Now welcome to 2014! Or 6,427 if you still go by the old Julian calendar. Jan.1 is a big feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the feast of St. Basil. Jan. 1, New Year, is the world’s most widely celebrated holiday. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed on Jan.1, 1901. Queen Victoria signed the document on Sept.17, 1900. The Canada Polar Bear swim began in 1920 at English Bay Beach. It was begun by a cold weather lover named Peter Pantages. About 2,500 sturdy souls are expected to participate this year.
It’s the 55th anniversary of the overthrow of Batista by Fidel Castro in Cuba. The Czech Republic separated from Slovakia in 1993. The first Baby Boomer was born in 1946 on Jan. 1. Haiti gained its independence; the annual Mummers parade is held in Philadelphia where 20,000 costumed Philadelphians have been staging this parade since the 1700s. It’s J.D. Salinger’s birthday and the 125th anniversary of the Rose Bowl game and parade.
A top news item of 2013 was the birth of Marilyn Trainor’s twin great grandsons, Tyler and Bryce, born Oct.10.
We said goodbye to many old timers in 2013 and to some who left us too soon. Remember Marie Tierney, William Callahan, Ruth Loyd, Martin Paul, Milo Pockrandt, Josephine Hammond, Ruth Dunst, Diane Schulz, James A. Cox, Rory Hoskins’ father, Bobby Hoskins, Ruth Kurtz, Donna Eggers, Ruth Krueger, Bud Raimondi, Heidi Schoedel, Claire Ann Storto, Charles Genks, Lorraine Wick, Marie Jorgensen, Paul Wagner, Howard Beggs Holcombe Powers, Tom Cannon, Ryan Neff and Lauren Trage.
Now for the January birthdays of 2014: Amy Hocheimer, Carol O’Donnell, Rich Gray, Rita Trage, Caitlin Miller, Vic Bisluk, Jenni Jargstorf, Alice and Lara Mellin, Lou Moran, Ian Hoffman, Tom Kloess Marie Skorda, Danielle Watson, Christine Malone, Joan Huynh , Deb Harris, Lynn Karavitos, David Leehey, Ashley Breseman, Michael Huttner, April Kutak, Juliane Vince Emily Garrity, Urban and Luke Baum, Fred Marunde, Karen Skinner, David Thornton, Cecilia Consalve, Kathy Leninger, Tina Marcantonio, Charlie Vederal. Anniversaries this week: Mark and Amy Vabornik. Belated anniversary greetings to Doug and Nancy Deuchler and Bob and Barb Sullivan.
Jackie is a former Chicago and Elmwood Park schoolteacher with an undying love for music, friendly pets and a host of life’s other treasures too numerous to list. She was born on the far southwest side of Chicago in a great neighborhood when it was a great time to be young.
