history

history / photo / Samford / Thursday / Twitter — Comments Off on Are you staying warm?
19
Feb 15

Are you staying warm?

I feel like universities should, every so often, make a big move to return to their classic looks. Once about every 10 years would do it. You’d have a new audience in current students and a new audience in recent alumni, plus you’d keep the branding fresh. Also, this guy is awesome and I want to buy something with him on it:

Sammy U

That’s found on the ground floor of F. Page Seibert Hall, a 4,240-seat arena. Seibert, a Florida businessman, put a lot of money into the university. Seibert also gave a great deal of money to Florida Presbyterian College, but his Samford donation was the largest in the university’s history at that time, and finished the building carrying his name in 1961. A decade ago, his grandchildren also donated a tidy sum of money for athletic upgrades. So there’s no mystery why that name is a prominent one on campus. We just don’t know why they don’t use that particular bulldog.

One other thing:

history / Samford / Tuesday — Comments Off on A Samford sign
3
Feb 15

A Samford sign

longfellow

That’s a heck of a quote to put on a sign dedicating your building to your father. Sloan Y. Bashinsky Sr. had that on the plaque dedication for Leo in the Bashinsky Fieldhouse at Samford.

Both men had served on the board of trustees at Samford. Leo died in 1974, but in his lifetime he was a solid, steady, no nonsense businessman. He was president of this and that, had worked in cotton, asphalt and food. He was on the board for a church and a hospital and was president of his country club and on the board of Liberty National Life Insurance. He has two buildings named in his honor on campus, both for his roles and because of the love of his son, Sloan Sr., who was one of the university’s most dedicated donors.

Sloan flew out of Guam in World War II and then returned home and was established by his dad. He took over Magic City Foods in 1956. Leo had bought it for $1 million and would sell it to his son. Sloan converted that into the Golden Flake powerhouse which is today traded on the NASDAQ and has revenues around $135 million these days. He served on boards left and right, often taking on the same or similar roles his father had before him, and was never one to blow his own trumpet about the good works he did throughout the region. When he died in 2005 many of his friends happily picked up the slack and pointed out his donations here and service there.

Life sublime, indeed.

adventures / Caribbean / history / photo / SCUBA / Thursday / video — Comments Off on SCUBA diving in St. Maarten
15
Jan 15

SCUBA diving in St. Maarten

The currents were up — but the locals said the waters were actually, finally, calming down. These were some of the hardest dives I’ve done in a long time, if ever. I sucked oxygen like I haven’t in years, if ever.

They were also some of the best dives I’ve done. Sharks, rays, turtles, eagle rays, eels and all manner of smaller fish, all in one dive.

Almost everyone on the dive boat got sick. Except for us.

The people that got sea sick may disagree, but these are the dives you really look forward to.

This is Peter Stuyvesant, the last governor of the Dutch colony of New Netherland. (That’s New York. It is a long shot, but the man conceivably knew my ancestors there.) Previously he’d run things in Curacao and then tried to take St. Maarten back from the Spanish in 1633. It offered a strategic harbor and salt, and the Dutch failed miserably in getting the Spanish off the rock. But Stuyvesant took 13 ships, landed in March of 1644, notified the Spaniards and planted his flag. The Spanish fired on the flag and Stuyvesant was wounded and his right leg ultimately was amputated. He’d become known as Peg leg Pete and he’d watch his comrades sail away from St. Maarten in defeat a month later.

Maarten

After surrendering New Netherland to four ships of 450 British troops, he stayed on in New York as a private citizen, dying there in 1672. He was a strict Calvinist and a big believer in education. Everything I’ve read about him makes him seem rather harsh, but the 17th century often was. He’s buried in The Bowery — which is, apparently, an anglicization of Bouwerij, which is Dutch for farm, and also the name of Stuyvesant’s 62-acre property that stretched up to Harlem. (I’m going to have to read a history of New York City now, aren’t I?)

Anyway, diving in St. Maarten was a challenge, the visibility wasn’t the best because of the currents and the silt, but the views were great. Great place to dive. Watch the video.

family / history / maps — Comments Off on 70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war
12
Jan 15

70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war

Tonice’s war was over. He was wounded on Jan. 9. His unit, the 137th, where he was a combat medic, had come off the line just outside of Bastogne on the 11th. The fighting continued for others, but the Germans were done.

So, to some up, after Villers-la-Bonne-Eau:

As a medic, Tonice was awarded the purple heart, Europe-Africa-Middle East Medal with bronze star device, the good conduct medal, the American campaign medal and the WWII victory medal.

The 137th came into Normandy a few weeks after D-Day, fought their way through the old Maginot Line, faced down the 1st SS Panzer Division at Villers. They’d fight in Holland and then patrol Yalta opposite the Russians. They would form the honor guard for President Harry Truman as he stopped over in Brussels on his trip to Potsdam.

They returned to the U.S.on Aug. 31, 1945. The fabled 137th “Sante Fe” was deactivated on Dec. 7, 1945 having earned a reputation for stolidity and tenacity.

Just like Tonice.

Please scroll around and click on the pins to catch up or read ahead.

This information is derived from the unit history, found here and here and from this unit overview. These markers are rough estimates, meant only to be illustrative. Any errors are mine alone.

family / history / maps — Comments Off on 70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war
11
Jan 15

70th anniv – My great-grandfather’s war

The last day of our tracking the 137th Infantry Regiment’s movements through Europe 70 years ago during the coldest winter anyone could recall. The Battle of the Bulge had just begun to wind down. My great-grandfather Tonice, a combat medic in the 137th had been wounded on the 9th. Since we don’t know when he was evacuated, I looked through two more days, just to see what would happen next. The 137th finally came off the line today, they’d finally get some rest.

So, then, for Jan. 11:

On one of its coldest days the 137th attacked again, suffering heavy casualties, the majority being from the 2nd Battalion in taking the town of Lutremange (on the outskirts of Bastogne).

Replaced by units on both sides, the 137th went into reserve duty for a week before returning to Metz.

Feel free to click around in the other thumbnails to read about other days.

This information is derived from the unit history, found here and here and from this unit overview. He never talked about the war and his quiet choice means that these markers are rough estimates, meant only to be illustrative. Any errors are mine alone.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →