Two new pieces appear today about strong, no-nonsense women.  Allen Saxon introduces his Aunt Bess, a nurse who handled the toughest of patients with competence.  The other woman whose story appears today, a spiritual sister to Aunt Bess, is my mother, Nellie Schmidt.

My older brother, Emory, keeper of the E Z Way Inn kitchen knife (I have the soup kettle) tells the tale. 

We have, of course, the newspaper report to remind us of that day, and as Emory tells it, without the newspaper, he might not have ever been informed!

I, too learned about the robbery from the Kankakee Daily Journal. While I was unlocking the front door to let myself in after a long day of seventh grade, our paper boy came running down the street waving the front page and yelling, "Extra, extra," as if he were announcing a gangland slaying in the 1920's.

There on the front page, I saw my parents.  As soon as I got inside, I called the tavern.  Nellie answered.  Flustered,  I asked if it was true.

"Of course it's true, it's in the paper isn't it?" my mother said. 

I could hear the Friday-after-work Roper Stove crowd in the background. My mom, handling her own work with competence and professionalism, yelled at someone to just hold his horses.

Back to me on the phone, my mother battled any post-traumatic stress by saying what she always said when I phoned her too soon after arriving home from school.

"Listen, honey, call me later.  It's rush hour."

As you know, Sunday, June 21, is Father’s Day.  Accordingly, we are featuring six stories that share memories of dads.  

Our six contributors share those memories by doing what all the storied-stuff contributors do--reflect on treasures from the past. This week, through a vast array of objects--a fishing lure, a Kiddush cup, playing cards, books and a letter, we go on family trips, we sit at family tables, we are educated in the ways of the world, given confidence and given choices. On Friday, we remember our own fathers.  Sharon previewed her story during this past Friday when we had the opportunity to talk about storied-stuff on WGN-TV's Morning News. In case you missed the interview, please visit WGN-TV's web page by clicking here to see this six minute clip.

Hard to believe we are already into WEEK THREE of storied-stuff.  We continue to be heartened by the emails and facebook comments we received from those who find the stories meaningful and, often, comforting.  This week you'll see that the cherished objects on display are as varied as those writing about them, a group that includes a semi-retired CPA, a bestselling nonfiction writer, a retired high school English teacher, two successful refugees from the television and film business who choose to define themselves in other ways, and a visual artist.  We hope their stories will inspire you to share your own memories with us.

Junior Burke is one of my oldest and dearest friends, although the name I always knew him by was a different one. As accustomed as I now am to Junior, I confess I always call him the name I knew him by in college. Speaking of college, if any of my old U of I friends are visiting here, don’t you think that picture of Steve McQueen looks a lot like our old friend, Thom Bishop? In fact....

Another week and the world continues, tragic, chaotic, confusing and heartbreaking.

We do what we can do here. Tell stories, share the tales of others.

As storytellers ourselves, and now as the sharers of others’ memories and treasures, we have to keep on doing what we do. It’s not enough. It’s never enough. It’s just something in the place of nothing.

We take some solace in this email from an old friend, retiring educator, Mickey Pierce Silverstein last Thursday:

I hate it when I awaken at 5:00 and can’t get back to sleep. And these pandemic days seem to increase this insomnia. So just now, I went to your email and read all the stories. I’m feeling so much better but not sure why. Something so human came out of each person’s story. Thank you for starting my day with warmth and hope.

Mickey.

Show and tell for grown-ups is just one way of sharing our lives with each other. Connection seems more important than ever now, so we will continue to show and tell and share. We’re happy you’ve found your way here.

I’m guessing that when many of you saw the “Other Stuff” button, you thought it might lead you to news that my wife Sharon Fiffer is writing her ninth Jane Wheel mystery. After all, each of the first eight novels in the series have “Stuff” in their titles.  Alas, Sharon has not embarked upon Number Nine, but she will be writing regularly about stuff here over the coming weeks, as will I.  

We’ll tell more stories about our own cherished objects, link to interesting articles on the subject, and, on occasion, provide more information about one or more of the posts on the “Stories” page.  This week, for example, we want to tell you a little more about Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dr. C.T. Vivian and his post.

Dr. Vivian is a civil rights icon whom I interviewed for my 2015 book co-written with Adar Cohen, Jimmie Lee and James: Two Lives, Two Deaths and the Movement that Changed America.  I then helped Dr. Vivian, who will turn 96 this July, with his memoir that spans a childhood in Macomb, IL; 1940s activism in Peoria; integrating Nashville in 1960 with John Lewis, Diane Nash, and others; the Freedom Rides; Birmingham; Selma; and beyond. 

Dr. Vivian worked with Dr. King to achieve the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.  His confrontation with Sheriff Jim Clark in Selma was a seminal moment in the struggle, and we offer a one-minute video of it here. 

In his post on our Stories page, here, Dr. Vivian describes the family crest on his ring.  The crest also exists on this plaque and can be appreciated more fully.  It provokes the question: if you were designing your family crest, what would you include?