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Family Ties/ThursdayDoors

If you’ll excuse me this Thursday Doors while I spend some time going down memory lane, I’d sure be appreciative. You see, the photos I’m sharing this week are a little over 21 years old. And they connect some dots for one young lady who I’m extremely proud of today. This journey began back when my grandmother, Inez, began her job as a one-room school house teacher in Iowa. New Hope School was pretty lucky to have her as a teacher. Not just because she’s my grandmother, but because you will never meet such a kind, patient human. She didn’t know then that she would be an inspiration as an educated woman to her great granddaughter who was to come into this world 82 years later. (I sure wish they would have met.) And today, we mark another milestone for her…..Rachel has just obtained her Ph.D at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

The photos I have for you are of a family trip we took in 2000 to Winterset, Iowa–some doors included. It had been mentioned to me that my grandmother was driven over Rosemann Bridge by her dad on her way to teach. I know I took time to seek out this bridge. The school is gone now and so many other landmarks, but we have the memories of this little vacation that I had no idea was such a big deal in our future. Rachel dedicated her dissertation today to her great grandma. Yes, tears alert. Anyway, I hope you will take a peek at today’s trip down some old dirt roads in Madison County, Iowa.

  • Rachel at the Rosemann Bridge
  • Rosemann Bridge
  • Rachel & Kirsten
  • John Wayne’s birthplace–& grandma’s–Winterset, Iowa
  • Monument for first pioneers
  • memorial plaque
  • Age 7
  • Dissertation is complete
  • Just before The Defense
  • My Loves, Imes Bridge, Madison County, Iowa April 2000

Thanks to Dan over at No Facilities for letting me enter this ‘door’ connecting the past and present on this momentous occasion. Please visit his place for more wonderful doors from around the world.

19 comments

  2. This is a wonderful story. I love the way people influence us as we are growing up, and they may not even know they’re doing it. They are just living the life they always lived. Thank you so much for sharing this story as part of Thursday Doors. Congratulations to Rachael, that is quite an accomplishment, and a wonderful tribute to dedicate her dissertation to her great grandmother.

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  3. A trip down memory lane for me too. I used to live in Dallas county Iowa, which was the county just north. I am planning a trip home in the next year and look forward to seeing the covered bridges and quilt museum in Winterset!

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    • I will be checking out your new place tomorrow. End of the day for me here. Thank you for the congrats and I’ll be happy to pass these on 😊 she has her degree in Political Science and is now professor at Bethany College. We are sure proud parents!

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  7. I must have missed this Thursday Doors. I love the family photo on the bridge. Congratulations to your daughter and what an inspiration she had in her great grandma. I didn’t know John Wayne was born there, I met him in my teens when he came to Dublin. He was so tall and I got to kiss him on the cheek.

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