Memoirs & Biographies

Mondegreens—the mishearing of words and phrases in verse and song—have featured prominently in many people's lives. In this article I recount a few (hopefully) humorous memories of mondegreens from my early adolescent years.

Paul lived in Alpha Chi Sigma professional chemistry college fraternity chapter houses in the 1960s and 1970s. This article recalls his residence at the Alpha chapter in Madison, Wisconsin, Alpha Beta chapter in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a brief stay at the Sigma house in Berkeley, California.

Moncofa (or Moncófar) is a beautiful coastal town in the northeast of Spain. Behind and beneath its beauty, though, lies a dark and painful past.

I did a 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 2018. This is part 12 of a 12 part series that describes all the experiences I had on the road as well as in Tiruvannamalai.

I did a 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 2018. This is part 11 of a 12 part series that describes all the experiences I had on the road as well as in Tiruvannamalai.

I did a 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 2018. This is part 8 of a 12 part series that describes all the experiences I had on the road as well as in Tiruvannamalai.

I did a 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 2018. This is part 7 of a 12 part series that describes all the experiences I had on the road as well as in Tiruvannamalai.

I did a 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 2018. This is part 6 of a 12 part series that describes all the experiences I had on the road as well as in Tiruvannamalai.

I did a 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 2018. This is part 5 of a 12 part series that describes all the experiences I had on the road as well as in Tiruvannamalai.

I did a 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Ramana Maharishi's ashram in Tiruvannamalai in 2018. This is part 4 of a 12 part series that describes all the experiences I had on the road as well as in Tiruvannamalai.

The summers were carefree and seemingly everlasting until the year the four girls were killed in Birmingham Alabama by a vicious bomber. My summers and my life was never the same.

Constance Jo or Connie is my youngest sister and sibling. Although there is a big age difference between us, Connie has played a big part in my life. In this article, I recall my best memories of Connie from childhood up until the present.

Christmas during the pandemic: Even Santa needs to take precautions. Can Old Saint Nick deliver in an era of social distancing and masks? One in a series of articles for a collection called "Diary of a Virus".

A Mother's Day reflection of our sweet mother who is loosening the grip that tethers her as our earthly umbrella of protection. Oh, my sweet Mama, hold tight to your umbrella for a wee bit longer. But when it is time for our Mary Poppins to fly, enjoy that flight back home!

Beatrice who is three years younger is my eldest sister. In this article, I first recall my memories of Bea when we lived in the city 1947-53. I then remember Bea when we were growing up on farms 1954-66. Finally, I reflect on my relationship with Bea and her family from 1971 through the present.

Kick the Can is an outside game for children and incorporates running, hide and seek, and tag. It was a game my siblings and I played each summer as long as the weather would permit. Is it a lost game or one that children are still playing?

A story of two beings finding each other and healing together.

To understand what it felt like as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic unfolded and what life was like during the pandemic, I am providing my own firsthand account of what the pandemic felt like to me as this rare and unsettling event enveloped the world and affected my life.

This is a brief autobiography of my childhood and how I started school

This article recalls significant birthday celebrations. Highlighted are my 46th birthday bash in Taiwan, my 50th birthday in Philadelphia, and my 66th birthday party in Thailand. My birthday celebrations with family members are also described.

Heartaches caused by losing my mom has never been easy.

My dad hated his first name. In this, I explore names and dad's solution to living with his name as well and many others.

This is a true story about finding Spanish treasure in the Bahamas.

This is part one of a true story about hunting for Spanish treasure and salvage diving in the Bahamas.

My father was a practical joker and loved to pull pranks on us and others. This is one of my favorite stories he told about a practical joke he pulled on his mother-in-law.

Denis Lennon and Mary Mullin were a young couple from Ireland. They both died when the Titanic sank in 1912. They were third class passengers and had pretended to be brother and sister, using the names Denis and Mary Lennon on their ticket.

My dad told many funny stories from his childhood and some of my favorite ones were about his problems with his brother. Here are two stories for your amusement.

I feel like this is the ending of an era as I lose yet another member of this beloved family and a sense of home. Yet, while I am sustained by our shared 40+ year history of precious memories, my heart still aches with the passing of these two matriarchs.

Here is a story about how I found treasure in the Bahamas when I lived aboard my small sailboat there.

My mother was a strict observer of the 8 or 8:30 bedtime even in the summer when the sun was still up at that time. This is a story about how dad helped up sneak a little late night TV.

Life goes on until it doesn't. When we least expect it, things change and it's never the same again. This is dedicated to my friend, Paula, the most generous person I ever knew.

A funny story my dad used to tell was about how he would pilfer a coke from the gas station as a teenager. This is how he got caught and cured of stealing.

As a child, I was fortunate enough to watch a sea turtle lay her eggs in the warm sand of a beach on the East Coast of Malaysia.

Two descendants of the noted North Carolina Gaston family were killed at the Battle of Antietam. This is the story of one of them -- Lt. Hugh Jones Gaston, CSA, 48th North Carolina Regiment.

From southern Indiana, my father told us many funny stories. My father told this one about how he deserved and got a "lickin'" from his father.

Among the funny stories that my dad told, what how to ditch your little brother so you could have fun with your buddies. My dad was raised in rural southern Indiana.

I have one brother 13 years younger than me. When Philip was young, I never got to know him. Since 1971, however, we have started to interact as brothers. This article remembers the best times in my life with Philip.

Remembering my father, Mohsen Elattar

I attended Burlington High School in Wisconsin in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This article recalls my classes, classmates, teachers, and friends during my freshman year. I also remember being on the football team and other school activities

Do you have objects passed down to you from parents or other family? What memories do they hold? There is so much history buried in an object, so many tangible memories. These objects were my father's; for me, they evoke feelings of pride, protection and humour. I invite you to take a peek.

A son and a dad build a robot for school; hidden skills and using unusual materials help build a robot whose "eye" is a flashlight bulb, and becomes the animated mouth of a robot puppet. An excellent activity for parents wishing to teach their children about, art, science fiction and engineering.

A patchwork cushion is often created from off-cuts of all sorts of fabrics. Come with me on a historical journey as we look at such a cushion made by my mother, and the memories it recalls.

2020 was a year. Painful, full of problems we have never encountered. We also lost a great deal of famous people during the year, but who was the most influential? Who was it that did something that touched the most lives, did the most for the masses? Here are my thoughts on my choice.