A Late Holiday Greeting

Thanks to those from whom I got cards. Once again, it’s well past the holiday, and here I am – finally – with a little Christmas missive; even now I’ve not gotten around to mailing it. Still, I hope it finds every one of you in good health and in the successful pursuit of happiness the founders intended.

Christmas Greetings,

It’s been a year of consolidation and completion. I’ve traveled less while continuing to cover North American sports car racing; for the first time since 1997, I wasn’t at Sebring for the 12 Hours. I was in Monterey in May; that race will return to the fall schedule next season. In August I again visited Kelly and Phyllis Wechsler the weekend of a race at Road America; this year we were joined by some of the guys – including son Ashley – who a few times made the annual winter trek to Daytona for the Sunbank – since renamed Rolex - 24.

In June - for the first time - I attended the annual reunion of the 1st Cavalry Division in Bloomington, Minnesota. Nearly forty-two years later I again saw a few I knew then, and many more with shared experiences. It was a treat to have daughter Heather attend the banquet with me. I'll try to get to the 2011 event at Killeen, Texas (Fort Hood).

Instead of the summer race at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, I spent time with Courtney, Dave and Olivia in New York, where Courtney is Assistant Professor of History at West Point, and Dave recently moved from the Center for Enhanced Performance to the Academy’s Dean’s Office. Both Majors, this the third of a three year assignment. In the new year, Courtney will be deployed – not certain where – while for Dave a military education assignment to the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas is likely. Olivia – she was one year old in August – will be with her Dad, who will be keeping a student’s schedule.

Ashley, lately managing a downtown Chicago book store, just recently took a new job as a research editor for a magazine publishing company in Chicago. Along with his sisters, he and GF Lindsey spent Thanksgiving with Nancy in Proctor.

Heather completed her coursework at William Mitchell College of Law this December; during her matriculation, she was on Law Review, National Moot Court competition, was research assistant for a Wm. Mitchell professor, worked for a housing advocacy legal organization, and for a federal judge in an “externship.”

Heather receives here Juris Doctor cum laude in January. Then it’s the bar exam, and in April she begins work for law firm Hanft Fride in Duluth, for whom she interned this past summer.

I’ve been kept busy with writing, including two on-going projects that I’m not ready to talk about. Mom is 96; all-in-all doing well.