“Family Archaeologist” explores a century of family letters, diaries, and artifacts, and how they illuminate history and our shared humanity. To get an overview of the blog, click: “Welcome to Family Archaeologist”
LATEST BLOG POSTS
Martin Luther King Day, Metaphor & Music of a Movement
For Martin Luther King Day I want to celebrate the brilliance of his metaphor, the meaning of his words directly on my family's experience, and the music that powerfully fueled the Civil Rights Movement
Paul Gartz, 1946-2022
Paul Gartz, my brother, was a scientist, engineer educator, international lecturer and System of Systems engineer. He died October 28th, at age 76 at home in Seattle. 1946-2022
Valentine’s Day across the decades/century
An adorable 1942 Valentine card from Mom to Dad. She sets just the right tone to show interest, but not scare him away. Then a 1911 Valentine from Grandpa to his love, Lisi, 5,000 miles away.
My gift that keeps on giving
My gift to Chicago's Newberry Library will keep giving to researchers and anyone interested in Chicago history for generations to come.
Thankful: becoming the light
Gratitude and "becoming the light" this Thanksgiving
Memorial Day Memories—family archives donated to Newberry Library
This Memorial Day, I'm remembering not just my uncle, Lt. Frank Ebner Gartz, WWII B-17 navigator, but the memories of his service (300+ WWII letters to and from him, 1943-1945). Last week I donated those letters, along with 50+ bankers' boxes of memories, our family archives, to the Newberry Library. Here's how it came about.
Chauvin conviction a rarity. Chances for convicting a police officer of murder about 1 in 2,000.
Chauvin's conviction on three counts, two for murder and one for manslaughter, account for a 1 in 2000 chance that a police officer will be convicted. We must work and support truth-telling among police for African Americans to gain any real trust in policing.
Martin Luther King Day after George Floyd and Covid
I posted this essay last year on Martin Luther King Day. What I write about still stands today, but what a difference a year makes in our greater understanding of Black Lives Matter and the inequities wrought by the coronavirus.
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