Feet and Shoulders, Part 1
Writing books about history is a dream come true for my husband Ray. He grew up around words. His daddy worked at the local Columbia, Tennessee, newspaper for more than fifty years. As a boy, Wes carried papers. As a young high school graduate, he worked in circulation. When he came home from Europe after World War II, he became a linotype operator.
Week before last, our son John sent the digital files of our new edition of Exploring World History for high school across the Internet to the printer. Five days later we had proofs via UPS. Three days later I gave final approval on a cell phone while Ray drove down the Interstate. Thousands of books are set to be delivered to us by mid-March. The world has come a long way from scribes copying manuscripts by hand.
Granddaddy Wes would be amazed. Our lesson, “Key Event: The Invention of the Printing Press,” includes an engraving of Johann Gutenberg; the title page from a 1623 edition of Shakespeare’s plays; plus photos of a Gutenberg Bible; a reproduction of a Gutenberg-style printing press from Lübeck, Germany; and a modern press similar to the one that is printing the new edition of Exploring World History. It also includes the photo of Ray’s daddy at his linotype machine.
Ray’s daddy was well-respected and known by his fellow employees as the only one who could spell. I believe it. When he was in his nineties and dementia had taken away so much of the father, father-in-law, and grandfather we loved, we had a spelling bee one day. Granddaddy beat us all.
While Ray was growing up, his daddy encouraged him to read great books, especially Charles Dickens. Ray complied voraciously. In high school, he began to put his own pen to paper. After attending a math contest in ninth grade, he wrote a story about it, just for the fun of writing. We still have it, of course.
While in high school, Ray began to dream of writing a book. When he graduated, he followed his dad to The Daily Herald, working as a proofreader there for three summers.
Ray’s college major was history. It’s no wonder. The foyer of his paternal grandparents’ home was a virtual museum. He claimed to have visited every Civil War battlefield. He was an avid Civil War collector at a time when artifacts were still lying around on the battlefields for the taking.
Ray’s dad taught him character as well. When we compiled the primary sources for In Their Words, we included more than one hundred documents. One of them is “Righteousness Exalteth a Nation,” a sermon Wes wrote in 1977.
On an Outing In or Near Nashville, Tennessee
Ray sat at the feet of his father and grandfather as long as he could. Now he stands on their shoulders, as your children will stand on yours.
Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the glory of sons is their fathers.
Proverbs 17:6, NASB
As usual, your blog is interesting. Love the old photos and your family stories.
Looking forward to seeing the new World History!