Holly Romans (Green)

Thanks for the heads up re: Jack Rakove's article in the Washington Post.  I googled it as I wasn't able to connect from your link.  That worked just fine.  Thanks for keeping us informed.

William Wanlund

Glad you found it, Holly -- sorry about the link. Maybe my Post subscription credentials takeme there automatically...or maybe not.  Who knows.

Wendy (Wynn) Garber

I was able to use your link to connect to Jack's article. Thanks so much for posting it. It gave me an opportunity to get a much more in depth perspective on what it means to be an "originalist" when it comes to interpreting the Constitution, and how much more beneficial it would be to let historians weigh in on how to interpret it for an ever-changing society instead of allowing lawyers to try to fix the language of this 200 year old document in stone.

Jack Hayes

Jack Rakove continues to be in the news. From Yahoo Finance today:

“If you’re a Madisonian like me, voter suppression is a growing concern,” says Jack Rakove, a professor emeritus of history at Stanford University focused on the early history of the constitution. “Go back to 1800/1801, the first peaceful transition of power under our constitutional system, and therefore a significant precedent. There was a lot of uncertainty about whether it would happen then. There were discussions in Virginia, Pennsylvania about mobilizing the militia in two Republican states to go into the capital, Washington D.C. to enforce what they thought was the right outcome. There is plausible fear of some resort to violence.”

William Wanlund

plus ça change...

Fred Brostoff

Carol Simon (Kohn) asked me to post the following information about recent changes in her life:

            1. Carol(Ann Simon)Kohn became a widow very suddenly with the unexpected loss of her husband(his name was Charles[Chuck] Arron Kohn on Friday, September 11, 2020 and she was also the one who’d found him to be dead about 7:30 PM. CT too! By the way, Chuck and Carol had been married for 37 years on the 5th of June, 2020.

            2. As of this coming Wednesday-which will be on the 18th of November-Carol(Ann Simon)Kohn will no longer be seen living in the Chicago metropolitan area as she is going to be seen moving to be living at an assisted living place(which had been her late husband’s request for her to be seen living at and which had been then discussed and then about apparently made some time before his unexpected passing away on September the 11th to Carol’s sister Jean Simon(ETHS class of 1965)and a mutual friend of Carol’s, Jean’s and also Chuck too)which is the Illinois Eastern Star Home(both Chuck and Carol [yes, Carol will remain active with this group too while at her new location!]had been members of the Order of the Eastern Star[which is a Masonic co-ed organization of the Masonic Order]for 37 years as they were initiated into the Eastern Star on September 1, 1983. 

            Her new and revised USPS address for you to write her at will be in Macon, Illinois. So, where is Macon? So our classmates don’t need to look up Macon on an Illinois highway map, Macon is a town near the city of Decatur, Illinois. Macon isn’t also then shown on any Illinois highway map as I’ve checked this information out for all of you. The new USPS address will be posted by me on our class bulletin as soon as I can get to find out this information too! As Carol also now tells all of us who knew her at ETHS that since she’s not now including a new USPS mailing address at this time  and as she doesn’t happen to know this information right now but she will then post it on our classmates reunion bulletin as soon as she has gotten this information and is passing it on to al of her ETHS classmates this way.

            However, Carol’s e-mail address which was then shown in the class of 1964 50th reunion book and also the revised one for our 55th one(since Carol had been on that year’s reunion committee too)that had been held in September of 2014 will not be changing and if you’ve got e-mail access, here’s now where you can contact her at any time: so, Carol's e-mail address is CK89231@AOL.COM; you can also call up and to talk with Carol at her cell phone number(which is 847-281-6150)since this phone number also will not change too as then her Skokie phone number of 847-673-2402 will be then disconnected at 12.PM CT on November 18, 2020 with no forwarding local area code phone number which will begin with area code 217 since Carol may not happen to be given a land line phone to use too. BY THE WAY:the best time to try and reach Carol on her cell phone number for a phone chat is happening in the evening hours after 8 PM CT since that on 3 days each week, she is then seen doing medical treatments near her new location.  Also to be known for computer owners: Carol also  happens to have Skype on her computer so she and then see and talk with you at the same time as well!

Fred Brostoff

Leo Schlosberg asked me to post the following information:

I just encountered the fact that on ther Social Security you can designate someone (or multiple people, in priority order) to be your designee for social security. Good idea, even if you have given someone a financial power of attorney.

Details are at https://faq.ssa.gov/en-us/Topic/article/KA-10039

Susan Spiegel (Pastin)

That's called a "representative payee" and it's if you can no longer manage your affairs.  I know aboout that having worked at the US Railroad Retirement Board (like social security, but for railroad workers; the Board works closely to coordinate benefits with social security).  A useful thing to publicize, though.

Fred Brostoff

Kathy (Dalgety) Miehls advised that the following message was just posted on the ETHS Alumni Association website...about our classmate, Jack Rakove:

On Wednesday, January 20 (Inauguration Day), we will be sharing the next episode of Coming Together - The Electoral College: Past, Present, and Future.

This excellent - and most timely - conversation features Arch Bryant, retired ETHS history teacher, and Jack Rakove, class of 1964 (pictured above). Jack is a professor of political science at Stanford University, winner of the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for History, and a Distinguished Alum. We were honored to have him join us and cannot wait to share the discussion.

Alice Rosengard

Rosanne Bass (Keynan)

I'm just catching up on this page. 

I am very moved upon just now reading Robert Lindner's beautiful poem.

Like Alice Rosengard, I'd be interested in reading a transcript of the program in which Jack Rakove is participating -- or viewing it online, if it's to be recorded.

As for my news -- I'm feeling grateful and fortunate to be healthy and safe here in Los Angeles -- although I certainly take some personal credit for it, having been sequestered here at home, Zooming and FaceTiming for nearly a year, and wearing a mask on the few occasions that I venture out. This weekend the temp is in the glorious low 80s; trees are verdant and winter flowers are in bloom.

Less pretty is the sobering truth announced by our mayor yesterday: someone here is infected with covid-19 every six seconds and someone dies of it every eight minutes.

So I send wishes to my friends and classmates for safety and good health in this new year.

Postscript: I am notoriously glad at navigating this site. Someone please let me know if haven't posted this to the correct page.

Fred Brostoff

To Alice and Rosanne:  Thanks for your interest.  Kathy Miehls is checking into this and will advise if she can accommodate your requests.

Phil Noble

I thought living through Chicago in the 60s was about as interesting (read intense) as it could get. But here we are now - apparently the steriods have kicked in... isn't there an old curse: may you live in interesting times?

Interesting indeed! BTW: I am also interested in that presentation by Jack Rakove!

Jack Hayes

"we will be sharing the next episode of Coming Together - The Electoral College: Past, Present, and Future."

how can we watch?
 

Jack Rakove

I am fairly sure a transcript of our conversation on the Electoral College will not be available, but I understand that the video will be posted to both the ETHS main website and YouTube. And if anyone wants to read my scholarship on the subject, drop me an email (rakove@stanford.edu) and I can send you a piece or two that I have written.

Karen Kaz

Would like to know where I could read a transcript as well. 
Karen Kaz 

Karen Kaz

Ok Jack, thank you for clarification. 

Robert Lindner

Just because Rosanne liked my poem, I wrote one for her.

Just Because

“Then I saw her face,

Now I’m a believer”

by Neil Diamond for the Monkees

There was this song, we knew

When we were young and now I think of you

When I see your face in

A photo that takes place in

Time and space that we’ve been

In. A time and space when the world was new

And beautiful and you

Were too. It was yesterday. Then time flew,

Or seemed to, now that we

Are here, where memory

Is long with history

Where time’s been good to me and to you too.

And today, here you are

Words and a photo from a place that’s far

Away in time and space

From when I saw your face.

As I look, my eyes trace

History, when we were yesterday’s star

Though yesterday is still

Here in my mind and there your beauty will

Glow bright, as your lovely

Eyes and face shines on me

Like that star that will be

There forever, like the sun that can fill

The skies with light. Now I

Am a believer and my soul will fly

Above this lovely land,

If I can hold your hand.

“I wanna hold your hand,”

Another song, we knew, that now fills my

Memory Just Because

“Then I saw your face,” and everything was

Beautiful, like your face

Still is in time and space.

There and here in this place

Where “Now I’m a believer.” Just Because.

Of your face in a photograph that’s full

Of life, your face that’s very beautiful.

Robert

Suzanne Linfield (Spindler)

Susan Spiegel (Pastin)

I'd like to see the video of Jack's talk also - looking forward to hearing his thoughts!

Edward Boesel

I just read Jack's thoughtful article from the post, and must say well thought and stated.

The framers could not have imagined how social media would affect the understanding of "fact", which confronts us with a heculean task of binding the wounds and focusing on nation instead of party.

Holly Romans (Green)

Roseanne - what a truly LOVEly poem to you!   That kind of poem  is as good as one can be.  

Holly Romans (Green)

Thanks, Robert, for writing such a loving poem capturing then and now.

Robert Lindner

Thanks Holly and Suzi

I am always wrting poems.

Often I am looking for a muse

Rosanne is a great muse

Because she is an

EISHET SHAYIL

Sherwin "Jay" Siegall

Wow Robert! That's an impressive compliment to one of my longest lasting friends I have stayed in touch with all these years from ETHS. And well deserved.