet for everyone. I asked him what Christmas was like in his house growing up with him and his 3 brothers. He said that by the afternoon of Christmas day, his mother would just give them each a nickel and send them to the movies.


It was a pleasure to be able to get him to talk about old stories like that every once in a while. As we dropped him off in his room, I could not help at fear that perhaps this would be one of the last times I got to spend quality time with him. It made me sad as I drove back to my parent’s house in Rockford and i started to reflect on how much he has done for me and my family. I decided I needed to figure out a way to honor his legacy.


To honor Papa’s legacy, we should go back and look at exactly what his life entailed. How do you measure 94 and half years? I know my simple words will not be enough to truly express the fullness of his life. One way is to perhaps examine his life from a statistical historical perspective. Papa lived through 17 US presidents, 8 Roman Catholic Popes, 6 or 7 major wars, the advent of commercial air travel, the beginning of human space flight, 52 Super Bowls and 1 Chicago Cubs World Series Victory.


Of course these events and numbers do nothing to truly define this man that has touched so many lives. What truly stands out to me as his legacy, is his willingness time and time again to say yes.

Papa was born and raised Catholic being baptized right here at St. Mary’s. While his parents and godparents were the ones who said yes for him as a baby, Papa proved throughout his life his willingness to say yes to whatever our Lord would ask of him. Papa’s love of the Lord and concern for other people was clearly influenced by the example of his mother and father. During his time in the nursing home we would frequently try and get old stories out of him. One of these times he described his mother as the finest woman he ever met. According to Tom she took care of him when he got sick a lot from pneumonia to bed wetting. She never made him feel small.


Despite his poor breathing condition Tom and his brothers always said yes to playing baseball, basketball and football all day every summer. Growing up in the Cooney household must have been an adventure with 4 boys. I have 2 of my own and I very much recognize why their mother decided to send them to the movies after Christmas dinner. One story Papa relayed to us was pretending to drive his father’s car in the driveway with his younger brother Leo in the passenger seat. Leo could not have been much more than 3 years old as the story is told. Tom inevitably shifted the car into neutral and it rolled backwards into the street. After coming to a stop, Tom quickly swapped seats with Leo. His parents didn’t really fall for it.


World War II interrupted Tom’s late teens and early 20s. When duty called, Tom said yes to serving his country in the army. As I recall from a high school history project where I had to interview him he was originally sent to an accounting division of the army which he hated. He also was held back from active duty due to his chronic asthma. Despite serving in the accounting field, Tom wanted to do more for his country and eventually made his way into the Army Air Corps where he became a bombardier on the B -17 flying fortress. Before he could serve in battle, the war came to an end. I would say this was fortunate as the only victims of Tom’s bombs were some cows on some practice missions but Tom always felt guilty about not serving actively in the war. As a result Tom said yes to serving for an additional year in post-war Germany.


After returning home, Tom completed his education and returned to Woodstock. He soon re-met Irene Shereda whom he says he met when they were seniors in high school, but Tom had been in love with someone else at that time. Eventually he was ready to say one of the most important yeses in his life. But first he had to to get Irene to say yes. One night Tom and Irene were on the floor watching TV and Tom had brought a ring. He asked her to marry him, She said yes. He did not get down on one knee because they were already on the floor. I asked him if he had asked her father for permission and he told me “that he, as in Tom, was rube and didn’t know about that kind of stuff but that he probably should have.”


Tom and Irene were married on May 26, 1951. They quickly settled into married life in Woodstock buying a home on Lincoln avenue, the same street Tom had been born on and grew up on. In 1959 the Lord led Tom and Irene to start a family of their own and they said yes to the most beautiful baby girl when they adopted Megan in 1959. According to legend, they were bringing the baby home from Rockford and the first person they encountered in Woodstock was Joe Conerty. He tapped on the glass of the car window, but Irene refused to open it because it was November and too cold for the baby. Papa always told Megan he couldn’t wait to walk down the street holding his daughter’s hand. Tom and Irene said yes again 2 years later when they adopted David. This family of 4 was complete. Tom was excited to be a father and to teach his children about saying yes to the Lord.


Tom always wanted the best for his children and always went out of his way to get it. Sometimes to the embarrassment of Irene. The NCAA Final Four was in St. Louis and Tom had acquired tickets a year in advance as was necessary. Tom decided that the trip to Springfield was a good opportunity to drop grandma and her bird and the dog off at the cousins in Springfield’s house. The trip was nearly derailed by a legendary ice storm in Springfield that led to everyone sleeping on Red Cross cots in a small truck stop. The Cooney clan eventually made it to St. Louis. Their seats were of course at the top of the arena so when Tom spotted some open seats closer to the action, he decided to try and sit there. Irene was horrified and would not go. After taking their seats in the new section, the couple next to them gave them a strange look and were overheard saying, “Aren’t the Wooden’s coming this evening”” This was of course referring to legendary NCAA basketball coach John Wooden who if I remember the story right did in fact show up and Tom graciously excused themselves from their seats.


Of course the material things of this world were not what was most important to Tom. He was raised a faithful Catholic and strived to live out his faith personally and in service to others.


If there is anything Tom loved being more than a husband and father, and I could be biased on this point, it would be when he became Papa in December 1984. A joyous day for everyone involved i am sure as I came into the world but a day also filled with sadness as my twin brother Timmy died at birth. I am named Thomas Harold after both of my grandfathers and I have always been proud to be Tommy to his Tom though don’t call me Tom, because that’s always been his name. In 1988 I was joined by my sister Christina and Papa got his little Squirt.

Papa eagerly said yes to being a grandfather and he was everything you could want in a grandparent. He had a sense of adventure taking us on countless hiking trips both here and on our spring break visits with him in Arizona where he spent the winters. He would actively engage with us in our imaginations. I recently saw a home video of him pretending to be Mr. McFeely to my Mister Rogers. Once he got a new refrigerator on Lincoln ave and we kept that box it came in for 5 years. (Though it is fair to point out that throwing things away was not something he eagerly said yes too) He would roll around in it with us as a hamster wheel or chase us down the sidewalk in it much to our delight. He would teach us games, direct us in Christmas plays, take us golfing, take us swimming at Uncle Don’s, take us to the train museum, and let me pour water down his trunks on the beach in Escanaba Michigan where he spent many vacations with our family.


He was always open to being silly, until it was time to be serious. This is probably one of the most important things I have ever learned from him. As a Youth Minister I have had several teens tell me that one of the reasons I am good at my job is because I can be goofy and relatable one minute and then quickly switch to a prayerful or serious teaching mode depending on what the moment calls for. I only recently realized that this was yet another gift from Papa. The most important gift I received from Papa though was the gift of faith. It was always Papa who pushed us to take our faith seriously and to continue growing as disciples of Jesus. Whether it was taking us to Church, or encouraging us to serve other, or ensuring we received a Catholic education, it was Papa who is the most important rock of my faith. So much so that I chose him to be my confirmation sponsor in high school. It was because of Papa’s example and persistence that when I attended my first Kyrios retreat in high school, my eyes were finally opened to the peace and the joy that comes from having a relationship with Jesus Christ. From that time forward I always felt more deeply connected to Papa because I finally understood the role faith played in his life and now I did too. He would always send clippings from religious newspapers or articles that he had come across. I didn’t read everything he sent but what I did always touched my heart. When I left for a year of volunteer missionary work in Wisconsin Papa gave me a book called Praying w/ St. Paul. You could always count on Papa to have a beautiful handwritten message on the inside cover of books he would gift you. This prayer book served me each day of that tough year and drew me closer to Christ and to Papa as he had the same book and we were united in our daily prayer.


In 1992 Papa lost Irene to cancer. I was old enough to recognize she was gone but there’s no way I could realize what an impact her loss might have had on him. I believe that part of why Papa loved marriage was being able to serve someone. Christ commands us to serve others and Papa lives that out in every aspect of his life. After Irene’s death he through himself even more into the charity work he had undertaken. He was known for a lot but one of the most influential in my life was his dedication to the Woodstock Food Pantry. I can’t count the number of Saturdays that were spent in Woodstock helping him stock the shelves. Part of me hated it because I was lazy, but deep down I think we all loved spending time with Papa and began to recognize the importance of serving others. One year at Christmas the pantry was doing one of those projects where you buy gifts for families in need and they get delivered on Christmas eve. I guess one more family came in late after the deadline so Papa said yes to our family buying the gifts on this family's list. And since it was past the deadline we would have to personally deliver the gifts to this family. That was a profound moment in my life to see the gratitude in the eyes of the family we were able to serve. Of course helping others is not always about getting to see the fruits of your labors and this was something Papa understood well as he was involved with Food for the Poor and a series of missions that helped in Haiti where he would never see his own good deeds with his own eyes. But that didn’t matter, Papa was saying yes to Christ’s call to live out the Corporal works of mercy.



In 1997, Papa said yes once again to becoming a husband when he and Jane Conerty were married in Arizona. This was a change in lifestyle for us to have a step-grandmother but it quickly became fun to go visit Papa and Jane. The love and affection the Conerty clan demonstrates towards Tom proves to me that he quickly adapted to life as a step-father and step-grandfather Though I do think everyone on both sides of the families were relieved there never a new half sibling to contend with in their 21 years of marriage. As Papa’s outside service declined with his advancing age, he continued to say yes to service through his love and devotion to Jane. I think that was what was most frustrating for Papa about growing older was his inability to serve others. I also contend that without Jane in his life, there is no way Papa would have lived this long and for that I am eternally grateful.


So after 94 years, what is the legacy of Tom Cooney? He said yes to Jesus. Not just once, but every day of his 94 years. He said yes to serving others. He said yes to giving of himself physically, emotionally, financially to those who were in need of his love and support. He said yes to putting others before himself. He was the most unselfish person I have ever met in world that promotes selfishness.


So how can I and all of us truly honor his legacy? For me when I first posed that question to myself I realized that because of Papa’s influence on my life, I am already doing it. I have said yes to the Lord’s call to be the best husband to Kayln and the best father to Isaiah, Andrew, and Elizabeth that I can be. It is my job to get them to heaven and I have Papa’s tireless example of striving to lead all of us to holiness to inspire me for the rest of my life. I would encourage all of you find a way to say YES to Jesus just as Tom showed us all. Whether that means praying more, going to Church, working on your marriage, spending more time with your kids, giving more money to those in need, giving of your time to charitable causes for those in need, find ways to keep saying Yes. Papa always said yes and I know that he never regretted any of it. So learn from his wisdom as I trust that he is now truly united with the saints and Angels. I had him for 33 years and now it’s time for him to take my brother Timmy for a hike, or to go for a walk with Irene, or drive Leo around on his birthday once again.



Papa, we thank you for saying yes to the Lord, for serving all of us as humbly and unselfishly as you did. As we heard in the second reading today Papa, you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race. Well done good and faithful servant. Come and take your rest. Rest in Peace Papa. Thank you. I love you.

Monday, June 30, 2014

 

"From the Heart of Broadway and across the nation...it's the Late Show with David Letterman!"



Alternate titles to this post:

Hamming it up with David Letterman

Or

I went to NYC and all I got was this lousy Ham. 

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tommy Nelson and you may remember me from my brief appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman on June 25th 2014.  And by brief appearance I mean literally the 5 seconds the camera cut to me in the audience.  I don’t want you to think for a second that this somehow changes me, but really have you ever been on national television?  Aaron Morey?

A lot of people have asked how this all came about so I thought I would share a reflection on how this happened and what led us to this blog post. 

A little background first: 
Hero is a word that gets thrown around a lot in our culture and I believe many times misused or inappropriately bestowed upon people.  When I think of my heroes I think of St. John Paul II or even Pope Francis.  I would not call David Letterman my hero. 

That being said, I have always had a fond memory or admiration of David Letterman.  Is he a great role model?  No.  Has he done things no one should admire, absolutely.  But from a pure television performer and entertainer level David Letterman has been a sort of hero or idol since I was in 3rd grade.

When I was in 3rd grade Letterman made the switch from Late Night on NBC to the Late Show on CBS.  This brought him on the air an hour earlier and every once in a while in the summer months I would occasionally catch the opening monologue and the Top Ten List.  I was hooked.  I read a biography about him and even did a report on that book in 7th grade.  The first time I discovered that the Top Ten Lists has been collected into a book I bought it instantly!  I may not have always gotten some of the jokes but I found the show intriguing not because of the guests but because of the gap-toothed spectacle wearing host and his crazy antics on network TV. 

I remember on career day in 7th grade we were supposed to dress up like what we wanted to do.  I came as a talk show host, even though I was still a shy kid who barely spoke to people let alone tried to make them laugh.  I got a couple friends hooked on Letterman as well.  I would often pretend to host my own show (called ZAP!!!) and we would frequently parody Letterman bits in our backyard version of network comedy. 

As I got older I appreciated being able to stay up and watch the show more often.  The jokes started to make more sense and I always found watching the show to be more about watching Letterman and his interactions/reactions to things more than about the jokes themselves.   You may find this silly but this gives you a bit of background about where I am as a fan of David Letterman. 

 Getting the tickets
In recent months and years I’ve had less time for Dave.  I am old now so staying up that late is harder with a wife and little one.  I may have even strayed over to Jimmy Kimmel every once in a while.  (He’s a bigger Letterman fan then I am so I thought it was okay.) But then in April Dave announced he would be retiring from the Late Show.  I made sure to watch the show that night and when I went to bed I realized I had one big thing on my bucket list that was not time sensitive.  I had never been to a live taping of the Late Show.  I figured with the retirement announcement tickets might start to be hard to come by so I went online that night to request free tickets. 

The online form asks you to pick a couple days when you’ll be in New York and be available for an afternoon taping.  (SHOCK!  THE SHOW ISN’T LIVE!!!)  I picked June as I knew I would have some more free time then during the academic year.  I pushed submit and that was it.  I kind of forgot about it actually. 

Fast forward to June.  I get home from work on a Thursday and had just barely greeted Kayln and Isaiah when my phone rings with a number I didn’t recognize in the caller ID.  I don’t usually answer numbers I don’t recognize but for some reason I decided to take the call. 

“Hi this is John from the Late Show, you requested tickets for June.  When will you be in New York?” 

I couldn’t believe it.  Like I said, I had almost forgotten about it completely.  I told John we didn’t have a trip planned but we could quickly change those plans if it meant getting to see Dave!  He then asked me the standard trivia question in order to “qualify” for the tickets.  I told him I would call him back on Monday to confirm that we would be coming to New York. 

Kayln and I discussed it and weighed our budget as well as what to do with Isaiah.   We knew he couldn’t handle this long of a road trip as well as he had when he was 3 months old.  Air fare was too expensive at this point.  On a whim I called my sister and her and my parents were thrilled for the opportunity to spend some quality time with Isaiah.  Kayln and I were a bit hesitant about leaving him for so long but decided he could handle it and this was worth it.  I Facebook messaged my college roomates parents who live in New Jersey (just across the river from Manhattan) about staying with them and quickly got an excited response welcoming us to their home for a few days.  WE WERE GOING TO NEW YORK!!!! 

 The Trip
Monday I went to work which seemed like it lasted forever because immediately after work I went home packed up Kayln and Isaiah and headed to Rockford.  We stayed at my parents’ house for a couple hours to get Isaiah used to being there and then we hit the road!  We made it to South Bend before my handy dandy Hotels.com app found us some rudimentary accommodations.  (The light was left on for us). 

We got up the next morning and continued our trek East to New Jersey.  We made it in on Tuesday night around 11:30.  Our plan was to maximize our time in New York the next day to see as much as possible.  We got up early and got dropped off at the bus stop with instructions on how to get back.  And we were
off to the city that never sleeps. 

Traffic was crazy but we finally made it to the Port Authority Bus Terminal around 10am.  We then got on the Subway to the World Trade Center.  We had hoped to visit the museum but the lines were long and we were due back in Times Square between 1 &2pm to pick up the tickets to the Late Show. 

We meandered around the 9/11 Memorial for a bit taking it all in and trying to reflect upon the tragedy and the hope rising up from this place.  It was a unique experience especially after visiting the United 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania last September on our previous East Coast road trip. 

We got back to Times Square via the subway and grabbed hot dogs from a food vendor.  We need a bathroom so we went to Toys R Us.  Toys R Us in Times Square is 3 or 4 stories tall.  It’s like it’s own mall.  Crazy.  But they have bathrooms and since we are parents we could pass as customers. 

We then enjoyed our hot dogs on the bleachers set up in the middle of Times Square.  This was where Spider-Man’s first battle with Electro took place in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  It was a nice meal and delightful people watching experience.  I believe the bleachers are set up specifically for people watching.  It’s a funny sight as hundreds of people look like they are waiting for a show to start. 

We had a show to catch so we walked up Broadway towards the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.  I was so excited!  As we got closer I could start to make out the familiar blue marquee with gold lettering.  This was it!  We had arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theater home of the Late Show with David Letterman



The energy on the street was palpable!  There was already a line wrapping around the corner to in front of Rupert’s Hello Deli.  THE Hello Deli that I had seen so often on the show!  We got to the front of the line and identified ourselves as being on John’s Gold list.  We were then ushered inside the lobby of the Ed Sullivan Theatre.  We were given tickets and stamped with an invisible ink stamp (not sure why as that was never revisited).  The interns or pages that helped guide this process were very energetic and  full of enthusiasm and trying to make the process painless.  The then grouped us with our line buddies after putting a number on the tickets, gave us some more instructions, did some cheer leading, and tried to get us pumped up!  I was already pumped.  They told us to be back at 2:20pm but we could hang out at a bar around the corner called Three Monkies that had restrooms we could use.  We made the pit stop but then went back around the other corner to the Hello Deli, bought a Late Show T-shirt and a doughnut and got the obligatory picture with Rupert G.  He really is a nice guy! 

We then stood outside Rupert’s for a bit eating the doughnut and waiting for the time to line up.  This was fun because it was right next to the staff entrance to the Theater and where Late Show security was waiting for the celebrity guests to arrive.  We waited for a bit but then it was time to line up.  My ticket was numbered 146.  I wasn’t sure what this meant but I was slightly terrified it meant we would be in the balcony because the balcony sucks. 

We ended up having a nice conversation with a young couple in front of us.  (They signed up for tickets in person that Monday!)  The young man was an intern across the street at Mad Magazine (yes this still exists) which is owned by DC Comics.  I had no idea that my heroes (Superman and Letterman) were neighbors!  This young man’s father is actually a copyright lawyer for DC Comics so his dad has already seen scripts for the Justice League movie and a bunch of other stuff we’re not allowed to know about yet!

The interns in the lobby did a good job trying to entertain us while also passing on the rules and guidelines for the show.  They were pretty fun kids but we were crammed into the lobby for about a half an hour or so.  The excitement was building!!!! “Clap and laugh even if you don’t get the joke yet” was the most frequent piece of advice. 

Then the big moment, they started leading us into the Theater.  We handed off our tickets and it was clear we were heading for the main floor of the Ed Sullivan Theater.  It was amazing!  It looked like a toy  model of the set we are so used to seeing on TV.  Dave’s desk was w so small.  And the whole stage was a lot smaller then you would think!  The lights on the model city were beautiful and the whole place had a warm inviting feeling to it. 

We were seated smack dap in the middle section of the audience.  Pretty prime seating actually. As we were getting settled many crew members were getting ready.   Biff Henderson walked out at one point and got a round of applause. 

The Big Show
As showtime approached the lights went down and the real host of the theater introduced himself.  Alan Kalter!  The announcer!  He was actually in charge of keeping the audience informed with what to expect and when to clap and stuff.  Amazing.  He was much more charming in person then he appears in some of the bits he does on the show from time to time.  He then introduced a humorous audience orientation video host by Alec Baldwin. 

Next up Alan introduced each member of the CBS Orchestra individually and by their instrument!  The band minus their maestro then did a song to get the audience going and then Alan introduced, the one, the only Paul Shaffer.  Paul came out in a sparkling silver suit as you would expect and joined the band on a song. 

Paul signaled the band to end the song and Alan took the handheld microphone, and introduced the big guy himself….DAVID LETTERMANNNNNNNNNNNNN.  The band played a light version of the theme  song and Dave came sprinting out across the stage without a jacket on.  The audience went wild! 

Dave then took what appears to be his habitual spot for the pre-show hunched over the main camera.  He took the corded microphone from Alan and began talking to us.  He pointed out the top of the $200,000 camera being completely dented and deformed from the nightly beating it takes from his microphone.  “Do I care?  No.” 


He asked Paul what kind of show they had tonight and Paul said at least mediocre.  Then Dave turned to the audience to see if anyone had a question. 

This was the moment I was prepared for!  I knew Dave did nightly Q&A with the audience and often times this could turn into an inside joke on the show that viewers at home might not quite understand.  I hesitated but shot my hand up.  Dave called on a guy in the front row.  He was from Connecticut and asked Dave about being from Connecticut what his favorite spot was.  Dave corrected him that he was in fact from Indiana (“but close.”) and then went on about some burger joint that claimed to serve meat so good you don’t need ketchup.  This went on to be referenced in the Top Ten List that night. 

I could tell Dave was about ready for another question.  As soon as he opened his mouth inviting the next question I shot my hand up.  “Yes sir?” pointing at me. 

I couldn’t believe it!  Dave Letterman was talking to me!  The following is how I best remember the exchange, though it’s all kind of fuzzy now as it seems like a dream! 

“Yes sir, what’s your name?”
“Tommy.”
“Tommy you have the privilege of sitting right in the exact center of the theater.”
“Oh I’m sorry I think it might be one row in front of you.  Ma’am whats your name?”
Coming back to me
“Okay Tommy, where are you from?”
“Brillion, Wisconsin.”
“Where is that in Wisconsin Tommy?”
“About 40 minutes south of Green Bay.”
“Is that near the Dells?”
“No, pretty far east of the Dells.”
“Is that near Madison?”
“No it’s pretty far north of there.”
“Well that’s all I know besides Milwaukee.”
“I went to College in Milwaukee.”
“Well Tommy I notice your cross there, are you a man of the cloth?”
“I am a lay campus minister at a small College .”
“What College?”
“Silver Lake College.”
“Mhmm, and what’s the enrollment?”
“About 2,000 or so.”
“Wow, in Wisconsin, that sounds beautiful.  Okay Tommy what’s your question?”
“I’ve been watching the show since I was in 3rdgrade and you used to give away canned hams all the time.  I was wondering if you would be doing that again as you approach retirement?”
(barely had I finished talking)  “Tommy wants a ham!  Can we get him a ham, anything frozen, whatever!
“You know we used to give them away all the time, but then we just stopped caring.  We had a guy in the audience a few years ago.  He said ehhhh, you gave me a ham about 8 years ago. I put it on the mantle and then it exploded.  As  if that’s my fault!  So okay Tom, we’ll get you your ham!  I got start the show folks!” 

As soon as Dave ran off stage the band started playing the theme and Alan started the intro we could see rolling on the monitors in front of us.  For what happened next you can click on this link below.  It will have a brief commercial but then you will experience what we did the second Letterman stopped talking to me.  Watch through the 2:20 second mark at the very least!



Wow. Just wow.  I was the first joke of the night!  I was on David Letterman!  Kayln’s smile if you can see her in the clip sums up the whole experience for me.  Amazing! 



Now if you watch the whole show, you may think Dave didn't keep his promise.  Quite the contrary really. 

After Mark Wahlberg’s two segments, this is what the audience in the theater experienced.  Right after the commercial: 
Dave: “There's a guy in the audience who wants a ham.  We were supposed to have Mark Wahlberg give it to him, but we forgot.  Do we have the ham? I think that’d be a good job for you.”

He sends his Executive Producer into the audience with a freshly purchased 11 pound ham and they pass it to me in the audience.  The audience is erupting with applause and the cameras are all on me!  It was amazing.  I can barely remember it as it happened as it was so fast. 


Unfortunately along with other good material me and my ham made our way to the cutting room floor.  So that part didn't make it to air.  But it doesn't matter.  I got my 5 seconds of air time and I walked away with a $30 ham from David Letterman!  Alan Kalter gave me a big thumbs us and after the show other audience members were congratulating me.  Several asked if they had set this bit up with me before.  Several more took pictures with me and the ham.   We exited right in front of the Hello Deli and Mrs. Rupert gave us a plastic bag to carry the ham. 

I was ecstatic.  It was  a dream come true.  And ironically enough it was EXACTLY how I had planned things in my imagination, right down to Mark Wahlberg possibly giving me the ham.  I could not have known that it would work out this well but God is funny like that sometimes. 

We then purchased a backpack just for the ham as we had some more sight seeing to do.  We went on a cruise of New York and the ham was with in a cooler on our 15 hour drive home.  It sits safely in the freezer awaiting the right occasion which has been suggested to me to be the last episode of the Late Show with David Letterman.  

What does this all mean?  Is it a turning point in my life?  Probably not.  Much like the very idea of giving out ham, it is just as silly as it sounds.  And that my friends is the point.  It’s the reason I have loved David Letterman for 20+ years.  It’s the reason behind this blog.  Sometimes you just need to be silly.  And for that I’m grateful to David Letterman for 31 years of silliness.  Late Night television will never be the same.  My children will be removed from the Johnny Carson influenced era of Letterman and Leno.  It appears they will grow up in a Jimmy-verse.  That’s okay.  Because I will always be able to point to that random week in June where I got to see David Letterman and he gave me a ham.  There is no off position on the genius switch. 




Ladies and gentlemen take my advice, be flexible.  You never know what dramatically changing your plans could get you.  There could still be a ham out there with your name on it.  





Thursday, March 20, 2014

 

Oh Captain My Captain...A Requiem

Those of you that know me know I worked on the Forest City Queen and Trolley Car #36 since I was 16 years old.  This week we lost one of our great captains to cancer.  Here is a reflective entry about a man I've known since I was 17 years old.  RIP Captain Hank



Captain Hank Nance set sail from this world on Monday March 17, 2014.  Captain Hank as he is so affectionately known by all who have served with him was probably one of the most fascinating people you would ever meet. 

                I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Hank since I was 17 years old.  I met him in the summer of 2002 during my second season as a First Mate and Conductor with the Rockford Park District Forest City Queen and Trolley Car #36 program.  I believe I actually met Hank and Reggie at the same time.  Hank did not immediately have his Captain’s License so he frequently served as a Motorman on the Trolley or an additional First Mate on the Queen. 

                One of my earliest memories of Hank was working with him on what was called Evening Rides for Trolley Car #36.  On Tuesday and Thursday evenings the Trolley would run between the YMCA and the Symbol just back and forth.  For $2.00 patrons could jump on and off wherever they wanted on this route.  For a 17 year old who love the trolley this was easy money.  This was when I would get my first experience driving the Trolley.  Hank would gladly allow me to drive the trolley under his watchful eye.  As it became clear that I was pretty good at it, he would eventually take over the microphone to help passengers enjoy the ride as well.  Having been riding the Trolley since I was 3 years old this was absolutely a dream come true!  I was driving the trolley!  One night Hank really wanted Vicki to ride the trolley back to the station but her car was at the Green House.  I can tell this story now, but Hank had me drive the Trolley back SOLO with Vicki as a passenger as he drove her car back.  This was the moment I had graduated to a motorman, even if technically I wasn’t old enough yet!  Another night with Hank’s permission I invited my friend Jason to come on the Trolley and play guitar for passengers who chose to ride.   Hank enjoyed having some “folk” music as we rode the rails together. 

                That first summer with Hank I was the only high school aged employee.  So once the college kids left in August, I was pretty much all there was for First Mates or Conductors.  Often times Hank would be the First mate on the boat while I worked the Trolley.  We had a lot of dinner cruises that fall that would end up having Hank and I working together as First Mates.  We were a good team and it was always nice to have him around.  One night with Captain Patrick at the helm, a speed boat came to close and intentionally splashed our dinner cruise passengers.  Our captain and our passengers were mad so Patrick turned the boat around to get the registration numbers off the offending boat.  We found them pulling their boat out at the Riverview Boat launch.  Patrick navigated the boat so Hank could jump off the front of the boat and get the numbers.  The offending boaters did not think this was very cool and having had a few drinks on the river they became verbally abusive and belligerent with Hank and Patrick.  At one time the boater even picked Hank up and menacingly threatened to throw him in the river.  Needless to say Park Police were called.  I remember being angry and offended.  Hank never blinked.  He continued to have that calm demeanor that always served him so well. 

                Hank, Captain Patrick, and I must have been the adventure crew that fall.  On another ride, I invited my family on a pizza  Ski Broncs cruise.  My family including my uncle from California, my grandpa and his wife, my 90 year old great aunt, and my other uncle and aunt were on the boat with about 30 old ladies from a YMCA group.  It was a pretty packed boat.  Hank and I did our best to serve everyone.  The weather had been menacing all day but after looking at the radar right before departure time it looked like we would be all right.  We anchored at Shorewood Park and settled in to enjoy the Ski Broncs performance.   I recall the Ski Broncs team must have gotten one pass in when a giant crack of Thunder shattered the evening.  Nothing happened for a while and Patrick used the bullhorn to ask if they were cancelling their show.  They said yes and we  quickly began pulling up anchors.  For some reason Patrick decided to pull up the bow anchor first.  In the process the prop severed the stern anchor line and we were free.  None too soon as it turned out.  The thunderstorm formed almost directly over us.  The entire route south back to Riverview the sky was dumping buckets of water on us constantly.  This was before the Queen received the upgraded “curtain windows” that now adorn her port and starboard sides.  So there was no time to close the antiquated windows that had previously been on board.  The waves on the Rock River were enormous!  I have never again since seen conditions that horrific.  Thunder, lightning, wind, and waves; it reminded me of the movie the perfect storm.  With 40 people on board including 30 old ladies, my entire family, and my 90 year old aunt.  Patrick was a skilled Captain and you never detected a hint of fear in him or in Hank.  He ordered Hank and I into life jackets and asked the passengers to settle in the middle of the boat.  One option discussed was anchoring under the Whitman street bridge for shelter but as we had lost our stern anchor this was not really an option.  We made it back to Riverview safely, directed the passengers back inside for shelter, and got the boat secured.  Hank and Patrick never once let on that they were ever nervous.  I was personally somewhat alarmed by the whole experience.  We offered free passes to the passengers to make up for their cut short ride.  The passengers loved it!  They thought it was a terrific ride and were laughing the whole way home.  To this day every once in a while a First Mate will get a comment from a passenger who says, “I rode this boat a number of years ago and boy was it the biggest storm I ever did see!” 

                That first year with Hank also saw me and him running the Trolley as a shuttle in October for the Head of the Rock Regatta.  That was a lot of fun as crew teams lined the tracks.  We had a bit of trouble navigating the trolley up and down Madison Street amongst all the boat trailers but we had a lot of fun.  I’m fairly certain that was the coldest and latest in the season I’ve ever run the trolley. 

                Hank eventually got his Captain’s license and graduated from the ranks of being a First Mate to being in charge of the Queen.  The relationship between a Captain and a First Mate or a Motorman and a Conductor is hard to explain if you’ve never experienced it.  Often times the Captain or Motorman is significantly older than the typical high school or college student that serves as a First Mate or conductor.  The two typically spend 5-8 hours together giving 45 minute rides to strangers who come and go.  It’s not like other jobs where you can walk away from each other.  You are literally right next to each other on the boat or the trolley in a confined space.  Those of us who have served in our younger years are blessed to have had such great captains to serve with.  Whether it was Hank or Reggie you were guaranteed to have a good day.  Each Captain does things ever so differently than the other and you quickly learn to adapt.  If you’re smart though you will quickly learn to listen to the life experiences they choose to share. 

                Boy did Captain Hank have life experiences!  His obituary I believe only begins to scratch the surface of how much of an adventure he and Vicki have had together.  The other thing that was unique about the working relationship was that we worked together for 12 years.  Hank knew me as an awkward 17 year old First Mate.  He saw me leave for College and come back happily every summer.  He saw me graduate from College and begin my career in Ministry.  He got to live through my time as a sometimes overconfident Assistant Manager at the Trolley Station.  He saw me come home to the Trolley with a special lady friend.  He saw me come home less and less often with my wife.  Captain Hank has been a part of my life for all the important things.  It didn’t matter how long the winter was, jumping back on the Boat or the Trolley always felt like picking things up where you had last left off. 

                Captain Hank loved life.  He loved people.  As I was going through my formational changes, he was always eager to hear about them and the enthusiasm he had for what was going on in your life made you feel like the most important person in the world.  He loved helping other people ENJOY LIFE as was the Park District’s mission statement.  Whether it be letting kids or kids at heart drive the boat, there was nothing Hank wouldn’t do to help people have a good time.  He loved the boat and the trolley.  He loved the Park District.  He loved whoever he was talking too. 

For the last 7 years he has been battling cancer.  Just from looking you would never have been able to tell.  Hank maintained his busyness on the Queen and his upbeat attitude only continued to be upbeat.  I never heard him complain about the cards he had been dealt and he was perpetually optimistic about his condition and about where life was going.  Truly an example of how to live life to the fullest. 

I may not have been related to Captain Hank but he was always a supportive influence in your life that you felt would always be there.  The last time I had the pleasure to work with him was Labor Day Weekend 2012.  I came home to help work the Forest City Queen Water Taxi for On the Waterfront.  I always liked doing things on the boat or the trolley that were “out of the normal” routine.  I worked all day Saturday and then Sunday half the day with Captain Hank.  It was just me and him much like the old days on the Trolley.  He was very excited to hear about how things were going for me working at a small Liberal Arts College much as he had done most of his “real” career.  He also allowed me to drive the boat for most of the evening which was much more enjoyable for me after 12 years of doing the narrative.  We docked the boat at Beatie Park half way through the day for the next crew to take over for the remainder of the evening.  It was strange for me to walk away from the Queen still running as you usually worked until it was time to lock her up for the night. 

                As Captain Hank and I were walking across the Jefferson Street Bridge back to the Trolley Station, I looked back at the Forest City Queen with it’s navigational lights on and getting ready to set sail once again.  I remember thinking it was appropriate that this was probably the last time I would work on the Queen that she was still running without me.  The Queen continues to rule the Rock River event though my time on board has come to a near end.  If I had known that walk across the bridge would be the last time I would see Captain Hank, I ‘m not sure how I would react.  So as I look back at the wonderful experience it has been to be a member of the Forest City Queen staff, I see the Forest City Queen still sailing.  She sails on and on without one of her favorite captains of all time.  The Queen will still sail.  Future generations will ride the boat and the trolley and may never know who we are.  But the Park District, the Queen, the city of Rockford, and the world are better places for Captain Hank having been a part of them.  Ultimately I am a better person for having known such a kind, caring, and enthusiastic man. 

We are going to look into getting a brass bell donated to the Forest City Queen in honor of Captain Hank.  The website I looked up describes the ship’s bells as being, “the embodiment of the soul of the vessel.”  If that doesn’t describe Captain Hank Nance, then I ‘m not sure what does.  Bon Voyage Captain Hank.  Rest in Peace old friend.

Ladies and gentlemen take my advice, live life to the fullest.  Try new things.  Go new places.  Meet new people.  Be kind to all those you encounter.  You never know how long we have on this voyage before it's time for your ship to return to port.  

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

 

Waiting for Superman





Welcome back to me to my blog.  Seems like a minimum of once a year post is appropriate.  If you haven’t hear, a lot has been happening in my life.  I am eagerly anticipating what is sure to be one of the most life changing events of my life.  That’s right.  Man of Steel comes out tomorrow at midnight!   The early reviews are in and the movie is already being described as the greatest superhero movie of all time.  That is so very appropriate since Superman is the greatest superhero not to mention the first of all the superheroes.  I’m very excited to be attending a midnight showing with some of my best friends with high expectations which are almost sure to be met! 

Last night I posted a Facebook status about how I have been waiting for this movie for a long time.  In fact longer than I have been waiting for the birth of my son.  That’s right!  We are having a baby boy!  Woohoo!  This is of course the true life changing event I’m eagerly awaiting for in early July.  This status got me reflecting on how waiting for this movie to come out has been a lot like waiting for our son to be born.  So here goes a comparison to waiting for a summer blockbuster movie about the last Son of Krypton to the waiting for the birth of one’s own first born. 

Let’s look at the various stages of waiting for both the movie and the child. 

Rumor stage:
Superman
This is the phase of the movie’s development where it hasn’t yet been green lighted but there are rumors on the internet about who might be involved.  For Man of Steel this phase started almost 3 years ago when it was announced that Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight Trilogy) would be producing the next Superman movie.  This was fantastic news to Superman fans like myself.  While being completely blown away by Nolan’s treatment of Batman in the most realistic and genre defining movie series of all time, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that Superman wasn’t getting the same respect or treatment.  Superman Returns was a bit disappointing at the time.  I remember my roommate turning to me at the end of the 10pm showing we went to and asking when the real movie would start.  I recognize now that it was a fine film and a worthy tribute to the Richard Donner and Christopher Reeves films but it would not be a franchise builder like Batman Begins.  So Christopher Nolan and Superman was a match made in geek heaven. 

Baby
This is the point where you are not aware that your wife is pregnant but things are starting to get suspicious.  For us we had actually been in the middle of praying and discerning when would be a good time to start our family.  This time was also marked by bodily symptoms that started to make us think, hmm Kayln might be pregnant.  I won’t go into those unless you really want me to but be assured the suspicion was there. 

Announcement/Confirmation Stage:
Superman
For a movie as early awaited as Man of Steel, this would be when the big announcements come out.  The first I recall was the announcement of Zack Snyder as Director followed quickly by the announcement of Henry Cavil as the new Superman.  This was as always a crazy fun day to be a fan on the internet.  How accurate are these internet reports?  Once you realize they are accurate you immediately start to look into the past of the actor and director.  What could you expect from a director like this?  What other movies has this new Superman been in?  What will the suit look like?  Who will be the villain?  The speculation truly begins! 

Baby
Shortly after we began detecting some physical signs we purchased some at home pregnancy tests.  Kayln took 3 of them in the course of 12 hours just to be absolutely sure.  Upon seeing the positive confirmation there was hugging and tears (not all that different from the reaction comic book geeks everywhere might have been experiencing with the movie news).  I also immediately got on the internet to research how accurate the at home tests are.  They are pretty accurate when it comes to being positive it turns out (also learned that from Jack on LOST). We immediately began trying to figure out when the baby would come out.   The speculation began.  Is it a boy or a girl?  Will it look more like me or Christopher Reeve?  What else can I expect now that we are expecting!? 

First peak stage:

Superman:
This is the stage where some speculation ends and even more begins.  I remember the day they released the official first look at Henry Cavil as Superman.  He was standing in front of a smashed bank vault of sometime.  As usual the internet exploded.  Look at what the suit looks like! I like the cape!  The cape is too long! Is he wearing the red underwear!?  Seriously I personally remember staring at that first image of Cavil’s Superman for way longer than anyone should stare at another man’s crotch trying to decide if I saw the underwear or not.  Being a traditionalist Superman costume fan, I was pretty sure I did(I was wrong).  I decided I liked what I saw and was getting even more excited to seeing the finished product. 

Baby:
This is the day you figure out if you haven’t already that this is really happening.  I’m of course talking about the first official image of the baby, the ultrasound.  I believe we got our first ultrasound at 12 weeks into the pregnancy.  Yup.  That’s a baby.  Even though the baby looked a bit like a turtle with a human head at the time I stared at it a long time trying to discern if the baby was a boy or girl.  I was pretty sure it was a boy.  (I was right!)  I decided I liked what I saw and was getting even more excited to seeing the finished product or in this case, child. 

Set Visits and Media Campaign:
Superman
This is where things start to get real.  You see the first trailer for the movie.  You suddenly realize if you haven’t already that there is in fact going to be a new Superman movie and it looks awesome in the trailers.  I was the most excited when they released the trailer with the new score attached to it.  I loved it!  Now all of a sudden everyone is aware that there is a new Superman movie coming whether they follow the movie news sites or not.  You start to read interviews with the cast and crew about the movie and you begin to anticipate opening night.  You may even buy your ticket in advance (I did)! 

Baby
If things haven’t gotten real yet when you announce to your friends and family that you are having a baby things get very real.  All of sudden everyone is aware that this little bundle of joy is coming into your lives.  Friends and family with kids of their own start to give you a sneak peak at what you might expect.  For me hearing my son’s heartbeat at every doctor appointment was comparable to the excitement I had when the soundtrack for Man of Steel was released.  As you get closer and closer to opening night (no labor pun entirely intended) you begin to anticipate the big day.  You even have to start buying lots of stuff in preparation.  I would be remiss not to mention all the Superman gear my currently unborn son already owns. 

So here we are one night away from Superman and 3 weeks or so away from the birth of my son.  In the long run the two experiences really can’t be compared.  My son’s birth will change my life in ways I can’t even begin to fathom and I am so excited for it.  Man of Steel will be an awesome movie as well as a fun fellowship time with friends but it will not define my life.  Fatherhood is now part of my vocation and there is not a day that goes by that I will be able to not think about that awesome responsibility. 

I guess the ultimate similarity comes down to if Man of Steel is received well, it could spawn a sequel as well as a whole new universe of DC Superhero movies. 

If my first born son is received well I suppose we could start conceiving the idea of sequels and a whole new universe of tiny Superman fans. 

Ladies and gentlemen take my advice, if you sit next to Mike Gutzwiller at Man of Steel and it is as good as we are expecting it to be, he may turn to you at the conclusion of the movie and kiss you, even if his girlfriend were to be sitting on the other side of him.* Aaron Morey do you want to trade seats with me? 

*This happened at Batman Begins and nowadays Mike is happily engaged and will be viewing Man of Steel at his bachelor party.  So there is no way he could possibly ignore his fiancée in favor of kissing a dude. 

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