Month: August 2011

A Most Prized Possession

On By scottpetersenIn GenealogyLeave a comment

Even though I have autographs of my boyhood idol Hank Sauer (see August 2 post), I do have one possession that ranks even higher.  It is a handwritten diary of my great grandfather, Peter Larsen.  The journal is a veritable fountain of genealogical information about my father’s mother’s (Ellen’s) family.  It opens in the 1880’s in Denmark, goes through 1912 when Peter Larsen died and continues through 1922 – with the later entries in the hand of Peter’s daughter.  One entry is especially memorable:  Torsdag den 15 Marhs fik Ellen en lille Dreng son idanchen fik naunch:  Peter Vilhelm Petersen.   It is an entry announcing (in Danish) the birth of my father on March 15, 1913. 

I recently had the diary translated and I sent copies to family on my father’s side – who I have not seen or heard from in decades.  It has prompted a happy reunion and renewed sense of family.   

What do we value above all else?   Family – to be sure.  But those physical items that one has?   “Things.”  If the need ever arose, I’m not sure there is much in my house that I would want to take save for Donna, Daisy and this old diary.  It makes one think about the things that are truly important.   

 

How high can you jump?

On By scottpetersenIn Fosbury flop, MotivationLeave a comment

I have the aerodynamics of a sofa.  “How high can you jump?” never resonated with me since the answer was never one I wished to share (“I can barely get off the ground“). 

In the 1900 Olympics, no high jumper could hope to succeed unless he did the scissors kick to launch himself over the high bar.  It was thought no one would ever jump higher – that is until 1920 when the track and field world was stunned by a high jumper who dove over the bar.  This added nearly two feet to the world’s record.  It was thought that no one would ever jump higher – that is until 1968 when a young man from Oregon revolutionized high jumping at the Mexico City Olympics by going over the bar backwards!  Today, as a high jumper if you cannot master the “Fosbury flop,”  you may as well take your gym bag and go home.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_jump 

So how high can you jump?  What do you do to challenge yourself?  Improve yourself?  Motivate yourself – and others?  What goals do you set?  And reach?  I like to think that the sky is the limit.  W.N. Murray who was on the Scottish Himalayan Expedition said “Whatever you can do or dream you can. . . begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” 

Chicago Lights Tutoring – Part II

On By scottpetersenIn Chicago Lights Tutoring, TutoringLeave a comment

In my post yesterday, I talked about my experience with Chicago Lights Tutoring (www.chicagolights.org).  I would like to add a “page 2.” 

Plato in his classic work The Republic said “the direction in which education starts a person will determine their future life.”   Chicago Lights works diligently with students from the earliest grades through high school and is making a significant difference in the lives of thousands of young people.  There are few more fitting legacies – for each one of us – than to quietly inspire the education of young people and to foster an appreciation for learning.  W.B. Yeats once said “Education is not a pail to fill but a fire to light. . . .”  If any reader is interested in lighting some educational fires, check out local tutoring opportunities or – if you are in Chicago – check out Chicago Lights.  You will not be disappointed.

Chicago Lights Tutoring

On By scottpetersenIn Chicago Lights TutoringLeave a comment

The Chicago Lights Tutoring Program (www.chicagolights.org)  is a non-profit community outreach organization that fosters education and literacy among underprivileged children.  It is sponsored by the Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  Each week, hundreds of students are tutored one on one by hundreds of dedicated volunteer tutors.  

For the last few years, I have volunteered as a tutor each Wednesday during the school year.   I have found it to be an extremely efficient and effective educational experience for these young people (and very rewarding for the tutors).  One of the things I have done to help inspire my students to read is to write plays – where the student not only performs but is the star of the play.  My student Jordan for example will be the chef of a great restaurant, the pilot of a Boeing 737, a news anchor on NBC, or a doctor who sees ailing patients.  It has been fun and inspiring.  I have attached a few examples of plays (I have marked them “Generic” as actual names of students are not used).  If you have any new ideas for play topics – or tutoring, let me know!   

Generic – WGN Talk  

Generic – This is Your Captain    

Generic – Farfalle

Genome Project

On By scottpetersenIn Genome ProjectLeave a comment

A few years ago, National Geographic Magazine began a study of mitochondrial DNA lines. Mitochondrial DNA is a genetic component traceable through females only with only one mutation every 10,000 years or so. This has nothing to do with genealogy — only the mitochondrial derivation and movement of one’s maternal (mother’s mother’s mother’s etc.) ancestors going back 10,000 to 30,000 years.

Last Christmas, Donna and Lauren gave me a National Geographic genomic kit to study my “roots.”   A few months ago, I chose to trace the genomic origins on my mother’s side.   I vigorously attacked the inside of my cheek with a scraper for about a minute (twice – 8 hours apart) and sent the swabs to National Geographic’s genomic project.   A few weeks ago, I got the results.   Wow!!  My mother’s ancestral line began perhaps 30,000 years ago in East Africa. We are in a subgroup called “Haplogroup K.”   This group migrated from Africa – through the Middle East – and ended up in Central Europe.   One very small line ended up in Sweden.    It is interesting that more than one third of all Ashkenazi Jews (in Central Europe) are of Haplogroup K.   If you would like to look further into this fascinating project, the link to the web site is as follows: http://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic.    The kits cost about $120.00 (which includes the analysis).   You might also Google this genetic study since there are numerous articles about it.

Search the Internet like a Pro

On By scottpetersenIn Internet SearchingLeave a comment

Do you want to kick your internet searching into high gear?  As a lawyer, I’m doing searching throughout the day.  For me Google is the search engine of choice.  There are two tips I use:

1.  Quotation Marks — Whenever you have two words or more – and you’re searching only for that nexus of words – put them within quotation marks.  Searching for Scott W. Petersen will give you 2 million hits (you get all the “Scott Jones” “Oliver Petersen” etc.).  But putting the three elements within quotation marks (“Scott W. Petersen”) will give you only records where they appear together.

2.  The Plus (+) Sign — You know a lawyer named “Petersen” and he’s a lawyer with “Holland” something or other in Chicago, just enter +petersen +lawyer +holland +chicago and you will see only records where those four elements appear together.  You can search for old friends, addresses, phone numbers, random events, genealogy records. . .  just about anything.   

Thus if I am searching for the Petersen family in Copenhagen, I can enter +”petersen family” +copenhagen.  If I have a medical condition and want to learn about treatment and support groups, I can enter +”acid reflux” +treatment +”support group” +diet and voila – a cornucopia of helpful web sites (each containing the key elements/words) appears.

Knowledgeable and creative searching brings solid results and saves hours of time!

Edward Everett Hale

On By scottpetersenIn Edward Everett HaleLeave a comment

As you might gather from my posting about Hank Sauer, I am an autograph collector.  Over the years, I have collected perhaps 300 to 400  original letters  and signed first editions of the noted author and theologian Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909).    How I started collecting Hale’s original letters is a story in itself.  Suffice to say, it has been an interesting ride. 

From 1901 to 1909, Hale was the Chaplain of the United States Senate.   When the Reverend Hale was chaplain of the U.S. Senate, he was asked if he prayed for the Senators.  “No,” he said. “I look at the Senators and I pray for the country.”  Living through these last few weeks suggests that we might all profit by similar petitions. . . .

Hank Sauer

On By scottpetersenIn Hank SauerLeave a comment

My favorite baseball player as a kid was Hank Sauer – right fielder for the hapless Chicago Cubs.  I tried – desperately – to get his autograph when my dad would take me to Wrigley Field but the most I ever got was eye contact.  I was screaming at him “Hank!  Hank!  Mister Sauer!”  He looked me in the eye like I was a 9 year old lunatic. 

A few years ago, I wrote an article talking about Hank and how I never was able to get his autograph.  Someone read the article and sent me a note that Hank was living in Southern California.   The address was included.  Sooooo, I sent him a letter – including a copy of the article and talking about how I was his best fan in the world.  A few weeks later, I arrived at my office one morning and there was a package on my desk.  In the corner was a return address sticker shaped like a baseball.   Between the stitching, it said “Hank Sauer.”  My eyes filled with tears and I opened the package.  Inside was a large album full of original pictures of Hank, original baseball cards and. . . . several autographs – “To Scott – my best Chicago fan.”   

Hank passed away 10 years ago this month.  But I will always relish the fact that I “hit the high note” in my autograph collecting career.  I got Hank Sauer.