Reaching Lifelong Goals as a Nontraditional Student

For our last weekend on the East Coast we visited family in a wonderful small town called Oley, Pennsylvania.   Patty’s sister, Jennifer and her Husband Brian moved there a number of years ago.   My 10-year-old nephew, Rafael was a treat for Patty and I to visit.   He is quite the young man nowadays and really kept Patty going with conversations about online gaming.   Jennifer is a professor at Kutztown University which is about a half an hour away.   Being the history geek I am, this small town did not disappoint me.   The town of Oley is about 10 miles Southeast of Reading, PA.   It was founded in the early 1700s by German and French Huguenots seeking religious freedom.   One of the early settlers in the area was Mordecai Lincoln, great-grandfather of the 16th President Abraham Lincoln.   Oley’s big claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Daniel Boone in 1734.   The Oley Valley played an important role in the Revolutionary War by sending food and cannon balls to George Washington’s encampment at Valley Forge.  The original name for this town was “Friedensburg” but that was changed after WWII as the name was often confused with a similar Friedensburg located farther North in Pennsylvania. Walking up and down the main street where Jennifer and Brian live I was enjoying all of the Victorian homes.   I found one home that was built in 1814 and is still occupied today.   Wonderful architecture and history just by walking a few blocks in either direction.  Wonderful details of these homes were a photographer’s dream as the cast iron fence to the right shows.   I did stroll through the town cemetery and was fascinated by the oldest tombstones dating back to the beginning of the 1800s.  Of special note was the grave of a Revolutionary War Soldier from the town.   Jacob Reppert, PVT Continental Line, Revolutionary War,  Born 1762, Died 1837.   To think of the history this man experienced.   I put my Historian Hat on and thought of what an excellent research paper this story could be.    This term at OSU, am taking a class called “The Historian’s Craft”    HST 310.   My professor specializes in the Revolutionary War period.   He gave me some guidance on how one would go about researching this man’s history.   During the 1830s, Revolutionary War Veterans made petitions to the US Government for a pension.   These records vary from just some info about dates  served, to complete diaries of the soldier’s service during the war.   I’m not a 18th Century Historian, as I specialize in WWI Aviation, but I somehow feel a connection with this soldier.   Maybe it was just another “rush of history” clouding my sensibilities, but I have filed this info away for a future research paper about this individual’s service history and story.   I am sure that it will come in handy for some History Class in the next couple of years.

A family treat for Patty and I was being able to attend our nephew’s first soccer game of the season.   The Oley Valley team won decisively!   Being the good Uncle, I documented the game for History!!   Rafe’s team was in Blue.   I was really impressed with the athletic prowess of their team and was as proud as I could be of my nephew!   After a nice BBQ lunch back in Oley,  the entire family group took a road trip to visit Jennifer’s Kutztown University campus.    So now this Oregon State Beaver has set foot on two colleges in the East, Univ. of Maryland and Kutztown U.   Huzzah for the Golden Bears and Terps!!    I really enjoyed this visit, Kutztown University, first established in 1866 is a little older than Oregon State.   Some great old buildings, and the Administration Building has the distinction as having a “screaming chicken” bell tower.   In the photo at left, you can see that when viewed from a corner angle, the two clocks are the eyes, and the peaks of the roofs look like an angry beak!!   I’ll have to wander around the OSU campus to see if we have a “screaming BEAVER” building!   We drove around the small village of Kutztown and I enjoyed the historical look of the main street.   It seemed like everywhere we went in this area of Pennsylvania, I was treated to cool old buildings.    This is one thing that I noticed about our visit to the East Coast, History is everywhere.   No wonder I considered this a dream vacation.   We enjoyed a fine meal at one of the “college kid” hangouts and made our way back to Oley for an evening of gaming with Rafe.  This vacation and all of the museums have really been “all about me”, finally this weekend of our trip was “all about Patty”.   The plan for Sunday was to take our Nephew to the sweetest place in the world….Hershey Pennsylvania!!    Tomorrow’s post is all about my wife’s dream vacation, CHOCOLATE WORLD!!!

You do not have to be a History Major or a Civil War nut to be deeply moved by a visit to Gettysburg National Military Park.   The Civil War is not my specialty in History, but I am a keen observer of all things in military history.    Having just taken HST 202 during Spring Term of last year, I was still interested in this period of our country’s past.   Gettysburg was “on the way” to our visit with Patty’s sister in Oley, Pennsylvania.   We planned on Friday to be a travel day, with a stop at Gettysburg en route.  I was very pleased to see that the visitor center for the National Park had just been rebuilt into one of the most impressive historical interpretive centers I have ever had the pleasure to experience.   Opened in 2008, this huge facility has a wonderful Civil War museum and visitor facilities for the battlefields.   I’m sorry to say, that we did not take the driving tour of the 6000 acre battlefield, but my visit to the museum more than made up for that.  One thing that I noticed in this facility is the cutting edge museum technology that was  evident everywhere, I’m just a geek that way, I guess.   The displays were just spectacular and the artifacts are quite significant as well.   On display was the actual pen the Gen. Grant signed the surrender papers with, the chairs that both Lee and Grant sat in and many other very important items relating to the battle of Gettysburg.   I was proud to see a copy of the Emancipation proclamation actually signed by Lincoln that was donated from a Oregon source.  The everyday life of the soldiers on both sides was displayed in an informative and educational manner.   I was really impressed with the overall feel of the museum.   Patty really enjoyed the hand-made US Flag of the period on display.   The stars were sewn on in a pattern that was unusual and it looked almost like folk-art.  Of course, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address took an honored spot in the museum.   You enter a room that is specifically designed just to sit and experience these famous words.   The actor presenting Lincoln’s words really gives the feel of the man, it was a very moving experience.   I know, but by now you should have figured I would be having one of my “rush of history” moments.   Yes, it took a while to get over hearing those words again and in such a haunting manner, as if from Lincoln himself.   Somehow, being in Gettysburg, they had much more impact on me.   It was very interesting to see the display with the positive and negative reviews of the address.   Lincoln’s words were not universally admired. Take the time to click on both of the images and read what reactions to the Gettysburg Address appeared in newspapers after the event.   The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War and the story did not end there.   New historiography shows that the small town of Gettysburg was deeply affected by the battle for many months afterward.   The idea of creating a Military cemetery to take care of the thousands of bodies that were still there is a wonderful story in itself.   The city of Gettysburg was one of our stops on the way out-of-town, I really wanted to see the Train Station where Lincoln arrived.   Being a railroad history nut as well as a History Major this was a double pleasure.   The building is much like it was that day in November 1863 when Lincoln arrived.   It has been restored and had some nice displays in the passenger lobby.   I was happy that we took the time to see it. One of the items in the museum really spoke to me.  The Confederate General Paul Semmes was mortally wounded on July 2 near the Wheatfield, his loss was a blow to the CSA forces.   On display is his General’s frock that still bears the blood stains from his wounds.   The personal nature of this single artifact was extremely poignant as an illustration of the horrible carnage of this major battle.   Like many of these posts, I have left the best for last.

Along with admission to the museum portion of the Visitor’s Center, you also are treated to a very moving and well produced film about the history of the battle, the Civil War and the aftermath.   Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this film was so moving I had a hard time finding my way out of the theater.   The second major treat after the movie was viewing a 360 degree Cyclorama of the battlefield.   On a second level above the theaters, this display is a 377 foot in diameter  by 42 foot high circular image of the entire battlefield.   It is displayed with artifacts of the battle in the foreground and is an experience in itself.   I was thinking all during the presentation how great this computer simulation of Gettysburg was, so colorful and detailed.   Much to my amazement, this cyclorama is actually an artist’s PAINTING first exhibited in 1884.   The entire battle from the third day is depicted with Pickett’s Charge as its main feature.   The French artist came to Gettysburg in 1882 and made sketches from a platform.  He had input from the actual Generals and Officers who took part in the Battle.   It is considered to be accurate based on their input.   The Cyclorama recently reopened after undergoing a five-year conservation effort-the largest conservation effort of its kind ever undertaken on the continent.   I thought it was impressive just as a modern display, little did I know that this work of art was over 100 years old.    Seeing this Cyclorama in this restored condition was the highlight of the visit to Gettysburg.   No photography is allowed or I would have taken a 360 degree panorama of the entire work.   Suffice it to say, my History Major’s Dream Vacation was still in full swing, even on a travel day.   Even though we only had time to do the museum/movie/cyclorama at the visitor’s center, the experience was right up there with my other Bucket List achievements.   This was one of the most moving, gut wrenching and satisfying History Major experiences of my life.   Like so many of the Lifelong Goals this vacation had fulfilled, this day will stay with me for a very long time.

This quote from Maj. General Joshua Chamberlain after the battle is one of the final displays as you leave the museum.   I stood and read it multiple times.   I feel that it completely summed up the feelings one could have about this place in Southern Pennsylvania.   Both in 1863 as well as today, these words still ring true.

Tomorrow, our visit with Family in the quaint little town of Oley, Pennsylvania.

Tourists go an “see” the sights in Washington DC.   Nontraditional Students who are History Majors EXPERIENCE the monuments of our nation’s capital.  After we had a great time with the Dino Bones and Hope Diamond, Patty and I boarded one of the many tour buses around Washington DC.   Settling in, we decided to make the entire loop of the tour and then plan our stops from there.   The weather on this day was quite tolerable and we had a great ride.   Our tour guide was informative and fun.   The bus takes you to all of the main attractions and you can get off and rejoin the bus later.   First stop was the Washington Monument.   Completed in 1884, the monument is 555 feet tall and is the tallest stone structure in the world.   We took our photos from the bus and travelled on.   The bus goes past the Holocaust Museum and the tour of the US Mint.   They will have to wait until the next trip as our time was limited.   The Jefferson Memorial is another landmark that we photographed from the bus.   Next trip we have a long list of sights to go back to.    The FDR memorial is near the Lincoln Memorial area, it was not visible from the tour bus.   Arriving at the Lincoln Memorial, we decided that this would be our stop as the Vietnam Memorial and Korean War Memorial are close by.   These memorials are were all on my Bucket List so this would be a key stop on our tour.  We stayed on the bus route to see the entire loop before coming back to this stop.   Continuing on the bus we were taken into Arlington Cemetary and this is where the tours start and end.  We changed buses and trekked on.  The tour takes you past some important buildings, famous hotels and White House.   The view of the White House is limited, but to get there would be very time-consuming so a shot from the bus will have to do for this trip.   The bus takes you back down on the Mall proper where all of the Smithsonian Museums are and then heads toward the US Capital Building.   Quite impressive, we were told that the US Flags were not flying over the two wings of the Capital which means that Congress was not in session.   A stop at the Washington DC train station completed the loop.    We stayed on the bus and returned to the Lincoln Memorial where we got off and began a History Major’s experience that will stay with me for a long time.  Sorry if this narrative sounded like a “travel log” or a laundry list of sites, I needed to get these items documented before I tell my tale of this memorable visit.   The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in 1922 and is modeled after a Greek Doric Temple.   The seated statue of President Lincoln is 19 feet tall and carved from 28 blocks of white Georgia marble.  Amidst the throngs of tourists, having fun and taking the required photos smiling in front of the statue, stood a lone History Major, blocking out all around him, silent with that “rush of history” lump in his throat once again.   I took the time to read the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s second inaugural speech that is cut into the marble walls.   Somehow the words, that I have read many times before, mean so much more there.   The seated figure of Lincoln, also an image that I have seen in pictures and history books, had an impact on me that is hard to describe.  I am a WWI Historian, this was not a Fokker or the Wright Flyer, but again I was overcome by the feeling my heart being so full, as it were to burst.   The Reaching Lifelong Goals website is all about these feelings and experiences I have been going through over the past 18 months or so.   My reactions to these long-standing bucket list items have proved to be a physical as well as emotional experience and I have come to savor each and every one as something of a special gift at this point in my life.   I would only hope that my fellow Non Traditional Students can have these same experiences and feelings, each in their own personal way.    Well this is getting sappy….sorry, but as we left the Lincoln Memorial and stood on the edge of the Reflecting Pond, I could look to my left and see the Vietnam Memorial, and I knew I was in for another bout of emotional drain.   But first, we walked a short distance to the Korean War Memorial.   This is a very beautiful memorial to the veterans and dead of the Korean War, America’s forgotten war.    The 19 statues of US Army infantrymen on patrol is quite a sight to behold.   They are set against a black marble wall that has images of service personnel from all branches that seem to be floating just under the surface of the shiny marble.   Quite a striking display.   I was very impressed by this memorial, the detail and personalities of each and every soldier/statue was truly breath-taking.    I gathered my strength, so Patty and I could walk to the next History Major Dream Vacation experience of the day.

For lack of a better description, Vietnam was “my war”.   Growing up in the 1960s, I sat with a TV tray at dinner, watching the NBC news….images almost everyday of the war in Southeast Asia.   I graduated from High School in 1974, not of draft age yet as the war was coming to a close.   If I had been born just one year earlier, I could have been a name on this wall.   Not being drafted to go to war, I enlisted in the USAF anyway.   I sat in the Enlistment station in August 1974 and watched Richard Nixon resign the Presidency.   A mere 20 minutes later, I was taking the oath to join the military (the officer giving the oath told us that even though we just saw Nixon resign, it still was binding, we were swearing to the “office, not the man”…kind of a surreal memory to be sure!)   and I was off to basic training at Lackland AFB, TX.   The Vietnam Memorial is moving to many people, for a variety of reasons.   I am probably unusual in that I was not personally touched by the war.  None of my friends were killed, I can only remember a couple of them that even were “in country”.   That is not to say that I was not deeply effected by my visit to the wall.   All of the history of the time, my younger years during the war and the fact that I was born just a year too early to serve all weighed heavily on my heart as I stood there, reading some of the 58,260 names.   There were small remembrances left there that day, a fatigue shirt, (with the name Creed on the pocket) much like the USAF Fatigues I wore on a daily basis, flowers and unit patches really hit home with me.    After a short time regaining my composure, we just made it to the Tour Bus stop in time to get back to the mall.   I still needed to see the military display at the Smithsonian American History Museum so we got off at the National Mall and spent some time again in this museum.   I was keen to get to the gift shop to buy a T-shirt with Lincoln’s famous quote: “it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt”.   This will be a cherished souvenir of my trip to the American History Museum.  This visit was quick, and I included it in my narrative of the first trip to the National Mall. To complete this post about the Washington DC National Mall, I will include a couple more of my favorite photos.   At right is the WWI memorial near the White House.  The Golden Blazing Sword is a memorial to the veterans and lost of the First World War.   Since this is my main interest in my History Major journey, it is fitting. At left is one of the many views of the US Capitol Building from my collection.  The National Mall is quite an experience.  We only scratched the surface of the history there.   Our next trip will have to include the places we did not have time for.  High on this list is Ford’s Theater and the Holocaust Memorial.    This day ended our visit to the Washington DC area and we left for a visit with Patty’s sister Jennifer, her Husband Brian and my 10-year-old nephew Rafe in Oley Pennsylvania.   But, on the way there….a bucket list check off!   Gettysburg will be the next post in the chronicles of the History Major’s Dream Vacation.

For our Thursday excursion, we again boarded the Metro Green Line and headed for the National Mall.   Our plan was to take one of the tour buses and see the National Mall Monuments.   These sights are obligatory for any visit to Washington DC.   We decided to stop in and see the HOPE DIAMOND at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.   The added bonus to this tour is the chance to see the collection of dinosaur bones.   Wow, this was really special.   The Smithsonian Natural History Museum is located right on the Mall and is next to the American History Museum.   The display of fossil skeletons of all the great dinosaurs is really something that everyone should see while in Washington DC.   We had a blast in this portion of the museum and took copious photographs.   The collection is not just the famous dinosaurs but also the early mammals including Mammoths and undersea creatures.   This was also very interesting.   I can grasp the idea of 16th century or 19th century dates, but when we are talking millions of years in the past, the mind boggles at the idea of this kind of “history”.   A ramp leading up to the next level of the museum led us, quite by accident as we did not pay attention to maps, to the display of the Hope Diamond.

The Hope Diamond is, of course, really huge.   The thing that I noticed was how dark in color it was.   It was on display as the center piece of a huge mineral and gem collection.   At the present time, the Hope Diamond is not in its original mounting.    It is going to be re-set into a new piece of jewellery for the 75th anniversary.    The mineral collection was quite extensive and we really did not have the time to do it justice.  Patty is a lover of opals and the display of this gem was one of her favorites.   The Natural History Museum also has a wing devoted to the oceans and the great Blue Whale hanging in the great hall was truly impressive.   The special exhibit, David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins is a look into the 6 million years of scientific evidence of human origins.    I am not an Anthropology Major  but it would come in a close second to being a History Major.   I have not kept up with all of the recent finds of this field and I was amazed at some of the new “cavemen” science has identified.   (I know this is not a PC term anymore, sorry…)    Research on the Indonesian island of Flores has uncovered a new species of early human called Homo Floresiensis,  a very, very small human.   The exhibit uses the term “hobbit” and the size of this human reflects this, only about 4′ tall max.   Also, there is a new type of Neanderthal that I was not aware of, Homo Heidelbergensis.   Maybe when I take the 300 level Baccalaureate Core required class in Anthropology I’ll get filled in on what I’ve been missing.   This exhibit was also more than one could absorb in the small time we spent in the Natural History Museum.   The Smithsonian Natural History Museum was a fun diversion to my pure “all about me” choices for museums.   I really enjoyed the time spent there, but we were burning daylight and needed to get onto one of the National Mall Tour buses.   The tours make the rounds of all the sights and one stops right in front of the museum every 1/2 hour or so.    We boarded an almost empty open air bus (we really were lucky, great weather, small crowds, cool breeze….) and started our tour of the National Mall Monuments.   We made plans while on the route for where we would stop and photograph (the Lincoln Memorial) and had a nice guided tour around Washington DC.   We took all of the required pictures, the Washington Monument, the Capitol Bldg, Jefferson Memorial and had a very “touristy” day.   Tomorrow’s post will be specifically about my experiences at the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Memorials (yes, these were more tear filled experiences on my Dream Vacation!)

After leaving the wonderful Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, I changed “history gears” into my love for 17th and 18th century sailing warships.   After finding parking, which was an experience in downtown Baltimore, we had a hike of a few blocks towards the harbor attractions.   This day was working on being quite hot, about 90 degrees.   We deserved a treat, so we found the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant in the shopping area near the water.   An added treat for me was the fact that our table overlooked the item of my bucket list quest….the USS CONSTELLATION!    As we were walking, I could see masts tops in the distance, and my heart was racing.   I think that I picked up my pace a little too much for Patty in anticipation of being on the decks of this ship.    After a wonderful lunch and decadent cheesecake, I was primed for my visit to this historic ship. The urban renewal project that the City of Baltimore undertook to create a destination center for this area is truly wonderful.   The centerpiece of Baltimore Harbor is the restored (or in the ongoing process of actually…) 1854 Sloop of War the USS Constellation.   The original US Frigate Constellation (1797-1853) was part of the fledgling US Navy.   The original Constellation was a contemporary to my all time top bucket list item….”Old Ironsides”, USS Constitution.   The ship that survives today is the second ship of the US Navy to carry the name USS Constellation.   It was built as a Sloop of War in 1854.   The Constellation’s claim to fame is that it is the only remaining sailing ship from the Civil War period.   She served proudly off the coast of Africa intercepting slave trading ships and saved over 700 Africans from a life of slavery.   The USS Constellation served as the midshipmen training vessel for much of her long career.   Officially decommissioned in 1955.   She was restored to resemble the 1797 Frigate configuration.   Through historical detective work, the controversy about her age and claims that she was not the original Constellation found that this ship was actually the one built in the 1850s after the original had been broken up.   By the 1980s, she was in terrible shape with almost a 36″ hogging in her keel (deformation due to structural problems).    She was again drydocked in 1994 and after a costly and extensive rebuilding as a Sloop of War (actual ship from 1854)  was back on permanent display in Baltimore’s inner harbor on July 2, 1999.

Today, this ship is one of the finest examples afloat of the last days of sail powered warships.   I was excited to go and visit my brother-in-law, mostly to see my nieces and family, but the prospect of being near Baltimore and this ship was another high point in our East Coast vacation.   I was very moved by stepping onto the deck of this ship.   All of the rigging and tall masts towering over me, the feel of being “afloat on history” was very exciting.   I had to have my photo at the beautiful wheel of the ship.   Walking aft, it was just like being a midshipman during the 1880s, seeing all of the ropes belayed and the deck fittings shining!    All of the decks of the ship are open for viewing and Patty and I went down the ladder to the gun deck.   Close quarters to be sure.   At the present time, the ship’s guns are not “run out” through the gunports.   There is restoration work being done and they were tied down and not on display as they would have been during wartime.   No worries, the excitement was still there, so our tour went toward the stern galleries and the captain and officer berths.   The stateroom has been restored and display of the officer’s wardroom table and the captain’s quarters were very nice.   The tight quarters of a ship of this era is really something to experience.    In the bow of the gun deck the ship’s sick bay is displayed with artifacts of the ship’s doctor and information about medicine at sea.

The next deck down is where the crew lived at sea.   The hammocks were hung in the same way as during the life of the ship.   Very low ceiling here, while taking pictures and just loving the experience, my attention slipped and I bonked my head on the timbers.    Focus, focus.   The next deck down is the Orlop deck or the hold.   This area is where you can see the old timbers of the original ship still exposed.   The feeling of the age of this floating artifact is really evident down in the deep recesses of the hull.   The working restoration “shop” on board the ship is in the bow of this deck.  All kinds of restored blocks and tackle, huge cables of rope and a good ole’ workbench for the restoration workers is on view here.   The entire ship is still being worked on by volunteers on a regular basis.   The work is ongoing, continually improving the look of the ship into its original condition. At right is a picture of the pumps used to pump the bilge of the ship and they are all original, with lead linings in the pipes and cast iron fittings, this was a look into the past.    This pump station is on the gun deck and you can see the cannons in their stowed positions by the gunports.   (Remember, you can click on all the photos in these postings to see a more detailed, larger view.)   It was another lump in the throat experience being on this ship.   I have built scale models of these old sailing ships over the years, researching  the projects extensively, but there is no comparison to actually step onto one of my original “historical loves”.

I wanted to get some outside pictures of this wonderful ship, so Patty retreated to the air conditioning of the adjacent mall.   I did not tour the other ships that are displayed in the inner harbor but they are special as well.   The WWII Submarine USS Torsk is across the water moored next to the Aquarium (definite must do on our next trip, I am a Tropical Fish nut also…)  and the light house ship Chesapeake is also on display and available to tour.   The Baltimore inner harbor is a beautiful place with much to see.   A whole day could be devoted  to all the sites.   We were eager to get out-of-town before rush hour so I quickly finished some photography and said goodbye to another Bucket List item being checked off.   The next day would be the Washington DC National Mall tour bus.   We made our way back to Joe’s house in Greenbelt, MD to spend an evening with family.   I was still basking the glow of my day at two impressive stops on my History Major’s Dream Vacation.