***Christmas***Letter from the Editor
By Franklin T Wike, Jr.
What makes Christmas special for you?
As young children, our interest in Christmas leaned more towards getting gifts than giving them.
Photograph from 1952 of Donald Wike on the left, Santa Claus in the middle and Franklin Wike on the right
U S Legacies Magazine December 2005
Paul Harvey’s Famous “Warning to America” Essay from 1965.
When I was in the prime of my adult life, it was easier to keep track of the years, because I would simply try to remember what woman I was dating, or what state I was living in during the Christmas season. But as the number of years that I have been around continue to add up, combined with the fact that I am no longer living in a different location every couple of years or concentrating on a “social life”, it becomes harder for me to remember where I was or what I was doing during any particular year of my life.
By Franklin T. Wike, Jr.
Going Home
A trend started during the 1940s and 1950s where people from smaller towns left their birthplace, usually because of money or marriage, and spent a good portion of their life in foreign lands. Those foreign lands turned out to be the bigger cities throughout this country where higher paying jobs were available.
While trying to come up with material for this editorial, I asked several friends to tell me what Thanksgiving was like for them, when they were children. After listening to their stories, I came to one conclusion. For the most part, what many people seem to remember about Thanksgiving is either the preparation of the food or the company the meal was shared with.
By Franklin T Wike, Jr.
Thanksgiving
As November peeks it’s head around the corner, I automatically think of the Thanksgiving holiday. Yet my thoughts do not turn to images of the first Thanksgiving in this country, but rather the words “Thanks” and “Giving.”
Sometimes it amazes me to realize how quickly the years have passed. It also saddens me to think about all of the priceless stories and memories that have been lost as a result of individuals passing away without having their memories preserved.
By: Dr. Zoë L. Simmons
Trick or treat! Watch out for the wacky wizards, flying witches, and goblins galore! Two thousand years later and the tradition of the Celtics thrive in America.
U.S. Legacies Magazine
by Franklin T. Wike, Jr.
As a child, I can remember going on hayrides around Halloween time. We would get a group of children together. Many times it would be a group that went to church together. Some neighborly farmer would hook his horse up to a wagon that was loaded down with hay for us to sit on, and take us for a nice long ride. And there was always some hot Apple Cider waiting back at the farm to warm us up when the ride was over.