Time for another family reunion
Update on another book - The Last American Newspaper
The Front Page
Morning Update
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
By Ken Tingley
Twenty years ago all my cousins gathered at the back of the funeral home to talk about their childhoods.
It was my father’s wake. You couldn’t help but notice the joy, the animated conversations emanating from what was supposed to be a sad event. It made me feel good on one of the worst days of my life.
I suggested that a reunion was in order for us all to catch up about our lives and children, but we should not wait for the next funeral. We needed to do it under better circumstances.
My cousins Gail and her husband Ray hosted a reunion picnic at their home in Connecticut and we made it an annual event for a number of years. We traveled to Cape Cod, Lake George, Cooperstown, New Hampshire and to a lake outside Montreal.
It was nice staying in touch with everyone.
But once again, life got in the way. Our children commitments, we all still had jobs and just didn’t fit into our busy schedules.
Seven of the nine cousins were all together again on Saturday. This time it was a memorial service for my Aunt Vonnie. The service was nice, a reflection of a life touched by humbling beginnings, some tragedy and some difficult times and we learned things we didn’t know about my Aunt Vonnie.
In the basement of the church afterward - the same church my grandmother attended - we indulged in lunch and then instinctively, the cousins came together at one table to talk about their lives and share memories.
It was gratifying to know that most everyone was doing well. Some of us were retired, others were getting close.
There were smiles and laughter and plenty of stories as we caught up with each other.
The next generation hovered nearby but were not participants. I worried they had already lost touch with their parents’ cousins, especially those of us who live in other states. I worried they had moved on and left their parents’ past behind.
Lunch stretched easily into a second hour. By the end, we were talking again about another reunion, perhaps just returning to Gail and Ray’s house so we could reconnect under happier circumstances.
Talking to my cousin Dawn - Aunt Vonnie was her mother - I told her this reminded me of past funerals and was the reason we began the reunions in the first place.
“Yeah, we’re right back where we started,” Dawn said. But of course we don’t have to stay there.
It was great seeing my cousins again. We share a childhood because our parents were all so close. Hopefully, that will be enough to sustain us going forward.
I’m looking forward to the another reunion.
Next book
I heard from my publisher last week that production had begun on my second book and that proofs would be forwarded to me soon.
“The Last American Newspaper” is a memoir about the great work that was done by the editors and reporters at The Post-Star while I was editor.
The stories are good. I believe they offer a look behind the curtain to see how good journalism is done and how important that is to small communities. I think it will be an important book in that regard.
I hope it might help help restore trust in newspapers and the media at large.
I hope it gives an insight into the dedication that reporters have for telling the truth and making a difference.
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Rock throwing
On my way back from my event at the Rockwall Falls Public Library in Lake Luzerne last week, my wife and I stopped for ice cream at a small place we had never seen before.
It was one of the beautiful June evenings when I spied the sign above. I’m sure there must be a story behind this one, but I wondered if it could be used for the current political discourse we are seeing
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