Remembering a Long Ago Visit to the State Capitol

   In early December of 1994 my wife and I drove to the State Capitol to meet Fred Dillingham who was then serving as the area’s State Senator. I had called him earlier and pitched my idea of doing a story detailing one of his last days as a Michigan legislator. This article would include a retrospect of his career. He had decided not to run again and a new senator, Mike Rogers, would be taking his place in January.

     A Fowlerville native, he had started out on the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, winning a four-year term in the 1974 election. He was subsequently elected as a state representative in 1978, serving in that position for eight years. Then in 1986 he ran for the State Senate seat and won.

A Dream Delayed

    Among my many personal keepsakes, accumulated from years gone by, is a letter from The State Journal. The top of the document features a drawing of the building in Downtown Lansing where this daily newspaper is headquartered and the salutation reads: Dear Mr. Stephen Horton. It’s dated September 14 was signed by the then managing editor, Ben Burns. Mr. Burns was in the early stages of a distinguished journalistic career that would include a long tenure at The Detroit News.

   This letter was part of a packet that he had mailed to me. In it were the articles I had sent him, offering an example of my writing. I had heard through a pressman who worked at the daily paper, a gentleman who had recently met my mother, that a reporter position was open.

William Milliken: A Light That Still Shines

     Among the news stories of this past week was one about former Gov. William Milliken, a moderate Republican from Traverse City, endorsing Hillary Clinton for president rather than the GOP nominee Donald Trump. In a written statement, Milliken said:

  

    “This nation has long prided itself on its abiding commitments to tolerance, civility and equality. We face a critically important choice in this year's presidential election that will define whether we maintain our commitment to those ideals or embark on a path that has doomed other governments and nations throughout history. I am saddened and dismayed that the Republican Party this year has nominated a candidate who has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not embrace those ideals.

Our Public Discourse Has Become More Sophistry & Less Socratic

   Back in the pre-internet age, anyone who wished to learn more about a given topic generally utilized reference books. These fact-filled texts came in various forms—almanacs being a favorite with readers—but by far the most popular option when I was a young lad was the encyclopedia—or, more accurately, a set of volumes with topics ranging from A-to-Z.

    My grandmother (who taught fourth grade) purchased a set of the World Book Encyclopedia sometime in the early 1960s with the invitation that we, her grandchildren, could borrow a volume as often as any of us needed. I took her up on that offer quite frequently.

Lively Interest in Local Races a Good Sign

  If you had the time and ambition to wade through last week’s edition of our newspaper, you’d have come across the statements by the various candidates running for contested seats on the area and local boards and offices. There were a total of 17, including the county prosecutor, the open seat for District 4 of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, the supervisor’s post in Conway Township, and the trustee positions for the townships of Conway, Handy, and Iosco.

A Separate Peace

     As much as we desire an orderly and predictable life in which we can go about our daily business and face our future, events can and do occur that set off a chain reaction that—at the very least--cause uncertainty and trepidation, but can also lead to cataclysmic consequences for us and those around us. The cause of the calamity, the reason for the change in trajectory of unfolding history, can be an individual act; one seemingly unrelated at the time to our situation and circumstance.

  

    A case in point. 

    On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to that country’s throne, along with his wife Sophie. The royal couple was paying a state visit to Sarajevo in Bosnia.

What's It All About?

“What’s it all about, Alfie?”

  

  That was the opening lyric of a popular song from the mid-1960s, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by Dionne Warwick.

   Only recently, many years later, did I realize that it also qualified as a metaphysical question.

   Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and fundamental properties of being. What is existence? and What is it comprised of? would be two basic questions to start out with in a metaphysical inquiry.

Sharing of Power

    While the axiom that “power corrupts” has shown its validity in many instances, it would not be fair to extrapolate that every person possessing power or occupying a position of power is corrupt. What might be closer to the general rule is that those holding power, without any effective checks or balances, have a tendency (if I might borrow a basketball term) to “hog the ball.”

   The test of power—and of integrity of character--is the degree in which there is a willingness to share it as opposed to hoarding it and using questionable means to perpetuate and institutionalize it.

   Our ancestors here in Michigan, no doubt aware of this weakness, crafted Constitutions—the latest one in 1961—that in their wisdom spread out power as much as possible.

July 4th & a Medicare Birthday

    Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.

Death closes all; but something ere the end, 

Some work of noble note, may yet be done.

Lord Alfred Tennyson—Ulysses

* * *

    Barring foul weather or an unforeseen circumstance, on July 4^th I’ll once again be standing next to the reviewing stand in Downtown Fowlerville with camera in hand. And as I’ve done numerous times before, I’ll look down Grand River at the approaching parade—the police car with its flashing lights will be leading the procession, followed by the Honor Guard marching in unison, the car with the Grand Marshals  waving to the crowd, and the rest of the line-up of participants.

    With this event, the fireworks show later that evening, and other activities, the community of Fowlerville will once again celebrate the nation’s founding.

The Middle Class- A Daydream or Worthy Vision?

    A young lady, writing of her future plans for a college scholarship application, indicated her intent to major in computer science.

     “I cannot wait to learn from experts in the field,” she stated, adding, “I believe that technology is such an important part of our lives, and that as we progress as a society, it is only going continue to grow in the way it impacts us.”

   Reading that statement, there’s no doubt of the excitement and optimism this soon-to-be high school graduate feels about what lies ahead. As for computer science, my guess is that she’s right; it will to continue to play an important role in the coming years. Whether the outcome of technological advances, in every case, will constitute “progress” remains to be seen.

Trying to Find the Why

    What is the why in your life?” That was the question asked by Mark Wilson, lead pastor at the Fowlerville United Brethren Church, at the recent meeting of the Fowlerville Business Association. Pastor Wilson was a guest speaker at the morning session and the overall theme of his talk was “Leadership: Intentional Living in Business & Life.”

   In his discussion on what motivates us in our work as well as our overall life—what we perceive as our purpose and what energizes us—he noted that many people have great ideas but fail to follow through with actions. In pursuing a more purposeful, fulfilling, and rewarding life, not only do we need to dream boldly, but at some point we ought to act upon those aspirations.

Kingsley Farms sell off milk cows: Way-of-life, for them, is over

     The rapid-fire cadence of the auctioneer, the buyers nodding their heads or raising their hands to put in a bid, the sound of the hammer hitting the gavel when a final price is reached, the word “Sold” serving as an exclamation mark to the end of the transaction, and one-by-one—as this sequence repeats itself--a herd of dairy cattle is dispersed.

   That was the scene on Friday, April 22, at the Kingsley Farms, located at the corner of Nicholson and Mohrle Roads in Conway Township, northwest of Fowlerville.

Long-Ago Sunday Afternoons in the Summer

Originally posted on Facebook on April 12--The past two afternoons I had journalistic duties beyond the comfort zone of Fowlerville; ones that required me to drive around for a couple of hours. To keep myself company, I tuned the radio. But instead of hearing music from the Oldies station or getting educated on NPR, I found a station broadcasting the Tigers’ games.

A Storm Approaches, But Afterwards There Is Light

  Originally posted on Facebook on March 31--As I look out the window of my room at this dwindling day, March is ending with an eerie western sky. The sound of thunder and the flash of lightning draw near. I’ve just recently checked out the news of the day on my computer, addict that I am. Politics dominate the headlines, mainly the Trumpster. I think fatigue is setting in. I feel lethargic. The senses can only stand so much assault.

Tracing the Family History

    Genealogy is a fascination for many people. Starting with the three most important people—me, myself and I--the researcher starts tracing his or her tiny branch back to ever larger offshoots with the goal of finding their roots. But, of course, there are a lot of branches to follow in this pursuit when you start factoring in the paternal and maternal sides of the equation. Two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents—all of the related kin--and pretty soon it seems that everyone’s a shirttail relation. Like the chronologies in the Old Testament, there’s a lot of begetting.

Return of Spring

     (Note: This column appeared in the May-June 1990 issue of Hortons’ Country Reader, a magazine that we published for a couple of years.)

* * *

    As I begin this piece I’m sitting in my backyard, just outside the sliding glass door. It’s seven o’clock in the morning, and the warm weather has been with us, here in Michigan, for a few days now. 

History: Some Points to Ponder

     “History is not made only by kings and parliaments, presidents, wars, and generals. It is the story of people, of their love, honor, faith, hope and suffering; of birth and death, of hunger, thirst and cold, of loneliness and sorrow.”— Louis L’Amour.

* * *

    “What is history but a fable agreed upon?”                             

                                                             --Napoleon Bonaparte

* * *

On Becoming “Slightly” Addicted to Facebook

    A confession.

  

  I’ve become “slightly” addicted to Facebook. A few years ago, long after the young folks had discovered and embraced this new form of social media and after a number of older, more hip, computer-savvy users had realized this platform offered a great way to share photos and otherwise keep up with distant family and friends, I wandered in and set up an account.

A Few Thoughts on the Michigan Presidential Primary

   I don’t consider myself particularly qualified to be a political pundit, mainly because I get most of my information the same way the rest of the public does—reading newspapers, watching news on TV, and listening to interview shows on the radio. However, the guys and gals who are regarded as knowledgeable in this field, who earn the big bucks offering their learned prognostications for public consumption, haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire.

  Conventional wisdom, it seems, has been taking its lumps.

The Presidential Campaign: What Say I?

It All Happened So Fast Back Then—Part 1

    It all happened so fast back then. The National Socialist German Workers Party, led by Adolf Hitler, had been barely a blimp on the radar screen of German politics during the 1920s. But with the arrival of the Great Depression, with millions out-of-work, with the democratic Weimar Republic viewed as weak and chaotic, with many conservatives worried the Communists might gain control as they had in neighboring Russia, and with the defeat in World War I and the reparation payments to the victorious allies still a bitter pill being swallowed, the Nazis gained traction.