Born on the 4th of July

Wikipedia [IMAGE CREDITS]

Arriving two (2) months early, George Keegan Jr. entered this world on the 4th of July... 1921. From the beginning, my father was a fighter. Being born prematurely, the odds were stacked against him in 1921. He or his mother seemed determined he'd enter the world on such a special day.

My grandmother, Ming, was a force of nature. Strong willed, focused and resourceful, she nurtured him and made him strong. However, his skin was always susceptable to sun and he was allergic to milk and onions, keeping him on his toes the rest of his life.

My father always had great purpose, even when he was growing up. I think this was due to his mother's inner strength which was a guiding light throughout his life.

Being born on the 4th of July was a special part of his patriotic nature. In some spiritual way it seemed to carry him through much of his journey.

-GK3

Footnote of the Great War

Every family is changed in some way by war, especially if they have loved ones serving in or exposed to the horrors of the conflict.

My grandmother, Ming, lost her brother on the last day of the war. Only hours after the armistice was signed, her brother was in a phone booth somewhere in France trying to contact family and was killed by a German sniper.

She kept her brother close to her heart and always told happy stories of him up until her late 90's. I think of him often and wish I knew more of his life. He remains an enigmatic character to me still.

'Good night sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.' - [Hamlet by William Shakespeare]

"British Telecom - Everywhere" copyright © by Stephen Waterfall - with permission [IMAGE SOURCE]

Ming and the Irishman

Photobucket[IMAGE CREDIT]

Beatrice, a nanny for the Rockefellers, spent much of her childhood in a convent where she grew her sharp mind, spirit and charm. She developed a love for Shakespeare while growing up in this mysterious world, a love that stayed with her through the whole of her life. Born to a french family, The Martins of New Brunswick, Catholic faith was central in her life. Her education was very much a classical education and certainly led to her introduction to the Rockefellers.

What struck me as a young man was how beautiful she was in her youth. Though naive about the mysteries of life, she was armed with amazing wit and a disarming smile. The stories of her time with the Rockefellers allude me at this point in my life, but I do remember that she loved their children dearly and they thought of her as a daughter. She was a young woman of 18 or 19 at this time but, had wisdom way beyond her years. She also had a love of the arts and accompanied the Rockefellers regularly to the opera and other performances.

The Rockefellers knew a dynamic and boisterous attorney, an aspiring politician at the time, who was close to turning thirty (30) and still single. This Irishman came from a large family of five (5) brothers and was a 5th generation attorney. (I hear they were an interesting bunch but, like many Irishmen of the time, drank way too much.) The Rockefellers invited him to join them at the opera where he had the good fortune to sit next to the nanny. They had an enchanting time at the opera and certainly bewitched each other.

The opera's main character, Ming, was petite, beautiful and had long flowing hair (almost to the floor) and very much resembled the Rockefeller's nanny who, at the time, was still known as Beatrice. The handsome Irishman was so taken with her resemblance to the character on stage that he dubbed her "Ming". From that evening and through the rest of her very long life my grandmother, Beatrice, was known as Ming.

The Irishman, my grandfather George, quickly proposed to the charming nanny and married her shortly thereafter. All in all, it must have been an interesting time. The world had emerged from a long war and the worst pandemic in history, America was on the brink of the "roaring twenties" and hope was tangible everywhere.

Maine Historical Society - Google Books [IMAGE CREDIT]