Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Carry me back to T-town on the big Rolodex of life


I got to thinking the other day, after unearthing this old photo, about how many face-and-name combinations we all have stored in the great Rolodex of life. Thousands plus thousands, I suppose. And the miracle is, we're able to flip through and find the right combinations --- much of the time.

School teachers may be better at this than most --- and accomplished politicians.

The horror comes when you start talking to someone; know exactly who he or she is and just what you want to talk about. Then the mouth opens to speak a name --- and nothing comes out.

This photo was taken most likely in the late 1980s in Thompson, where I was living at the time. I remember the occasion --- we were working on what these days would be called a "pocket park" on Main Street, improving a lot where a rickety old building had been taken down.

The only mystery is why I'm in the photo. I'm never in the photo. I take the photos.

I thought I could name everyone, but I can't.

Let's start in the back row (from left): Jeff Markle, Don Reicks, Fred Fraizer, Allen Hagenson, Norm Hauan, Mike Tweed and .... Darn it, the name is gone.

Moving on to the front row (also from left): Cheryl Reicks, Becky (Reicks) Markle, Oops (I can see myself sitting in her chair as she cut my hair; lovely person; remember the day her daughter vanished --- turned up hiding behind the sofa, little brat; last time I saw her was in the student union at North Iowa Area Community College; where has her name gone?), John Appelhons, Ron (half a name is better than none; owned the lumber yard; lived just around the corner. Darn), Dorothy Simons, Kevin Hauan and Frank Myers. At least I remember my own name.

Considering the state of the world, failure to recall three names is a minor difficulty. But I'm going to spend the rest of the day obsessing about it. Help!

And the winner is: Kevin Hauan, who in quick order this morning identified the guy at far right in the back row as Bill Johnson; reminded me that third from left in the front row is Ruth Henry (later Jacobs); and that Ron's last name is Bronson. Thanks!

1 comment:

Mary Ellen said...

I recently unpacked my old Rolodexes (really, have three of them)and yes, they most likely contain thousands of names, although many probably deceased. Actually, I think you did an awesome job by missing only three, and, getting some of those partially; not bad at all. Plus, you are so darn cute in this photo, Frank! Glad, that for once, you were not behind the camera.