Born 1922 in Portland, Oregon. His mother came from a family of itinerants and had almost no education. His father was a mail carrier who died six years later. His life after that, until after the war, was not fun. Largely self-educated, he later went to law school at night while working full time supporting his family, without ever having gone to college. The last 20 years of his career were as an administrative law judge in a state benefits department.
He was far from a perfect person and he had some serious blind spots, but he was open to change on most things right up until he died at 87.
If still living, which they are not, mine would be mere striplings of 92 and 89 by year end, and just 91 & 89 right now.
They lived in a different and much harder world and despite great odds launched us all into the 21st Century with a modicum of success and a surfeit of care. Thanks Mom & Dad, ya done good from a difficult base.
Happy Birthday to Roderick’s Dad! He was a good man.
My great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather would be 1000 if he was still alive, but he’s not. He died a long time ago.
Old joke: a guy was filling out one of these forms which asked for “Age of father if living” and he wrote 122, and for “Age of mother if living” he wrote 119. So the clerk asked “are your parents really that old?” and he said “no, that’s how old they would be if living”.
Nice to see my dad wasn’t the only over 60 dad. And he helped produce another one three year later. Fortunately they stopped there because apparently nine kids is enough.