True patriots are no longer champions of Democracy, Communism, or anything like that but champions of the Human Race.
Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark
My father was a man who was a champion of the Human Race. He dedicated his life caring for people.
I’m using my recuperation to sort through some of the stuff at my parents’ house. Today I came across a small collection of books that are Class Reunion Reports from Harvard Medical School. My father graduated from there in 1955.
In each reunion report, the class members submit updates on their careers and their personal lives. I’ve been leafing through each one to find what my father said.
In 1980, he said this:
We look back on the last 25 years with great satisfaction and pride in our family and their accomplishments, and with gratitude for having had an opportunity to be contributing members of our communities, for having the acquaintance of so many wonderful people, and for having witnessed such exciting change in our nation and our world. I still believe in the Red Sox, the United States of America, and the inherent goodness of our fellow man.
My father lived those words.
He died with the last Red Sox game of 2019 on the television in his bedroom. It was fitting.
He loved this country. He served in the US Army. Every year he would faithfully watch our local Memorial Day parade down Main Street, and stand at attention for the 21-gun salute. It was a huge honor when he was asked to Marshall the local 4th of July parade. He proudly walked (no convertible for him!) the whole parade route in his dress uniform.
And, he truly believed in the inherent goodness of our fellow man — although our current president gave my father a challenge there.
One of my funniest Emergency Room moments with my father was in 2017 or 2018. The staff was trying to assess his cognitive status by asking the usual questions:
- Do you know where you are? (“Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY”)
- Do you know what day of the week it is? (I can’t remember whether his response was correct or not. That’s not really a fair question for older people who have less of schedule to mark their days.)
- Do you know who the president of the United States is? (“I refuse to say that awful man’s name.”)
I think that makes him a patriot and a champion of the Human Race.
And cognitively aware.
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 
Your daddy sounds like he was a fine man! Did the personnel in the ER laugh at your dad’s response?
We were ALL laughing!
I loved reading this. Your father was exceptional!
What a fabulous story, Sally!
I hope you’re recuperating well.
Sally it is so good to be able to recall those moments – your father and my mother were cut from the same cloth! My mother refused to call him by his name – she would refer to him as 45 or the “orange one”!!