TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2021 - IT CAN’T BE DONE - PART II

 TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2021 - IT CAN’T BE DONE - PART II

Continuing the “It Can’t be done” story at Dakota State.

So, the governor and legislature in South Dakota passed bill 1357 to make Dakota State College into an Information Systems University.  Citibank lent the college a President (Chuck Luke), faculty members went to the IBM training institute in Dallas Texas - and (somehow), I was appointed Acting Dean.

I did have some skills in information systems.  One Saturday after returning from the IBM school, Chuck Luke, Eric Johnson, Melanie Stopfer, myself and two Citibank executives met to make a curriculum.

For an Information Systems Major, we opted for:

Introduction to Programming 1 (PL/I)

Introduction to Programming 2 (PL/I)

Business Programming 1 (COBOL)

Business Programming 2 (COBOL)

Assembler Language

OS Interfaces and Utilities (JCL)

Systems Analysis and Design

Reasoning and Logic

Database Systems

Two Elective Information Systems Courses

Internship / Practicum

As mentioned before, the curriculum really was designed on paper napkins at the cafeteria (while we drank oodles of coffee) on a Saturday.  

BUT, we needed staff.  Some existing faculty members were going to be cut, particularly in the physical education and social sciences.  Existing programs would be phased out and the newer programs added.  Some existing faculty members opted for the training - in particular Tom Farrell, athletic director and coach or assistant coach of almost all of the sports at DSC over the years, and Lynette Molstad, faculty member in business education.  A music faculty member was also invited and was sent to the IBM training facility but that was not a good match for him or the institution.  Melanie Stopfer, the other main computing instructor, went to IBM for training, and IBM hired her, so we started the program with one lead instructor (me), some newbies (Tom and Lynette) and hired others to join us.  

Meanwhile on campus, the old Kennedy Hall had been hit by lightning and was considered unsafe by the state engineers.  That building was demolished and a new, one-level building called Kennedy Center was built.  As the acting dean I was on the committee that met with the architects and engineering team.  (Aside, I think the biggest action we were directly involved with was the color schemes for the men's and women's restrooms!!!) 

The campus reorganized the academic units to be: Business and Information Systems, Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education.  In the BIS program was the information systems program, business administration and the health information management programs (formerly medical records).  The first fall of the new curriculum saw Citibank paying for full scholarships for about eight full-time students. These were to be the best of the best - and it was absolutely true!!

Another faculty member from Math, Connie Daniel, moved over to BIS and eventually became “Connie COBOL”.  (She also worked for a year at Citibank).   

Being a mathematician at heart, I taught the PHIL 270 Reasoning and Logic class - with computer logic as the basis for a philosophy class!!! (Fun class).  

The rest of the campus was in a bit of a turmoil as programs were being phased out.  So, programs with the names: Biology for Information Systems, Math for Information Systems, Chemistry for Information Systems, and English for Information Systems were developed and added to the majors offered.  In 1985 a Federal Department of Education Grant was funded that allowed me to receive 1/3rd of my salary to go to the University of Nebraska to work on a PhD.  

So, for the 1985-1986 academic year, I was at the University of Nebraska taking graduate classes, serving as a graduate teaching assistant.  (No, I did not get rich that year).  I came home most weekends to see my family, and on Sunday afternoons drove the five hours back to Lincoln and my dormitory room and spent most nights in the lab or in the library.  I took a full load of courses, and by July 1986 was almost “all but dissertation”.  I had two independent study classes that I could do back in Madison, SD.  And, I was back full-time as Dean of a growing department.  At times I lost sight of the degree - there was work to do, people to hire, students to advise, and more.  But by the 1988-1989 academic year I did my original research on the topic of “Expert Systems for the Advisement of Undergraduate Business Majors”.  (I had learned that the longer the title on a dissertation, the better it looked!!!).  I had six groups - three (experiences, average and below average faculty advisors) who did not use the expert system I had programmed, and three that did use the expert systems.    As a good researcher, I did all the statistical analysis (and was so very happy that I had taken several statistics courses in my math major as an undergraduate and on the master’s level.

In December 1990, I received the Doctorate in Management Information Systems (technically a Doctorate in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems).  

Shortly thereafter I was promoted to Full Professor (I had started as an “Instructor”, and had been promoted to Associate when I became Dean, then Associate when I finished the PhD and then Full Professor about 1993 - so through all the ranks in ten years!!!  (I had an administration that wanted the dean to be a Full Professor and pushed me through as a special case!!!)

The Citibank students were hired at Citibank (as were many others).  Other companies in Sioux Falls hired our Information Systems graduates, as well as Schwan’s Enterprises in Marshall Minnesota, Federated Insurance in Owatonna Minnesota, and Mutual of Omaha in Omaha Nebraska.  

OUR EXPERIMENT WAS WORKING!

*****

Take-aways from today’s blog.  1) It takes a village.  There were some excellent people at Dakota State.  Lynette took over for me while I went off for my PhD work.  (She later got her doctorate degree).  2) Work with the experts to prepare what they want. The Citibank people knew the education they wanted of students and we worked with them to deliver it; 3) Get more education - Tom, Lynette, and Melanie continued to take IBM courses and really brought the “punch” to the program.  4) Don’t sit still (more on that tomorrow).  5) Keep the attitude and enthusiasm going!!!

Continued tomorrow!!!

LOVE WINS!!!

Karen

MONDAY, JULY 5, 2021 - IT CAN’T BE DONE!!

 MONDAY, JULY 5, 2021 - IT CAN’T BE DONE!!

Happy July 5th.  For those who work, you get this day off.  For retirees like me, I also get this day off!!  (And the rest of the week!!!  (and Month and Year!!!))

*****

Comment.  I like to write a daily blog.  (I think I NEED to write a daily blog - for my own personal benefit as well as for anyone that likes to read it).  But, sometimes my brain runs dry.  I don’t like repeating too much, or going too deep spiritually (I can, but I don’t think I should!!!)  Today’s and the next few days are about a historical event that shaped my life - and from the recent issue of the Dakota State Magazine -from Dakota State University.  The basic thought is “We did the impossible”.

*****

I had left high school teaching in August 1978.  I say God had given me the desires of my heart to be able to teach on the college level.  I was pretty low on the totem pole - “wet behind the ears”, “green”, a neophyte.  

I taught two years at my alma mater - Winona State University in Winona Minnesota.  During the first year, I was told if I could teach computing classes, I could have summer employment (and summer income).  That was needed.  So, I flexed my schedule as much as possible and took all the computing classes I could get - including the one class in COBOL (which was going to be my summer class).  I took advanced Fortran, an operating systems class, and more.  

I became kind of the “Business Computing” person in the Math and Computer Science Department.  On the math side, I taught Calculus for Business Majors, and then on the computing side Iaught COBOL - COmmon Business Oriented Language.  (My comment is that COBOL is one credit computing and two credits of typing is not far off - as the language is very wordy - “MULTIPLY HOURS-WORKED-IN BY RATE-IN-PAY-IN GIVING GROSS-PAY” is a lot longer than Gross=Hours * Rate!!!)

But, at the end of two years, I was out - I didn’t have a PhD, I could not be hired full-time - panic!!  My young family (Steve was four-years-old, and Becky was two), and I needed a job.  Yes, I looked in academia only.  (Thinking back, I could have embarked on a business computing career - but that wasn’t in my mind - I was an EDUCATOR!!!)

I took a teaching position at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon (outside of Portland) and on clear days could see Mount Hood - teaching computing.  I was also the coordinator for the academic computing system (not sure how I got that role - I guess my other computing colleague didn’t want it - so “tag, you’re it”).

I got into the role - this was now my career.  I learned, I made mistakes, I took training on the HP 3000 operating system.  During my second year, my father in Iowa had a mild heart attack, my wife was missing her Minnesota family - so I started looking at academic positions in the upper Midwest - that didn’t require a PhD.  

I found a position for a computer instructor at Dakota State College in Madison, South Dakota.  It was about 40 miles from Pipestone Minnesota (my wife wanted us as close to Minnesota as possible).  I was invited to campus for an interview with Dr. Ernie Teagarden - from the Business Insurance and Public Affairs department (BIPA).  The sticking point was that if they gave me a job offer and I refused the position, I would have to repay my travel expenses (flight, rental-car, hotel).   They offered me the job - about $5,000 a year less than what I was getting in Oregon - and I took it at $18,000 a year.  (Later I figured out, we were just about $500 over the line for reduced lunches in the K-12 schools)!!  Dr. Teagarden indicated that there was some idle talk about changing the mission of Dakota State to be more technology oriented, but it didn’t seem to be going anywhere.  

So - boom - I’m in South Dakota - teaching Fortran, COBOL, BASIC programming.  The pay difference wasn’t significant as the cost of living in Madison South Dakota was lower than in the Portland Oregon area.  

During my second year at Dakota State, the talk of changing the mission grew in intensity.  Dakota State had been “Dakota Normal College” for the teaching of K-12 educators - but in the 1980s technology was an important area.  Citibank had moved its information Systems and Processing to Sioux Falls - about 45 miles away - and wanted to hire students for their technology jobs.  South Dakota did not have a limit on what credit cards could charge for interest; but not all their staff in New York City wanted to move to the hinterlands!  There also were too many public higher education colleges in South Dakota.  

Eventually, House Bill 1357 was approved, Dakota State’s Mission was to be “information systems” oriented, the University of South Dakota satellite campus at Springfield was turned into a minimum security prison, and we were off!!!

With the most computing education of the staff, somehow I was asked to be the acting dean - at age 37.  Citibank loaned us an “executive in leave” to be our campus president; a small group met in the cafeteria on a Saturday and literally drafted an Information Systems curriculum on napkins!!  With a green light from the Governor’s office, and the Board of Regents, our mission was changed officially in 1984.  BOOM - we were off and running.  

Our new president had ties with IBM’s corporate training center in the Dallas Texas area. So, in January 1984, Eric Johnson and I attended a five week class in PL/I programming in Dallas.  (Hmmm - so South Dakota was getting winter - temperatures below zero, and Eric and I were in Texas.  Eric loved to play tennis and got to play frequently.

I, being a computer ‘expert’, excelled at the class (other than the day when I had a page break in the middle of a loop and the printer printed out about 45 blank pages before we stopped it!!!).  

How do you change an academic institution that quickly?  You get naïve people (me), who are gung-ho and willing to put in long hours.  You also get a lot of support from the unseen player (Citibank) trusting in our ability to make it work!!!  

“It can’t be done, but it was done”!!!  And, I became a man, a college dean, and my brain learned I was an achiever!!!

*****

So, what is YOUR take-away from today’s post?

Don’t let the naysayers get to you.  We didn’t know that we couldn’t create a curriculum on napkins - so we did it!!  We didn’t know you could change the mission of a college (institution) with some gung-ho players and hard work.

So, how about you?  Is there a mountain to climb that looks formidable? Go for it - but don’t go half-heartedly - buy-in to the project, live the project!!!  

“Nothing great was ever achieved with enthusiasm” one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

More in the next few days!!!

LOVE WINS!!!

Karen

SUNDAY FUNDAY JULY 4, 2021

 SUNDAY FUNDAY

JULY 4, 2021

WOW - a New Month!!!  Our seventh month of the year!!!  Do you know the second half of the years (months 7 through 12) are slightly longer than the first six months?  There are four months of 31 days (July, August, October, December) as compared to only three in the first half (January, March, and May) - plus February is two days shorter than any other month.  

And, we move into the (generally) hotter days of summer - July and August!!!

*****

From the Declaration of Independence: (edited)

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.   

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

*****

It is a world of difference today.  Those representatives that signed the Declaration rode horses (or maybe stagecoaches) to Philadelphia, to sit in the heat and discuss whether to declare independence or not.  

There were lots of reasons to seek independence - the governor of each colony was appointed by the King and really had to answer to the King.  Any legislative action had to go to England for approval (and back again - a minimum of 12 weeks - 3 months).

From 1763 to 1773, Britain’s King George III increasingly placed pressure on the colonies as he and the British Parliament enacted a succession of draconian taxes and laws on them. Excessive taxes on British luxury goods like tea and sugar were designed to benefit the British crown without any regard for the hardships of the colonists. By 1764, the phrase “Taxation without representation is tyranny” spread throughout the colonies as the rallying cry of outrage.

The more the colonists rebelled, the more King George doubled down with force. Imagine if enemy soldiers not only had the right to enter your home but the soldiers could demand that you feed and house them. The Quartering Act of 1765 allowed British soldiers to do just that.

The American Revolution set up other revolutions over the years - the various South American, Africian, far east colonies rebelled.  

And, a final comment on American History.  The following is from Washington’s Farewell Address:

“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism….In governments purely elective, [a spirit of party is] not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose; and there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.”

Alas, George Washington warned us about the “alternate domination of one faction over another” (aka - “Political Parties”).  Why can’t we get along!!

*****

July 1st - Canada Day

And, I have a story from when we lived in Connecticut.  We were driving from Grand Rapids, Michigan to our home in Hamden, Connecticut on Canada Day.  I’m trying to obey the Canadian traffic laws (and mentally changing miles per hour into kilometers per hour - and yes my speedometer did show it).  Then, we had a Canadian Mountie on our tail with flashing lights!!  OH NO!!  He was very personable and reminded us that it was Canadian Day and that there would probably be a lot of drunk drivers on the road and warned us to drive carefully.  (He even gave us a coupon for a discount at a Tim Horton’s at the next stop!!)

July 3rd - International Plastic Bag Free Day

Oh My!!!

From that link: “From birth to ban, the history of the plastic bag has impacted our world. In 1933, polyethylene, the most commonly used plastic, was created by accident at a chemical plant in Northwich, England. While polyethylene had been created in small batches before, this was the first synthesis of the material that was industrially practical, and it was initially used in secret by the British military during World War II.

“By 1965, the one-piece polyethylene shopping bag was patented by the Swedish company Celloplast. Designed by engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin, the plastic bag quickly began to replace cloth and plastic in Europe. After controlling 80 percent of the bag market in Europe, plastic bags went abroad and were widely introduced to the United States in 1979. Plastic companies began to aggressively market their product as superior to paper and reusable bags.

It wasn’t until 1997 that sailor and researcher Charles Moore discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest of several gyres in the world’s oceans where immense amounts of plastic waste have accumulated, threatening marine life. It was discovered that plastic bags are notorious for killing sea turtles, which mistakenly think they are jellyfish and eat them.”

I try to use my cloth bags, but I do admit I have way-too-many plastic bags.  I’ll have to try harder!!! 

July 5 - National Bikini Day

Hmmm - ladies - do you wear a bikini? I have a two-piece swimsuit - but I don’t think it counts as a bikini!!!

July 6 - National Fried Chicken Day

I like chicken, but I am partial to the chicken strips (fingers) rather than the traditional chicken with bones!!!  It seems that chicken is more abundant than beef or pork.  I make chicken in my crock pot frequently, and also make chicken fajitas.  And, there are a number of restaurants that specialize in chicken (fried or breaded or in strips or fingers - or as wings)

Also, July 6 - International Kissing Day

“No matter which type of kiss you prefer, International Kissing Day on July 6 is the perfect time of year to celebrate this simple but powerful gesture. From French kissing and a formal kiss on the cheek, to a kiss hello and a kiss goodbye — kissing is an age-old practice with significance that extends far beyond just romance.”  

Last week we had hugs and handshakes - this week kissing and bikinis!!!

*****

FOURTH OF JULY TRIVIA (ANSWERS AT BOTTOM)

What is commemorated on the Fourth of July?

What was the Declaration of Independence?  

What state first declared July 4th as a Holiday?

Which two future US Presidents signed the Declaration?

What two American Presidents died on July 4,1826?

Which American President was born on July 4, 1872?

How many times does the Liberty Bell Ring on July 4th?

Where is the Liberty Bell located?

Where is the original Declaration of Independence kept?

Who was the Oldest person to sign the Declaration of Independence?

How many women signed the Declaration of Independence?

How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?

In 2021, how many years since the Declaration of Independence?

The main hot dog eating contest on July 4th is held where?

Who is the reigning champion in the men’s division?

How many hot dogs did he eat in 2020?

Do the contestants have to eat the buns?

How long (in minutes) is the hot dog eating contest?

Who is the reigning women's champion in the hot dog eating contest? 

On the original flag, how many stripes and stars were there?

What happened when Vermont and Kentucky gained Statehood?

Who wrote the Star Spangled Banner?

Who wrote “It’s a Grand Old Flag”

Who Sang “God Bless the USA”?

Who was famous for singing “God Bless America”? 

What is Bruce Springsteen’s USA song?

*****

JOKES

1. How come there aren’t any knock-knock jokes about America?

Because freedom rings.

2. What kind of tea did the American colonists want?

Liber-tea.

3. What’s the difference between a duck and George Washington?

One has a bill on his face, and the other has his face on a bill.

4. What did the colonists wear to the Boston Tea Party?

Tea-shirts.

5. What was George Washington’s favorite tree?

The infantry.

*********

WRAP-UP

Celebrate safely.  Be careful with fireworks, be careful on the roads.

LOVE WINS!!!

Karen

*******************

Answers:

What is commemorated on the Fourth of July?

The signing of the Declaration of Independence

What was the Declaration of Independence?  

A declaration that the United States of America was independent of England/Great Britain

What state first declared July 4th as a Holiday?

Massachusetts in 1781

Which two future US Presidents signed the Declaration?

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

What two American Presidents died on July 4,1826?

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

Which American President was born on July 4, 1872?

Calvin Coolidge

How many times does the Liberty Bell Ring on July 4th?

Where is the Liberty Bell located?

Liberty Hall - Philadelphia

Where is the original Declaration of Independence kept?

National Archives in Washington

Who was the Oldest person to sign the Declaration of Independence?

How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?

56

How many women signed the Declaration of Independence?

zero

In 2021, how many years since the Declaration of Independence?

245

The main hot dog eating contest on July 4th is held where?

Coney Island

Who is the reigning champion in the men’s division?

Joey Chestnut

How many hot dogs did he eat in 2020?

75 (a new record)

How long (in minutes) is the hot dog eating contest?

10

Do the contestants have to eat the buns?

YES

Who is the reigning women's champion in the hot dog eating contest? 

Miki Sudo - with 48.5 hot dogs and buns.

On the original flag, how many stripes and stars were there?

13

What happened when Vermont and Kentucky gained Statehood?

They added two more stars and two more stripes.

Who wrote the Star Spangled Banner?

Francis Scott Key

Who wrote “It’s a Grand Old Flag”

George M. Cohan

Who Sang “God Bless the USA”?

Lee Greenwood

Who was famous for singing “God Bless America”? 

Kate Smith

What is Bruce Springsteen’s USA song?

Born in the USA

SATURDAY JULY 3, 2021 - SATURDAY STORY

 SATURDAY JULY 3, 2021 - SATURDAY STORY

Today’s story is written by Karl Bauer (not really!!)

*****

Guten Morgen.  Ich heiße Karl Bauer.

Oops - I need to write in English.  I just said “Good Morning, I am called Karl Bauer” - or really, I am Karl Bauer.  (For those of you without a German background, the last name “Bauer” literally translates as “farmer”).

I am from Hesse-Cassel, a little German state about halfway between Cologne on the Rhine River and Berlin.  (Editor note - this was before the unification of Germany).  

My little state is mostly agricultural - and I have three older brothers who really are farmers - but my eldest brother inherited the family farm.  So, agriculture was not going to be my livelihood.  But, Hesse-Cassel found a way to keep taxes low - and keep employment high - they rented out my services and those of many of my friends as “peace-keepers”.  Of course, you might have heard the term “Hessians” in regards to the American Revolution - and I guess that is me - and my colleagues. 

I’ve been trained to be a soldier since age seven.  While you modern American boys might go through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, my friends and I went to similar events - but making us into soldiers.  We camped out, we built fires, we learned to climb trees, shoot guns, and be soldiers.  But, we were well educated - in math, sciences, foreign languages (I am not quite fluent in four languages - German, English, French, and Polish, but can get by), and warfare tactics.  

Actually it was a good life.  One year of renting us out to the British crown brought in enough revenue to run our little state for about thirteen years.  That kept our taxes low and kept Friedrich II as our governor for many years.  And, with some pride, our farmers grew barley and hops and brewed the best beer in Germany.  (Or so I thought).  

So, in 1774, my troop was rented out to the English and sent to America.  You Americans called us “mercenaries” - but we thought of it like just another job - making the world be at peace.  

A few of my colleagues had girlfriends or wives, but like most, I deferred that option until after my years as a soldier.  So, off we went from Bremen harbour to America (oops - another problem, I learned British English, not American English - so, I will change that to “Bremen harbor” for you Yankees). 

We had been hired by the British.  The British had an excellent naval fleet - generally manned by their own people, so an army frequently had foreign soldiers like me - as the army was less important than the navy in England.  

My companions and I sailed to New York.  We were to be stationed across the Hudson River in Weehawken New Jersey.  On the ship, every day we had a half-hour of worship, then calisthenics, followed by English lessons.  Then an hour of map reading of the colonies.  After lunch and a break, our lessons continued with warfare tactics, more physical fitness and squad activities.  I was in a company of 200 men that was divided into ten squads of twenty men each.  Our squad was led by Kommander Jakob Koch, and our company was led by Major Wilhelm Koenig.  We all had guns (single load with black powder)that had bayonets.  This was not an idle ocean cruise!!  

Arriving at Weehawken harbor on the morning of August 3, 1776, we were scorned by the local peoples.  Some threw rocks at us (too bad for them - as my squad took out two of the rock throwers - teenagers about 15 or 16).  There were some military barracks that would be our basecamp, but we did have our field materials of tents, cooking pots and materials for fighting on the American turf. 

On the third day in the colonies, we crossed the Hudson River and went to Brooklyn.  It seemed like Brooklyn was a hotbed of uprising.  We joined forces with some British troops and two other Hessian Companies.  I knew a few of the other Hessians.  We engaged a small American group of about one hundred.  We killed maybe eight or ten of them, and only lost three of our men before the Americans fled into houses, alleys, and down streets.  We had been trained for field combat, not guerrilla warfare.  We didn’t know if we followed the Americans that we might be led into dead end traps.  We took our dead back to Weehawken and gave them an appropriate burial. In the past, those tough decisions on where to bury our dead on foreign soil had been decided to bury them in that foreign land.  God would know where to find them when the last trumpet sounded.  

For the next few weeks, we had scrimmages with the Americans.  We heard that General George Washington was the commander of the American troops.  My colleagues laughed at a “General” who had served as a surveyor in the French and Indian Wars.  

Our big day is known now as the Battle of Brooklyn Heights on August 27, 1776.  We won an overwhelming victory over the rebels.  Washington evacuated his men from Brooklyn across the bay to Manhattan - a move that probably saved the American cause.  Better to run away and see another day!!

With that, the British forces (mostly Hessians) took control of the main port city of New York.  With the British navy patrolling the waters, and our troops on the ground, we effectively divided the young colonies into two parts - the north (Boston and New England), and the south (Philadelphia to the Carolinas).  Yes, there were some scrimmages - such as the Battle of White Plains - but the rebels continued to be outnumbered and out fought.

Our days became slower as New York was under our control.  Our company was sent to Trenton, New Jersey.  We were to oversee the Delaware river so food and other supplies couldn’t be shipped down that river to the Americans in Philadelphia.  

BUT, we made a mistake.  We became complacent.  The war was going our way (that is, the British way).  On Christmas Eve 1776, George Washington led a raiding party that surprised us, and overran our troops.  Some of my colleagues died, and many were captured - including myself).  The Americans were able to raid our stores and got food and goods to keep their army going.  With some mixed loyalties, for the next two years we became farmers - yes - a “Bauer” (farmer) was going to farm!!  Under American supervision we tilled, planted, and helped harvest crops.  I had to laugh at myself - here I was some 4000 miles away from home milking cows and harvesting beets, potatoes, wheat and barley.  I tried to convince the people to let us plant some hops and we could make good German bier (beer), but alas, we didn’t get to make beer.  

We stayed in that area while the war went on in other places.  There were some attempts to rescue us, but without our weapons we just seemed to adapt to the farming life.

So, we stayed there.  Our families back home still got our stipends, the Hesse-Cassel region got its payments, and we farmed.  

Okay, I have to tell a side story. I worked on a farm owned by Dutch immigrants.  And, the family had a beautiful daughter, Sophie, that I fell for.  For a long time, I could just say “Hallo” to her, and she would ignore me, but eventually she would speak back, and after longer periods of time (where I had been a very productive farmer and really a ‘trustee’), she and I would converse for longer times.  

After the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 (four years into my captivity), the British admitted defeat.  Our troops were to be sent back to Hesse-Cassel, but as that day came, many of us defected to the American side.  Sophie and I were wed in a Dutch Reformed church (almost all of us Hessian were Lutheran) and I became an American.  I had few reasons to go back to Hesse-Cassel, I loved Sophie, and I loved farming.  

*****

Epilogue

Karl and Sophie were married 46 years until she died.  They had six children.  Some of them stayed in New Jersey, but some moved west into the Ohio valley in this new nation - The United States of America.  If you trace your American family heritage back far enough, you might find Karl and Sophie as one of your ancestors.  One of their descendents became a President and famous in his own right as Chester A. Arthur.  

*****

Okay  - a Pollyanna Karen story pertaining to the founding of America.

Some sources:

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/hessians/ - Hessians in the war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landgraviate_of_Hesse-Kassel - Hesse- Cassel information

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/brooklyn - battle of Brooklyn Heights

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yorktown_(1781) - Battle of Yorktown

FRIDAY, JULY 2ND - LOVE WINS

 FRIDAY, JULY 2ND - LOVE WINS

This week I’ve written about American History - and especially the Declaration of Independence.  

On Friday, I tend to write with a more spiritual viewpoint.

So, today, Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

There have been millions of things written about faith over the years.  I say I write in the “Judeo-Christian” arena.  

What is freedom?  An online definition says “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. "we do have some freedom of choice"; the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government; and the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.

There are (thank goodness) some constraints (restraints) on ‘freedom’.  Yelling “FIRE” when there isn’t a fire, in a crowded theater might cause a chaotic scene.  My freedom to act ends an inch from your nose if I am throwing a punch.  Can I entertain thoughts of anarchy?  Can I go into a school and shoot any and every one - because I am free?  

To me, “Freedom” starts as a mental concept.  Viktor Frankl was in a concentration camp, but he was “free” mentally.  Or, we can move around freely, and mentally be in a prison, constrained by hatred and doubt.  

Free as a bird - free to soar - free to think and believe (within societal reason).  

Freedom came hard for some former slaves in the United States.  Yes, they were free - but without jobs, houses, food, livelihood.  Some went back to the plantations as “workers” because freedom was too much for them.

The last part of that verse (Galatians 5:1) says “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

It can be easy to go back into slavery - to go back to the thing you know.  

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind - let freedom bring you to new hopes, to new ways of sharing love, to new ways of living mentally - and physically.  

If love is to win, we must be free of oppression, free to be who we are.  There are deep divides in our nation, let us love one another!!!

LOVE WINS!!

Karen