Blog

Family Reunion

Posted August 3rd, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

I just returned from a family reunion. It was attended by people, old and young, who have been getting together for more than 30 years. I had never known any of them until we met this weekend at the Elliot School of International Studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  I was scheduled to […]

Founder’s Day

Posted July 10th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

I spent a lovely day yesterday at the Founder’s Day Street Fair in the town in which I live. I volunteered to man (?) the information booth for the local chamber of commerce. I figured this would be a good way to meet my neighbors and begin to assimilate into the local community. It was […]

My Daddy Is a Cool Dude

Posted July 5th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

In 1969, I was an 18 year old mother with a baby on my hip. Like every other parent, I was determined — in spite of the odds against me — to raise a child who was healthy, both physically and emotionally. I was determined to feed his body with healthy food and to nourish […]

The Promised Land

Posted June 23rd, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

When I was a child, many of my friends were recent arrivals from the South whose families came north during “The Great Migration.” Those of us who were born in Chicago sometimes laughed at their funny accents and country ways. There were also many children who disappeared every summer. When school let out for vacation, […]

HOME

Posted June 12th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

Tom and I just arrived back in NY state after a grueling 22 day journey of  5,867 miles through 21 states. I am SO HAPPY to be back to the place I call home these days. Upon arrival, I leapt out of my Jeep with joy! After making sure my key still fit in the […]

Know All Men By These Presents

Posted June 2nd, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

Sometime around 1811, Sylvester Dunn relocated from South Carolina to Amite County Mississippi. He was one of the very first settlers of the new American territory carved out of the Choctaw nation. The fact that Sylvester had the benefit of a free land patent and free labor surely contributed immeasurably to his success on the […]

BLOODLINES

Posted May 26th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

As we reached Alabama yesterday, our first stop was with family in Tallassee. It was my first chance to hug the newest members of the Morgan clan. Although Morgan is my married name and I have been divorced from Mr. Morgan for many years, I continue to consider my in-laws and their children as part […]

BACK TO AFRICA

Posted May 19th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

I just got back from the National Genealogical Society conference in Charleston, SC. I spent a week working the Coming to the Table exhibit booth. As the exhibit hall ebbed and flowed with people, there was quite a bit of down time; plenty of time for thought and reflection. One thing that really impressed me […]

Truth and Mercy Have Met

Posted April 25th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

I just spent an amazing week attending a STAR seminar at Eastern Mennonite University. Tom DeWolf, who is a STAR alumnus, recommended that I attend. He thought it would be useful to our book writing process. He was definitely right about that! The STAR acronym stands for “Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience.” The one-week, […]

The American Shoah

Posted March 28th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf

Shoah is the Hebrew word for “calamity.” It is generally used to describe the holocaust that occurred in Europe during World War II as Adolph Hitler led the extermination of millions of Jews, Gypsies, African Germans, homosexuals and disabled people. There is no doubt that this was one of history’s most horrific events. But there […]