Update on DBR lifer "Jarhead" & a note on Duke's longtime "Czar of Housing"

[Son of Jarhead]

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.

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!)

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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.

[devildeac]

Thanks for sharing! We have many fond memories of you and your Dad tailgating with us in the Blue Zone and then on Devil's Alley. Best regards to him!

[DukieInKansas]

Thanks for the update on your Dad. Write down those stories - I sure wish we had written down more of our parents' stories.

I'm sorry for your loss. It doesn't matter how long a life a good mother has - it is never long enough. May your memories help you through this time.

[Indoor66]

Thank you for the update. I have missed your dad. Glad all is about well. Semper Fi

[OldPhiKap]

Thanks for the update, and best wishes for your whole family.

[moonpie23]

Semper Fi to your dad from the son of another Marine (passed)


thanks for the update...

[weezie]

Wonderful update. Sending massive hugs to your Dad and Mrs. Jarhead.

God bless your mom, too! Tell her we know there's a Devil in heaven!

[PackMan97]

This is why I love the internet. Thanks for sharing! Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

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.

I have no idea what resources you have... is getting them a mobile 4G hotspot that would allow them to bypass the wifi all together and run on the cell network? or maybe an iPad or Surface with a built-in cellular service? Just thinking outside of the box if connectivity is important to them. Obviously cost and monthly maintenance would be an i$$ue.

[Son of Jarhead]

I have no idea what resources you have... is getting them a mobile 4G hotspot that would allow them to bypass the wifi all together and run on the cell network? or maybe an iPad or Surface with a built-in cellular service? Just thinking outside of the box if connectivity is important to them. Obviously cost and monthly maintenance would be an i$$ue.

I like the outside the box thinking... Cell service isn't very good there either. I was able to use my phone as a hotspot but only in certain spots in the home. We didn't know about their connectivity issue until Father's Day, but my sibs & I are trying to help them with this, but as you point out, in a way that doesn't cost too much and that wouldn't be too much of a burden to keep going. I'm the closest to him, but an hour-n-half drive each way is a little far for tech support.

[weezie]

I know nothing but my son told us to get Orbis at Costco and they were a big improvement out here in the boonies.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Please say hi to your dad for me and pass along my best wishes. We miss y’all at tailgate. Sorry for your loss.

LGD GTHc!

[Jeffrey]

This is one of my all-time favorite DBR threads! Thanks for posting it and all my best to you & your family!

[TruBlu]

Dittos to what DiK said above about writing down those stories. I wish I had done more of that. Also, record those stories on a tape. I wish I did. It is a real pleasure to be able to hear the stories in their own voice.

Best wishes to your family. I always enjoyed reading his posts, and look forward to seeing more of them, if you can get that pesky internet thingy worked out.

[sagegrouse]

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.

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!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

My condolences to you on the loss of your Mom. I remember well when Ted and Barbara chaperoned our fraternity parties. She at the time was the assistant to Bob Cox (the first), the Dean of Men.

Best wishes to Jarhead. I enjoyed our on-line conversations.

[Indoor66]

I chaperoned frat parties in the 60's and she was the boss. Good times.

[Son of Jarhead]

My condolences to you on the loss of your Mom. I remember well when Ted and Barbara chaperoned our fraternity parties. She at the time was the assistant to Bob Cox (the first), the Dean of Men.

Best wishes to Jarhead. I enjoyed our on-line conversations.

Thanks, Sagegrouse. My mom told me that they used to do the chaperoning, but I'd love to hear more about it.

She worked for Bob Cox for years, though she always called him Robert. One of my brothers was named after him and he was godfather to me and all my sibs. A favorite story she often told was that Dean Robert Cox wanted to promote her into a new position to handle housing assignments (she had been his secretary). At first, Human Resources, said no, saying that "a job like that was better suited to a man, and besides, she didn't have the education". To that last part, Dean Robert Cox went to HR and asked incredulously "Does a degree from Duke count!?" He got her the promotion. She did later work under Dean Richard Cox, who was not related to Robert. Rich did a reading at mom's memorial service. She loved her Duke family, the many friends she made in 47 years work years, and many came to her memorial service, sharing some great stories with us.

[Son of Jarhead]

I chaperoned frat parties in the 60's and she was the boss. Good times.

I'd really love to hear more about that! In fact, if anybody knew my mom and can share anything (stories, info, pics, whatever) with me, I know my sibs and her grandkids would greatly appreciate it, as would I.

[bjornolf]

Thanks so much for the update, so sorry to hear about your mom.

[Indoor66]

I'd really love to hear more about that! In fact, if anybody knew my mom and can share anything (stories, info, pics, whatever) with me, I know my sibs and her grandkids would greatly appreciate it, as would I.

I'll never tell, except that we got paid $3.00 + a bottle of a favorite libation.

[Son of Jarhead]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who commented here or sent PM's to me. I am extremely grateful for the kind words and well wishes. This community is wonderful!

Thanks!
-Eric