Columnists

Tomorrow marks a bittersweet day for thousands of people. National Survivors of Suicide Day – the day meant for those left behind in the wake of a loved one’s suicide – stirs up painful emotions for me of my father’s suicide six-and-a-half years ago.

Editor’s note: Donald W. Whisenhunt is an emeritus professor of history at Western Washington University. He is lecturing for several weeks at Nanking University in China and will share his experiences in this column.

I have some friends who have a love affair with the stage.

In connection with the release of the movie “Amelia,” there is a renewal of speculation as to what happened to the famous aviatrix in July 1937, when her plane disappeared in the mid-Pacific as she was attempting to be the first female pilot to circle the globe.

I couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old when our parents bought our first color TV. I have sketchy memories of this, but from the photos I’ve seen, the TV was small, one of those classic 1980s sets that sat on an equally '80s TV stand in our living room.

I don’t know much about soccer, which is slightly odd considering I’ve been dragged to more games than I care to remember.

When do “the holidays” officially begin? Do they start the moment trick-or-treating stops? It increasingly seems that way as, a week or so into November, more and more of the airwaves are taken up with Christmas messages.

With tomorrow being Veterans Day, I thought it appropriate to share this story as reported in the Daily Chronicle over a 50-year period.

Honeywell: Arguably, my favorite day of the year is the one during which we turn the clocks back an hour for that extra bit of time. I look forward to turning my clock back every year from the day I turn them forward until that day arrives. It’s not so much the extra hour of time that I want, but the next couple of days or weeks that make everything feel later than it really is.

Editor’s note: Donald W. Whisenhunt is an emeritus professor of history at Western Washington University. He is lecturing for several weeks at Nanking University in China and will share his experiences in this column.

I’m a unique person. I march to the beat of my own drum. Even though I no longer dress up in an awesome costume for Halloween, it didn’t stop me from thinking about some out-of-the-box ideas. And, as in my unique nature, all these lovely ladies are fictional – and amazing feminists.

Maher: I had a family wedding to attend this weekend. I love weddings – adore them, actually. I just think weddings are fun – the touching ceremony, the music, the dancing, the mingling with friends and family. It’s a good thing, considering the lengths we went to in order to attend this recent joining of two.

Honeywell: There’s plenty of conventional wisdom the breaks down the human race into two kinds of people. For the most part, I follow the idea of author Tom Robbins who once wrote that there are two kinds of people in the world – those who classify others into two types and those who are smart enough to know better. Still and all, just as there are Cubs fans and Sox fans, I think the world does break down into two distinct factions: coffee drinkers and tea drinkers. And, just as you can claim to be both Sox fan and Cub fan, you can claim to like both drinks. If you do, though, most people will talk about you behind your back.

Schrader: Some people think only of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival come October, but the Sycamore History Museum and DeKalb Township decided it was time for cemetery walks. Despite the autumn chill recent tours have been conducted at Elmwood in Sycamore, then Oakwood and Evergreen cemeteries in DeKalb.

Blake: Exactly two weeks ago, my mother, as only she could from a post-op surgical bed at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, taught me one of those great life lessons: The joy and sheer satisfaction that comes from practicing preventative medicine. In her case, it was preventative medicine times three.

My parents left for an alumni event at Eastern Illinois University this past weekend and when asked to “hold the fort down” for the day and a half they would be gone, I happily obliged. I now have a whole lot more appreciation for my mom. A whole lot more.