A couple DBR posters, -jk & Jim3k, reached out to me to see how my dad, Jarhead (aka. Ted), is doing since he hasn't posted in a while. I know he is one of the oldest DBR posters, both in age (he's 89!) and in the number of years he's been posting (he joined the group shortly after it was started). So, at Jim's request, here is an update on my pops:
At 89, dad's memory isn't quite what it used to be (who's would be with 89 years of memories!?), but he's still one of the smartest people I've ever met. On Father's Day, he enjoyed sharing stories with his grandkids. Some they'd heard before, and he left out a few details in some, but we all enjoyed them. We never get tired of his stories about his childhood in Brooklyn, his adolescent years in Alexandria, his 26 years in the USMC, his time at Duke... all great stories!
He had back surgery a little over a year ago, and while the recovery was hard (especially the aftereffects of the anesthesia), he is standing tall again and looking more like his old Marine self!! Ok, well... not as tall as he used to, he's shrunk. :D
He hasn't posted lately, but he does still read occasionally. His biggest issues seem to be 1) he got a new computer and despite spending most of his working days in computers he just can't seem to get it set up the way he wants to and it frustrates him so he doesn't use it as much as he used to, and 2) the wifi in his retirement community has been... well, it sucks, and he & Mrs. Jarhead (aka. Velma) have complained numerous times, but the management company hasn't resolved the issue yet, so even when he might want to get on, he simply can't.
All in all, Pops is doing quite well for 89. He's one tough old Jarhead!! He still hits the gym every week, which really helped in the physical part of his recovery from that back surgery. And he still cheers on his beloved Blue Devils!! He & Velma watch every game together, high-fiving after every score! He hasn't made it to a football game in a couple years, the walking and stairs are just too much, as are the potential hot/cold extremes in temps. If anybody ever has a ticket in one of those fancy climate controlled boxes and wants to take an old Marine with them, I'm sure he'd be delighted. ;)
If anyone wants me to get him a message, feel free to message me or post below and I'll make sure he sees it.
Love ya' Old Man!
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On another personal note... my mom, Barbara Perkins Buschman (Duke Class of '46), who Duke students from the 40's through 90's may well have known, passed away last month 8 days shy of her 94th birthday.
http://www.cremnc.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=2102853 She retired after 47 years at Duke in '93. She was Housing Coordinator, or as the students late on called her, "The Czar of Housing". They replaced her with 3 people and a computer system! No kidding! She went to basketball games at Cameron from her freshman year in'42 through this past season (76 years!), she knew personally the real Crash Davis and many a great basketball player from Dick Groat through to Grant Hill, and she was present to see every jersey retirement ever! I'm sure going to miss her!
A couple quick stories: 1) When mom was 80, she needed AAA surgery. She asked the surgeons "what is the recovery time for someone 80 years old?" They told her 3 months. She said "Well, you better schedule it before the middle of August because I don't want to miss any basketball games." They thought she was kidding. She wasn't. & 2) She and I went to the dedication of the basketball practice facility back in '08. Coach K gave a little speech that he ended by saying that he had to run but we could all go around and check out the facility. As he walked off the riser he had been standing on and spotted my mom through the crowd, he cut through right to her! He gave her a big hug, called her by name and asked her how retirement was treating her. Now, she had retired 15 years earlier and they hadn't seen each other at least since then, and really they barely ever interacted in the 13 years their tenures at Duke overlapped so she was quite surprised. I swear she smiled non-stop for weeks after that! (thanks Coach!):cool:
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Both my parents were charter Iron Duke members and Duke alumni, so I come by my fandom quite honestly. I've been truly blessed to have been able to attend games of many sports with both of them for 5+ decades. Thanks for indulging me as I show some parent love. :)