Dave Schultz Remembered

When I wrote about longtime Manchester teacher Dave Schultz on May 13 (both in my Ramblin’ column in The Gazette and on a blog post here), I admired his courage.
Dave was a teacher known for being tough, yet loved by hundreds of students, former students and co-workers. And he stood in front of hundreds of them to say [...]

I Never Thought of That …

The title of Anita Barta’s book (I Never Thought of That …) as pointed out in today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette came from the prompts she used to give her students at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. She gave them a “prompt” and had them write out their answers on a piece [...]

License Plate Watch – WNYDPOO

Win-i-d-pooh, get it.
Spotted on the license plate of a gold Honda CR-V in Cedar Rapids.
Do we have Tigger, too?
On a license plate, I mean.
I figure this must be someone who has young kids. Or, someone who likes the positive and simply messages of the little bear who gets a  honey jar stuck on his nose and [...]

Remember Teachers like Dave Schultz

At this time of year students all around the c0untry say goodbye to their teachers for the summer or, if they’re graduating, for possibly the rest of their lives. But teachers can keep on teaching long after they’re out of our sight. And, depending on the circumstances, saying goodbye to that teacher can be most difficult.
Seniors at [...]

Housing Solution – A Hand Up, Not A Bailout

Should the government help people who can’t afford to pay their mortgages keep their houses?
If it does, what’s it going to do for those of us who live within our means, studied the pros and cons of various mortgage options and took the most financially responsible route?
I’ll tell you what a bailout program would do [...]

License Plate Watch – Red Hen

Spotted in the 32nd Street NE, Cedar Rapids, Hy-Vee parking lot – a little red Porsche 914 with the personalized license plate, “RED HEN.”
What does it mean? A red car with a female driver? Someone shopping for hens? Someone with a really strong work ethic?
Yes, when I think of red hen, I think of “The Little [...]

Six Little Words from Eighth Graders

It’s always refreshing and rewarding when a teacher uses something you’ve written in a classroom. So that’s why I’m posting this comment from Wendy Anderson, an eighth grade language arts teacher at Prairie Middle School, rather than simply using it as a comment to either my March 24 or April 7 posts (columns also appeared those days in The Gazette) about writing [...]

Merrill Sparks a Fascinating Man

What a joy to spend a couple of hours with a man of Merrill Sparks’ caliber.
Merrill, 85, a native Iowan who retired to Iowa City about four years ago (See today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette), has performed all around the United States and has known some really famous people including actor James Cagney, “April [...]

Things You Can Do For Peace

At Kate Hawkins’ May Day fest Thursday in Cedar Rapids (see Ramblin’ in The Gazette on Friday, May 2), dozens upon dozens of folks showed up to enjoy gorgeous and great tasting homemade cookies and to leave behind cans/boxes of food as well as money for the Linn County Food Bank.
Always one to promote social networking [...]

After Home, a final tribute

When I posted my blog item about Mary Korkie on April 12, I ended it with her son, John’s, story about her visiting the bronze ground marker bearing her husband’s name, which also read ’Mary 1927-’
It can now read Mary, 1927-2008, since she died peacefully April 28.
I had written about Mary in a Gazette Ramblin’ column last Dec. 17. She grew [...]