High School Classmate has died... Bill Nye

High School Classmate has died... Bill Nye

 

It is always a bit of a shock when a classmate passes away. We lose older friends and family all the time, of course, both older and younger. We had less than 30 students in our class. We have lost about a half dozen. Each one hits very close. The last one was a cousin. 'Willie' Nye, as we knew him then, was not someone I was close to, in school, but got to know him better at a reunion or two. A U. S. Marshall. Wow! That was not expected, for sure. He will be missed by all who knew him.


COON RAPIDS ENTERPRISE - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Private ceremony for Bill Nye, 79

A life well lived is all anyone can ask. Not rich, not poor. Not famous, nor influential.
Never quiet and occasionally rough around the edges. Bill Nye’s life was well lived through his sense of humor, generosity, love of the land, patriotism and loyalty to his friends.
Born January 20, 1939, as the only child of Dr. William Nye and DeEtta Nye, Bill’s sense of duty and responsibility developed at an early age with the death of his father when Bill was 12. His preparatory education consisted of attending school in Dedham, Iowa and working on the farm before and after school.
Studies at ISU, NW Missouri State and Drake preceded his entry into his career in law enforcement.
Bill graduated from the Des Moines Police Academy in 1964 and went on to work with the Iowa State Narcotics Unit and the Des Moines Police Department.
He concluded his law enforcement career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in 1988.
Never fully retired, Bill worked as a private investigator on a local and nationwide basis for many years and served as president of the Council of International Investigators.
He actively invested in farming and devoted many hours to the annual Variety Club telethon.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Kristy Nye, Milo, Iowa, her mother, Diane Nye Morris of Simi Valley, California and granddaughter, Amanda Nye of San Diego, California.
A gathering of friends will be held at the Mason Funeral Home, 902 N. State Street, Pleasantville, Iowa on Wednesday, September 5 at 6:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Des Moines Police Burial Association, U.S. Marshal’s Foundation or Variety Club.
William P. Nye died August 30, 2018, at the age of 79. A life well lived.
A private burial ceremony will be held at the City of Carroll Cemetery.

Household, Family & Friends 7 - Alex earns Life Scout

Household, Family & Friends 7 - Alex earns Life Scout

His Grandpa takes a moment to be proud of his Grandson.
Just received this photo via Facebook of Alex Rathsack earning designation as Life Scout.
Had to share! Congratulations!! ;-)

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Household, Family & Friends 6 - Have your Facebook Friends changed over the past year?

Household, Family & Friends 6

Have your Facebook Friends changed over the past year?

Back on January 3, when I first posted under this HFF theme, my oldest daughter, Annette, responded to the Facebook comment this way, which I thought was very useful:

“I find that Facebook serves three purposes:
1) Essential connections with my immediate family through personal pages as well as "closed" group page.
2) Important connections with close friends and family through sharing photos and keeping in touch.
3) Informal connections with acquaintances and others from my past. Not essential, but still lots of fun.
Each serves a different function, but is an easy way to stay in touch.”

First, do you agree with this assessment, or do you find you use Facebook differently (assuming you use Facebook at all, of course!)?

Second, do you feel you use Facebook differently now than you did, say, a year ago? How? Why?

Third, do you find you are spending more or less time on Facebook now than you did a year ago?

Finally, have the friends you regularly follow and communicate with via Facebook changed from a year ago? How? Why? Have you given it any thought? Has it been intentional?



Think about it. Share your thoughts.

Please use the Comments below, or Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, to let us hear from you.


Will you take the opportunity to leave a comment? Hope so! ;-)

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Community - What Happened - 65,844,610 asked

Community

What Happened - 65,844,610 asked

 

I just finished reading the book “What Happened.”

If you are one who voted for Hillary Rodham Clinton and you really wanted (want) to know, you really need to read this book. It is a very pleasant and satisfying read if you voted for her, or now wish you had. Put aside what you may have read, seen, or heard in your favorite (or other) media. You do need to read the book, in her own words, written from the heart. You will learn many things you will wish you had heard during the campaign that got drowned out by the mess that was the campaign.

She clearly admits all the mistakes she made as a candidate. Let’s start there. The important thing, now, is where do we go, from here. How do we fix the mistake for our country that came about via the Electoral College vote versus the popular vote?

Each of us has had a lot of time to think about this, by now, I’m sure. I certainly have. I’m reminded every day of the key principles of government that I thought were fixed, that are being eroded, torn away, torn apart, each and every day of the current administration. We each need to be active in our own way to work on this…every day.

I’ve spoken some about this in earlier posts. This blog was created as a platform for this dialogue. I’ve been away for awhile, but, in coming weeks, I’ll be sharing what I’ve been reading (this book and otherwise) and what I think we should be doing to make our lives, and our country, better. This is one thing I can do. It will be up to you to decide what you can do. I invite you to join me on this journey.

More on this later, but, in closing, in the words of HRC:

“Resist, insist, persist, enlist.”

Happy Birthday, Annette - 1960

Happy Birthday, Annette

1960

Nancy holding Annette, our oldest daughter, at two weeks... in Ames, Iowa.

Slides from that period, especially cheaper film, it seems, are starting to deteriorate. Got most of them scanned a couple of years ago, but a bit late, on some of them... Ah, the memories, though!!! ;-)

Throwback Thursday - Remembering PhD Study Days - early 1990s

Throwback Thursday

Remembering PhD Study Days - early 1990s

I came across this photo recently that brought back a lot of memories to me. I believe I was starting on my dissertation, perhaps '93... we had moved to a small apartment near campus at the University of Arizona in Tucson, from our house in the suburbs, so I could concentrate on finishing my degree.

Pretty heavy reading ahead, it appears. Even as Christmas approached. What fun?!?!?! ;-)

Throw-way-back Thursday - Another world of the early 1940s

Throw-way-back Thursday

Another world of the early 1940s

Roy Rogers and Lash LaRue at the local Lyric theater on Saturday were the 'heroes.'
Long before television. West-central Iowa farm community - look at that tractor and that barn.
Cousins played together on Sunday, after church...on the farm, or in small town...perhaps that hasn't changes so much...what was your experience??
Mom and Dad worried about sugar rations and such from a war, far, far way; hoped the boys came back safe... but, otherwise, it was a good life. What do you think?

Families are Forever!! ;-)

Photo: Cousin Kathleen - Bill - Cousin Karen, my buddies!

Throwback Thursday - 2001

Throwback Thursday - 2001

Sixteen Years ago the week

At Ben and Arrion's wedding, in Springfield, Illinois... Blues Brothers glasses, I think, and doing the YMCA dance, among others... not my normal activities, for sure... one good time!!

Personal Activities - Travel in 1961

Personal Activities - Travel in 1961

Summer time is often travel time for families, and has been 'forever' in many ways. Even most covered wagon travel was during the summer. Now, we are able to share our travels with family and friends on Facebook and other social media. What fun!

Recently, on Facebook, many have been sharing a U.S. map of the states, with the states they have visited colored in...usually purple, it seems. Some note how proud they are of how many states they've visited, others lament how many they have not visited.

In addition, our oldest daughter, Annette, and her husband, Larry, have been touring the Great Lakes region this summer, a six month tour. I've shared before some of our early travels to suggest she got the 'travel bug' early on - just a part of her life. 

Here is another one, with much to think about. This is dated 31 May 1961...I had just graduated from Iowa State University, and we were driving to California to start our new life there. Nancy and Annette at the Grand Canyon...bet you can't stand there, today! ;-)

Where are you going this year that you haven't visited before? Which new states will you visit? There is so much to see, do, and learn in each of our 50 states...don't let too many years go by before you have checked them all out, and widen the experiences available to you and your family! ;-)

Happy Travels!! ;-)

Throwback Thursday - Spring 1974

Throwback Thursday

Spring 1974

This is time-period I rarely revisit...aren't we spiffy?

Nancy and Bill Smith, if you don't recognize us! ;-)

What do you recall from the Spring of 1974?

Throwback Thursday - 4th of July Celebration

Throwback Thursday - 4th of July Celebration

I've used this a few years for a 4th of July photo because of the Silver Dollar City flags in the background...however, I notice we are both wearing jackets... really the 4th of July or not?!?!

P.S. Later: Stumbled upon what suggests the date of this photo was 26 Nov 2010...

Still a fun photo!! Have a Very Happy, Safe and Sane, 4th of July this next week...even a very long weekend for a number of you, I'll bet!!

Personal Activities - Computers

Personal Activities - Computers

What was your first, at home, personal computer?

I’m a computer user, not a techie geek, so it is really hard for me to remember. My best recollection is that it was an Apple II with two floppy disk drives in about 1982.

Actually, I found a classic photo of my nephew, Evan, working on it... note the dot matrix printer...

Here is a good story from Wikipedia, Apple II Series article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_series

The first ‘computer’ in our house was actually in our home office for our business - it was a ‘dumb’ computer terminal that we used for inputing the bookkeeping information for our small business accounting service. The information we input on the terminal was then transmitted via phone lines to the mainframe computer in Illinois where the actual computing and printing occurred. The output was returned to us via postal service, as well. Oh my, so long ago…

I got to thinking about this last night when I found some old papers of very early internet genealogy connections a few years later. I'll share some of these in the coming weeks...

In the meantime, I should step away from the computer, and go for a walk...  ;-)

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers

Happy Mother's Day 

to all Mothers

 A few of the Mothers in my life...

My wife, Nancy...

My three daughters, Allison, Annette, and Arrion...

My mother, Eileen...

Her mother, my grandmother, Dorothy...

Again, Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers, everywhere... Thank you all, for everything!!

Throwback Thursday - May 1961

Throwback Thursday - May 1961

This photo from the past has a number of things going on... and some things I don't know. This was one of many occasions, I believe, where Nancy's family and my family were together during one of our visits back to Coon Rapids, our home town. Nancy, Annette and I were about to move to California following my college graduation from Iowa State at this time. 

In the photo are Nancy's younger sister, Janice, at left. My next younger brother, Jim, is in the white shirt. He would have just had his 17th birthday. Far right is my maternal grandfather, Paul Kinnick. Ah, the memories! ;-)

Community - Empathy

Community
Empathy

A recent Dan Rather column online talked of having Empathy in our communities. He defined empathy as a case of commonality when contrasted with sympathy, one of separation.

Do you pursue projects in your community where the basis is empathy, a case of commonality? Identifying projects or causes in your own community where you feel empathy is at the heart of successful activism and involvement that we each need to pursue to aid in building our community in a positive way. Again, this applies to whatever you think of as ‘my community.’

Many of us find ourselves surrounded by negativity these days. Reject those negative influences and pursue your own positive thoughts and actions by seeking commonality through empathy. Put yourself in the other person’s position and move positively forward. Work in unison, in commonality, with other members of your community to do good, whatever that may mean for you and your community.


Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Throwback Thursday - 2 February 2017

Throwback Thursday

2 February 2017

Spring of 1954, I believe. Freshman in High School. First Instrumental Music Contest. Solo on the Baritone. Western Iowa, small town school... off to a nearby 'city' for the contest.

So much to note. The setting is 'The Porch' of our farm house near Coon Rapids, Iowa. This was few years off from having actually torn the 'porch' off the house and building this beautiful 'family room' that we still called "The Porch" It was large enough that my younger brothers played basketball in it. Of to the right, in the photo, far end of the room, was a stone fireplace in a wall of bookshelves. To the left, in the photo, was the piano... with the rest of the house on the other side of the wall. Behind me, is the stairs down to the basement. The door to the outside was behind the person taking the photo...no doubt, my mother. That is a toy box behind my legs. I do note on the counter, to the left, is my younger brother, Jim's, trombone.

How about that tie? Not to mention the 'sport coat,' and blue shirt! Those were the days, my friends.

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Personal Activities - Reading

Personal Activities

Reading

I mentioned earlier that I do read a lot, in addition to doing some writing.

Actually, reading is my favorite way to gather information, both for knowledge and for entertainment. I do watch television. On occasion I do listen to music, but mostly, I prefer to read. I generally do not care for videos, I do not care for audios. I sometimes have the radio on in the car, but usually just some quiet music… Channel 69, Escape, on XM Radio, is my music of choice. I prefer no words when I drive.

Besides books, which I mentioned briefly before, I read several magazines a week (skim some, read some). I have my preferred readings available on my Mac, on my mini-iPad, and on my iPhone… mostly different on each, with a broad array of reading choices. I read sports reports on one, I read events of the day on another. I read more in-depth reports on another, for example.

I am rather picky about the books I read. I rarely read novels. I generally prefer historical non-fiction, especially biographies, it seems. Or time periods of history, or a series of events, often that include biographical perspectives of the famous and not-so-famous persons in the history of our country. I generally prefer Colonial to pre-Civil War books, but have read on all periods. You can see the books I’ve read at my Book Bazaar blog here:
http://drbillsbookbazaar.blogspot.com/

How do you choose your reading material? Do you read a lot, or very little? I’d like to hear your thoughts… if you have given it any thought. Perhaps you have, now that you’ve read this, and said, I think he is crazy…  ;-)

Use the Comments below, Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, to get us started. I’ll be back here, next Wednesday, with more of my thoughts. I await your comments…

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Household, Family & Friends 5 - How do you define 'Friend?'

Household, Family & Friends 5

How do you define 'Friend?'

What is a Friend? Who is a Friend? What determines the qualification to be a friend, for you, and how is a friend different from an acquaintance? Do you make a distinction? Have you ever given it a thought? Do you have more than one class of ‘friend?’

Do you spend time with each of your friends? Is that a necessary issue for someone to be a friend? Whether you answer yes or no to that one probably tells a lot about how you define 'a friend.' Or, are there more important criteria you use.

When is someone no longer a friend? Or, are people you consider ‘a friend’ your friend for life! How do you think others feel about this? Do they have the same feelings as you, or do you perceive others as defining a ‘friend’ differently than you do?

Think about it. Share your thoughts.

Please use the Comments below, or Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, to let us hear from you.


Will you take the opportunity to leave a comment? Hope so! ;-)

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Community - Thank Someone Today

Community
Thank Someone Today

Today’s suggestion: Whatever community of which you are a part - Thank Someone Today, for what they have done recently to make that community better (by your definition and interests)!

We should thank people regularly for their contributions to our society, in whatever way. But, sometimes we need a little nudge. This is that nudge, for you, and me, today. This suggestion is also a reminder to think about the community, or communities, of which you are a part… especially those where you are an active participant. It may be a physical location, or it may be a social group. You decide. Think about it. Thank Someone Today.

You do not need to share, but if you have a thought related to this suggestion, we welcome your comments, as always.


What will you do? Leave a comment here or on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. Create a post on your blog. Talk to a friend or neighbor.


Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Throwback Thursday - 26 January 2017

Throwback Thursday

26 January 2017

When I was a young father, this was my image of retirement...

These are my maternal grandparents, about the early 1960s, on their front porch, in the small town of Bayard, Iowa, in their small house. He died at 75, from emphysema, at age 75, in 1968. She lived to 95.

I am now probably now ten years older than they were in this photo. I don't feel nearly as old as they seemed, at the time. Likely, they did. Times have changed some, for sure.

What are your thought as you read this, and see this photo?

Use the Comments below, Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, to get us started. I’ll be back here, next Wednesday, with more of my thoughts. I await your comments…

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Families are Forever! ;-)