My Most Influential Teacher

As I think back over the teachers I had in high school and the professors I had in college, one truly stands out as having the most influence in my life.  As a teenager I tended to have a holier-than-thou attitude and felt my calling was to be a Methodist minister.  I idolized my folks' best friend and my baby sister's godfather, Ralph Haugh.  "Uncle Ralph", as he was known to our family, was a most congenial man and one who deserved adoration.

My family had moved to the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC when I was 10 and I quickly developed an appreciation of history.  It seems as though the only books I read were history books--the biography of George Washington being one I recall.  In fifth and sixth grades, we were always taking field trips, be it to Mt. Vernon or historic Fredericksburg, VA.  Mom and Dad were always taking us kids to various historical sites around the area, as well.

I entered tenth grade at Yorktown High School in Arlington and heard horror stories of the junior year American history teacher, David Turner.  Mr. Turner received the reputation of a hard taskmaster and one to be feared.  The last person I wanted as a history teacher was the dreaded Mr. Turner.  Guess who I got as my eleventh grade history teacher?  You got it--David L. Turner!  Gawd, did my eyes roll and a long sigh of regret let out when I saw he was to be my teacher.  Little did I know, he would turn out to change my life.

He was a proud graduate of Leland Stanford, Jr. University, or Stanford as we all know it.  He was an enticing teacher--one who kept you on your feet when he'd point to you and bark, "Why was that, Mr. Hilsheimer or Miss So-and-so?"  He made you think--something that served me well when I got to college.   I recall his describing the Battle of Gettysburg and the surrounding action.  It was like he had been there and witnessed the battle himself.  Keep in mind I was still planning on becoming a person of the cloth.  I was never one to volunteer anything, but just tried to be invisible, hoping he wouldn't turn around,  point a finger in my direction and put me on the spot.  One thing he did,  though, changed my life forever.

During the last half of the school year, everyone had been assigned to write a term paper.  My first choice was a  history of American railroading, a subject Mr. Turner said was much too broad and impossible for  a high school junior to consider.  I settled on the topic and title: "The Sharecropper During the Depression".  Due to plagerizing and term paper sales, the papers, once submitted, were not returned to the student.  Many's the time I wished I had it back  Anyway, I was quite graphic in my descriptions of what sharecroppers and their families had to endure.  In fact, I even quoted from the Depression era writer, Erskine Caldwell, telling of how babies had to suck on the teats of female dogs in order to get nutrition.  I knew I was skirting, if not going over, the line.  But what the heck?  This was a scholarly research paper, right?  I was prepared to catch it from Mr. Turner and would defend myself as best I could.

Yorktown HS had four wings--all one building-- that surrounded a large quad in the middle.  In  the week before finals, Mr Turner invited any who wished to participate to a review session to meet in the quad one evening.  As the session was winding down, he remarked about the term papers he had read and graded and made the observation that he had read one of the best term papers he had ever read in his career and was quite surprised at the scholarly level of its content.  Everyone started  looking around, wondering who he was talking about when Mr. Turner turned around, pointed at me, and said, "Mr. Hilsheimer over there!" and said he was very much surprised at my level of scholarly work.  I was completely flabergasted and tried to remain humble, something that was hard to do for an average teenager who was surrounded by A and B students, a few of which were National Merit Scholars.  That moment changed my life!

Afterwards, as I was trying to drift off to sleep on several occasions, I saw myself, not as a minister, but as a history teacher in the mold of Mr. Turner.  It finally dawned on me that, rather than majoring in religion with a view of becoming a Bible thumping preacher, I would major in history, primarily American, with a view toward teaching.  Although I never attained the goal of becoming a teacher (I could have taught in North Carolina, where I went to college at NC Wesleyan College), my love of American history, particularly the founding of the nation and presidential history, was the seed that was sowed and nurtured by Mr. Turner.  I only wish he knew what an effect he had on my life.  I never saw him  after graduation, my family having left the Northern Virginia area afterwards.  He passed away some years later, something I was sad to learn.  He will live in my heart forever and was a true mentor to me, although he never knew it.

Visits to Green Cathedrals

Besides the visits to current Major League ballparks, I have been fortunate to have visited many of the lost ballparks over my lifetime.

My first ballgame was between the Pirates and Redlegs (as they were known in the 1950s) at old Crosley Field in Cincinnati in 1953, the Redlegs winning 9-2. The following year my family moved to the Washington, DC area and I saw my first of many games at Griffith Stadium. Two games really stand out in my memory. The first one was in 1956 between the Senators and the Yankees. My favorite Senator, Jim Lemon, hit three homers off Whitey Ford and my favorite player, period, Mickey Mantle, hit his 48th homer of his Triple Crown season. In addition, President Eisenhower was at the game. How cool is that? The other game was the initial franchise game of the expansion Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers)on April 10, 1961 and seeing Marty Keough getting the first hit in franchise history followed shortly thereafter by a Gene Woodling triple off the rightfield wall. The following year, 1962, saw the opening of D.C. Stadium, later renamed Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, at which I saw many a game, including the longest homer ever hit there--by Frank Howard, landing about halfway up in the upper centerfield stands.

In August 1964 I attended the New York World Fair. I was staying at a hotel near Shea Stadium and was able to take in a game between the Mets and the Braves. My folks had moved to Chicago so, in summers while going to college in North Carolina, I was able to attend several games at old Comiskey Park. I spent my career in Wisconsin, including 26 years in Madison. Consequently, I was able to take in numerous games at Milwaukee County Stadium. During a vacation trip to Seattle, I was able to take in a game at the old King Dome.

In addition to these old ballparks, I have been fortunate to be able to attend games at the current ballparks of Wrigley Field; Fenway Park; Miller Park in Milwaukee; Safeco Field in Seattle; Tropicana Field in St. Pete; and my latest one, Marlins Park in Miami. In addition to these, I was able to take a shortcut through Oriole Park at Camden Yard during the filming of "Major League II" in 1993.  Now being retired, I have had season tickets for the past four years to the Bradenton Marauders and their home, historic 90-year old McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL.

The Worst Birthday Week of My Life

I celebrated my 69^th birthday a week ago on Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, feeling optimistic that spring was almost here and baseball season would finally get underway.  I had been taking in Pittsburgh Pirates spring training games in anticipation of Opening Day on April 2^nd.  Unfortunately, the Pirates lost to the Damn Yankees that afternoon.  Little was I to know that was the first crack in the dam.  The deluge was yet to come.  That evening I talked with my brother, Gene, to see how things were going and he said Mom, who had been battling a kidney infection, was slipping a little bit, but there was no reason for concern.  I was planning on seeing her on Easter Sunday, taking her sister, Aunt Peggy, along with me.

Monday was uneventful for Pam and me.  My softball team had a bye, so I just enjoyed a relaxing day, running necessary errands and just vegging out.  All that changed on Tuesday.

My other softball team also had a bye and I was looking forward to another day of leisure.  That all changed around 9:30 when we got a call from our best friend, Linda’s, neighbor from across her street in Miami.  Lance told us that Linda had fallen and broken her kneecap the night before and was at North Shore Hospital in Miami Shores.  We got all the details he could give and told him we’d drop everything and come down to Miami later that day, after we made arrangements for some of our pets and got packed.  I made a few phone calls and we finally got underway around 2:30.  When we walked into Linda’s room around 7:00, she was so surprised to see us because our telling Lance we were coming down apparently didn’t register with him.

On Wednesday we got things set up at Linda’s and visited her in the hospital.  She was somewhat comfortable and looking forward to the surgery to repair her patella on Thursday.  Pam and I had some decisions to make.  I was scheduled to go to a regional Quaker gathering in Leesburg, FL which takes place the last week in March.  I still planned to go while Pam stayed with Linda.  However, Pam had tweaked her left knee while we were making preparations to depart for Miami, and it was giving her some problems.

Everything changed at 11:30 that evening when Gene, called to let me know Mom had died.  His exact words were, “We lost Mom.”  Although I was not shocked at her passing, I was surprised it happened so fast.  Later on, while talking with my sister, Margaret, she said the nurse had told her they fully expected her to last thru Easter.  I guess no one ever knows.  After a fitful three hours’ sleep, Pam and I were in a bit of a fog on Thursday, the day Linda was going to have her surgery.  The first thing I had to do, and the hardest thing I have ever had to do, was to call Aunt Peggy and tell her Mom had died.  Mom and Peggy were the only children of my grandparents, so it was quite hard on her. 

Linda was scheduled for surgery to repair the patella fracture at 2 PM and, when they came for her at 1 PM, we left and went back to Linda’s house.  Pam’s knee was becoming more and more painful and it was getting quite difficult for her to walk.  Since I had been planning on leaving Pam in Miami and return home before going to Southeastern Yearly Meeting (SEYM), I decided to cancel the gathering trip and remain in Miami.  However, since I only had packed meds to carry me through the end of the week, we decided I should return home, taking another of the dogs for boarding, pack for a longer stay in Miami and return immediately.

I left Linda’s early Friday morning, along with two of our dogs, Chloe and Frodo—Chloe for companionship and Frodo to join Archie and Bella at the vet’s office for the duration.  Upon reaching home, I called Linda’s to let them know I had arrived safely.  Linda had not yet returned home and Pam tearfully told me she was unable to walk because of the excruciating pain in her knee.  We had a walker at home which I had purchased for Pam to use year before last when she had suffered a compression fracture in her lower back.  I decided to bring it back to Miami for her to use.  After making arrangements to drop Frodo off at the vet’s for boarding, I did what I could to get things together for the trip back.

Leaving home early on Saturday, I arrived back at Linda’s around 11 AM.  Pam was in a lot of pain and, after getting settled back in, I took her to the ER at Aventura Medical Center to have her knee examined.  An x-ray was done and showed no fracture, but they could detect some deterioration to the cartilage.  The physician’s assistant who examined her said there could possibly be some meniscus damage and recommended she see an orthopedic surgeon for an MRI and full diagnosis.

Yes, it has been a challenging week.  I attended Meeting for Worship at the Miami Friends Meeting and that helped me quite a bit.  I was able to decompress a bit and shared my week with those present.  It felt a bit cathartic.  One of the women there, whom I did not know, came up to me at the rise of meeting and gave me a big hug.  That really felt welcoming and comforting.  We’ll be here in Miami for the foreseeable future and I expect to be worshiping with them for several more times.  In the meantime, onward and upward.

As a Quaker, I am as alarmed as anyone at the Newtown shootings as well as those that preceded that event.  As Clerk of the Sarasota Friends Meeting, I felt our meeting had a duty to make our voice heard in the current debate over whether gun control legislation should be enacted.  Quakers have a history of issuing resolutions, known as "Minutes", on matters of general concern.  With this in mind, I composed the following Minute, with some fine tuning by the Meeting's Peace and Social Concerns Committee, which was approved by the February 2013 Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business:

Minute in Support of Gun Control

We, members and attenders of the Sarasota Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), after prayerful reflection and thought, feel it incumbent on us to call upon Congress and the President to enact legislation to halt the production and sale of weapons that can be used to injure, maim and kill innocent people in a single instance.

As Quakers, we believe that there is that of God in every person and in particular, we eschew any violence directed at one human being by another.  We recognize that such is an unfortunate part of everyday life.  However, the instances of mass shootings have focused attention on the problem that our society and our lawmakers must address.  From the University of Texas, to Columbine, to Virginia Tech, to Fort Hood, to Aurora, to Newtown, the absence of meaningful gun control laws have allowed this national epidemic to gain a foothold.  We urge Congress to eschew the pressure and monies they receive from those in opposition to gun control and pass meaningful legislation to reduce if not eliminate these types of instances.

We recommend the following practical steps:

• There must be universal background checks on all persons who wish to purchase a firearm, not only from licensed gun dealers, but also at gun shows and in sales between individuals.  Sellers who fail to do background checks should be held accountable for any damage, death, or injury caused by their purchaser;
• The manufacture, sale, and distribution of all assault-type weapons must be immediately and permanently banned;
• Explosive bullets such as those used by the Newtown shooter are banned by the Geneva Convention in international warfare but are legal in the U.S.  This type of ammunition should be banned;
• Likewise, any ammunition clip that holds more than a minimal number of bullets should be similarly banned;
• A fund must be established to aid local agencies in the buyback and destruction of guns, with particular emphasis on assault-type weapons.

We reject the proposal by some who feel the answer lies in the posting of armed guards in every school and the arming of all teachers.  Adding guns raises the odds in favor of violence and does nothing to address the problem—that of keeping particularly deadly weapons out of the hands of irresponsible individuals.

We believe these reforms are in accord with the original and clear intent of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

On Being Likened to Adolph Hitler

One of my Facebook friends is a distant cousin whom I have never met, Conrad Hilsheimer.  He is the consummate conservative and I am the consummate liberal.  We enjoy yanking each other’s chain on a variety of political matters, starting in earnest with the 2012 general election.  Lately, however, it has taken a turn because of the current debate on whether there should be any gun control laws enacted or not.  Unfortunately, some of my friends pound on him and some of his friends pound on me, but the two of us respect the other and tolerate each other’s position. Today, though, a comment by another of my distant cousins hit me below the belt.  Conrad takes the position of the NRA that absolutely there should be no gun control laws enacted while I take the position that reasonable controls must be enacted—controls such as universal background checks and a limitation on the capacity of ammunition clips.

Late this week Conrad posted a photo on Facebook of a man bonding with his young son over a rifle.  I made a comment that the only beef I have is with those who want no background checks on gun buyers or other reasonable gun control legislation passed.  This morning, after signing onto F/B I am greeted with a response from another distant cousin, George von Hilsheimer, PhD who wrote: 

“Dave, how in the devil did you get Hilsheimer genes? You sound just like Adolph Hitler, "we German people are demonstrating our higher civilization by registering our guns, it is a civilized act. Well, the next civilized act was to collect all the guns. For me, try taking them from my cold, dead hands. George Sie werden zu shoen alt und zu schpaet schmart. And given that your genes are week, [sic] "You became too soon old, and too late smart. George”

This from a man who supposedly has a degree from Saybrook College in San Francisco and who also studied at the universities of Chicago and Miami (FL).  The only educational institution I could find is an online outfit named Saybrook University.  It has no campus or physical location I could find.  It could be located in San Francisco, someone’s garage, or Timbuktu for that matter.  I have a degree from North Carolina Wesleyan College, but I also studied at Rollins College, the University of Maryland, Florida State University, The Citadel, and the University of Wisconsin.

This afternoon I did a web search on this man and ran across an Orlando Sentinel story from 1992 about his being charged with practicing medicine without a license because he was accused of improperly performing the duties of a physician by diagnosing allergies.  Apparently he injected testosterone into a boy’s legs which nearly crippled him.  He agreed to a plea deal in which he was placed on two years’ probation and was prohibited from owning or administering any medical clinic.

In 1973 he had been arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license at the former Green Valley School, which closed in 1974 after a U.S. Senate investigation into its practices and federal subsidies.  The charges were dropped on a technicality.  At the hearing, former nurses testified about the use of torture, mock funerals, injections of dust and testosterone, and other unorthodox methods of treatment.  After seeing a news story about this on The CBS News with Walter Cronkite, I asked my grandmother if we were related to George Von Hilsheimer.  She laughed and told me he was the black sheep of the family.  I certainly can believe it.  In fact, she told me that he added the “von” to his last name.  I’ll refrain from speculating on the reason.

In closing, while this man likens my views on gun control to those of Adolph Hitler (I am not against legal gun ownership), it would appear to this observer that his practices are more akin to those of Dr. Josef Mengele.  Let the reader be the judge.  I still believe that reasonable gun control legislation, including universal background checks, should be enacted. Oh, and by the way… I responded to the accusation that I sounded like Hitler by asking Cousin George that, as a psychologist, would he want to allow one of his patients to purchase a firearm for want of a background check?  I have yet to have a response.

What's the NRA Afraid Of?

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  Thus says the Second Amendment.  What it does not say is that the right to keep and bear arms cannot be regulated.  Arch-conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has even indicated there is the possibility of gun control legislation that could pass the litmus test before the Supreme Court.  Whether it will or not remains to be seen.

The NRA and its minions are adamantly opposed to any gun control legislation.  However, they have no problem with various regulations that have been enacted for the safety of all persons.  Take, for instance, the right to operate a car.  Government requires that there be a minimum age for anyone who wishes to have a driver’s license.  If one does not have a license, it is illegal for that person to drive and there are consequences for that person.  The government can revoke a person’s right to drive a car if that person abuses their driving privileges.  Further, government can prescribe where one can drive—on the right side of the road; not against one-way traffic; and certainly not on a sidewalk.  It can also prescribe what to do upon encountering a stop sign or red light and how fast one can drive in any given area.

Governmental regulations also control, to the best it can, air safety.  It issues airworthiness certificates for any aircraft manufactured and flown within the United States; sets qualifications for pilots, including minimum and maximum ages (for commercial pilots); and institutes regulations and controls over whomever purchases an airline ticket, starting with the first hijackings and on down through the 9/11 attacks.  Everyone who wishes to fly on a scheduled commercial flight must deal with the TSA and be aware of what can and cannot be carried aboard the airplane.

The government also regulates the safety of our lives by promulgating regulations for the licensing of doctors and hospitals; issuing approval for new prescription medications; and food safety, among other things.

Governmental regulation, be it local, state, or national is a part of our everyday lives.  One cannot speed down Main St. in a NASCAR racecar.  One cannot break the sound barrier while flying down the length of Main St.  One cannot hang a shingle out on Main St and legitimately sell snake oil or practice quackery.  So, I ask, what’s the NRA afraid of?  It has grown beyond the scope of promoting gun and hunter safety, into a megalithic organization that sees absolutely no reason to agree with any reasonable regulation of guns, their equipment, their ammunition, or their owners, regardless of the consequences, be it in a crowded movie theater, a crowded bus, or an elementary school.  This I submit is wrong and until we can have some reasonable firearms regulation, starting with background checks on all gun purchasers and limiting the number and types of guns one can purchase, including their ammunition clips, the problem will not go away.  I do not want to take away their guns.  I only want society to be safe for everyone, not just the gun owners.

Collateral Damage

I am still trying to wrap my arms around the tragic turn of events that occurred in Newtown, CT on Friday.  When I first learned of a shooting in Connecticut, all I heard was about one person being killed and two or three being injured.  So why, I asked myself, is that such a big deal?  People get shot all the time.  In the early afternoon, I received a call from our best friend, asking if Pam was following the Connecticut shootings.  I didn't know, because she had been napping.  The phone call, however, woke Pam and she came to the end of the house I was in, and said she had not been following it.  A few minutes later I was in the bedroom where the TV was on and it was then that I learned of the extent of the shootings and was shocked to learn of the number of children who had been slain.

My first thought, of course, was of deep sorrow at the loss of so many innocents.  My shock and sorrow turned to anger at whoever had done this deed.  I figured it was probably some deranged young man--something just about all mass murderers seem to have in common.  Of course, the pro-gun advocates had some culpability, without a doubt.  However, as more and more facts are uncovered, it is becoming evident that the young man who did this mass murder had some type of mental problem.  Why his mother, who was apparently aware of his emotional problems, chose to have so many guns (legally purchased) in her house is a question that will never be answered.

While we here in America are shocked and stunned at such an occurrance, I can't help but remind folks that other mass murders happen quite often at the hands of us all.  Not in Sandy Hook, or Aurora, or Virginia Tech, or Columbine.  NO!  It happens in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and quite possibly other countries because of the drone strikes operated by the Department of War in the name of freedom.  While members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda are the targets, all too often they are supposedly hiding in houses in residential area of various towns and cities.  If the military is lucky, they may succeed and kill one of their targets.  But, beyond the targeted individuals, innocent civilians including women and children are also killed.  The military simply refers to these unfortunate souls as "collateral damage" and simply washes its hands of responsibility.

In Sandy Hook, we had a young man who apparently was mentally disturbed; who snapped; committed matricide; and further took out his anger on those who meant the most to his mother--the young children she loved and wanted to help.  Why was this man allowed to go about as a wolf in sheep's clothing?  Why was he not referred for psychological counselling and possible treatment? Maybe he was.  I don't know.  I don't know if he was on or off any prescribed medications, but one thing is clear--he obviously needed help.  If anything, the 26 students and adults who lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary School were also collateral damage--collateral damage that resulted from a mental health system that prefers to pump pills down the throats of way too many unbalanced people and leave them to fend for themselves in an increasingly cold and complex society.  Something must be done to give proper treatment to these poor persons, rather than turning our eyes away from them and think its not our concern.  THESE PEOPLE ARE OUR CONCERN!

May our national discourse include, not only gun control (the horse everyone seems to be riding), but also proper and adequate treatment of mental illness.  It appears, to this amateur at least, that the two subjects go hand in hand.  Until we address both, more of these instances will take place and more innocent lives will be lost.  The problem is not bad people who do bad things, but good people who sit around and do nothing.