Happy Father’s Day!
You ever look for a photo that catches a person’s real-life essence in one photo, the way you always see them, the way they look through your own eyes? Well, this photo is it. And, how often do you get a bonus two-for-one?
This is my father letting my brand-new bride in on some secret at our wedding! The crime occurred in October of 1982 – not the wedding, the secret sharing! – and the reason this is the perfect picture is because he’s always known secrets that no one else quite got! Until he explained it to them, that is.
Let me tell you what I mean by that. My father has a perpetual twinkle in his eye. Lots of people have that, but many are either irresponsible, uncommitted, deceitful or shallow. My father is the opposite of every one of those. Perhaps the best educator I’ve ever seen in action, married for 61 years now, one of the best thinkers you will find, he is definitely not a vapid character. But, the qualities I listed above often go with a dry, pedantic person of little creativity. Again, no fit. No, this is a guy with a lust for life!
What you have before you is a unique individual with an extremely good sense of what he is about and who he is, combined with a fighter’s spirit. He’s overcome more health issues than can be recounted here, starting with premature birth at home in the middle of a harsh Kansas winter, weighing in at under three pounds, with an open oven door for an incubator as his introduction to life. Eighty-three and one half years later, Kansas and life still haven’t beaten him. And both Kansas and life have done their best and know they’ve been in a scrap!
Dad will color within any lines that make sense. It just happens that a lot of them don’t! You see, that is the key that makes him unique. Many people follow the rules as a way of life. Many people rebel against rules as a way of life. Dad never has cared about either approach. He’s always believed and acted in a way that made sense to him in the situation. Some decisions and actions had tough consequences. Some stands were totally unpopular. He was against the Viet Nam war by 1965! Not the stance you would expect from a highly successful Kansas public school principal. But, he already knew it didn’t make sense.
But, what always saves the day in the end, is his huge heart, his love of people and life – and a fantastic sense of humor. Somehow, once he reveals the secret…it only makes sense!
Happy Father’s Day, Dad, to you and any other dads reading this message!! Ya know I love ya!!
Addendum: My father wanted you to know that his opposition to the Viet Nam war was not because he isn’t a patriot. He served three years in the Army in World War II and was a member of the first assault wave headed to Japan when the bombs were dropped. That makes his awareness all the more remarkable.
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Tags: Carol, Father's Day, Joe Hake, Secrets, Truth
You have your father’s eyes!
Happy Father’s Day to you, your dad and all dads out there.
Grannymar’s last blog post..Self Explanatory
Man, you do look like your dad. I am a dad and take your best wishes to heart and wish you as a father for all the best that God can grant to a wonderful son and father. I am proud to be your friend Conrad.
rummuser’s last blog post..Love And Passion
I look a whole lot like my Dad. He and I have always been very close and he will start entering more of my posts as we continue on with Manchester and as I move to other topics. There is a whole lot of there there when considering my Dad, what he’s done, and who he is.
And, as I write this, my family has me sequestered in the living room as they do some kind of mystery preparations on the patio. This is going to be good…
Conrad is taking the picture. His dad is pointing at him & telling Carol something humorous about him, but probably not so complimentary. She is looking slightly amused but also wondering… Could this be true???
Well, they took me out to the back patio and there to my amazement was not just a fantastic breakfast layout – but a hammock! Cool.
Happy Father’s to all of you guys on this post! Great gift idea on the hammock!
Oddly enough, I remember Corky as we were growing up – maybe because she was so can-do and with the newspaper but I missed the opportunity of knowing your father. Was he a teacher or a school administrator & which schools was he with?
Looking forward to his posts & more of Corkys!
Have a great day, DADS!
Deb, Dad was the Principal at Lincoln Elementary until they closed it and then was the Principal at Garfield Elementary. He was also Assistant Superintendent for a few years.
And he was Principal at Manchester Elementary before that – but, we’re getting ahead of ourselves in the past…
BHB, I love your interpretation of the picture! However, Mom was taking it I think. I took no pictures that day.
As wedding gifts, we asked that people simply be candid photographers at the wedding. We had no professional photographer. And the pictures are marvelous because of it!
OH I thought “the crime” (picture taken) was not on your wedding day. “The crime occurred in October of 1982 – not the wedding, the secret sharing!” Quote from above.
I miss read that.
You wouldn’t be taking pics at your wedding.
Was he principal at Garfield after we left for middle school? I kind of remember a large man who terrified me. All I knew about the principal’s office was that I didnt want to go in there!
Deb, Lee Horst was Principal there at that time. Lincoln was still open.
Deb,
When we first came to Abilene they were negotiating the building of the Kennedy School Building and they needed a teacher at McKinley to teach a split classroom….5th and 6th grades. Since Joe had done that sort of thing before he fit right in and when they finally built Kennedy (about 4 years later) they moved Howard Crandall from Lincoln to Kennedy and moved Joe from McKinley to Lincoln where he taught 6th grade half the day and was the principal all the day, lol. He loved Lincoln and felt really bad when they closed it. They offered him Kennedy but he thought Crandall should have it and took the Assistant Superintendent position for three years. When Horst retired, he took the Garfield position in the fall of 1975 where he was happily back with the kids. When he was in the Central Office, he had charge of busing and he would spend as much time as possible at one of the Elementary Schools. It told him that if they didn’t get him a school pretty soon, they would be calling him Chester the Molester because he spent so much time roaming the elementary halls, lol. He really loved to spend the time with kids and it was pretty difficult for him when his health dictated (after quadruple by-pass surgery) that he quit. He still gets antsy when school starts and he reads all the things they are doing to get things going. He had to quit in 1984 on Halloween because the weather was getting cold and he could not spend the time he loved on the playground. He had to go from the Garfield bunch to me and it was quite an adjustment (for both of us)….but when you loves somebody you can adjust (if you work on it).
Corky
Lovely post about your father and he is indeed a very admirable man. People who are not afraid to follow their own way in the midst of support for conformity always warrant our respect. To take that stand in 1965 must have taken a level of self faith and confidence that has become such a rarity these days. I have been very lucky myself blessed with the kind of father I have. At the end of the day one day like father’s day isn’t enough to say thank you for the human beings they are.
And I have to admit, you do look a lot like your father!
Ashok’s last blog post..Everything is going to be alright?
Thanks, Corky – that filled in the holes for me! Wonderful bio – the public schools sure could use more dedicated souls like Joe!
Conrad – Lee Horst was huge to a grade schooler – I’m sure he was a nice man but I was terrified – he was so loud and so huge! lol
Deb, I can remember Lee Horst being after me, LOL.
Ashok, I think you’d like my Dad. And vice versa.
I am sure I would have liked him. I am definitely not the type to believe that patriotism means supporting one’s country no matter what. I mean, its one thing to support your country and another to support your government. Patriotism commands us to criticise the government where their policies are not in the best interests of the country. Given that, your father’s patriotism is higher than any other kind. Kudos to him, he shall be among my list of people who inspire!
Ashok’s last blog post..16 to 60