Category Archives: Uncategorized

I was in the attic this morning, searching for a drawing I made in 1964. I didn’t find the drawing but I discovered several long-lost items including two scrapbooks, a large framed family portrait, and a functional paper cutter. I hauled the items … Continue reading →

From 1946 to 1950, my family lived in an apartment on the third floor of Flora Cramer’s house on Main Street in Morrisville, N.Y. The house was reportedly the first frame house built in Morrisville, whatever that means, and the … Continue reading →

Grandma Patience was real, and she really had a daughter named Desire. She also showed her droll wit (and spelling flexibility) in naming her other children: Wata Jencks Veltman, Sally Jencks Hogeboom, Hannah Jencks French, James Jencks Jr, Elmore Jenks, … Continue reading →

[Reprinted from Senior Correspondent.] By Philip E. Jenks “War,” said Martha Gellhorn, “happens to people, one by one. That is really all I have to say.” In two sentences, Gellhorn captured the essence of war reporting. No matter how graphic … Continue reading →

Millions have their memories. As President Obama escalates the newest war in the Persian Gulf, the question is whether remembering September 11, 2001 eases the pain and makes sense out of all that has happened since. Martha and I had just settled … Continue reading →

August 9, 2014 – I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was forty years ago today when President Nixon resigned. I was vacationing at my parents’ home on Route 20 West in Morrisville, N.Y., watching his speech the … Continue reading →

[Adapted from an article I wrote a few years ago for the National Council of Churches.] The way Harry Truman saw it in August 1945, there was a sickening possibility that the Second World War would end in a historic … Continue reading →

If you remember moderate Republicans, you also remember green stamps and dial telephones. In the sixties, some Republicans even leaned into the liberal column. They included Mark Hatfield of Oregon, Jacob Javits of New York, and – for a period … Continue reading →