Honoring Paul H Weaver on his 103th Birthday - Legacy of Natural Learning and Curiosity for coming generations

Here is my dad, Paul Henry Weaver, as age 8, likely before his 9th birthday. This is labeled 1919 Christmas in my grandfather Noah Elwood Weaver's album and I note the books and toys under the tree.  He was the only child of Edna Eicher and Noah Elwood Weaver. She had been a country school teacher and always encouraged, Paul Henry to further his eduction. Edna's older sister Esther in her diary sometimes commented on how shy Paul Henry was from her view when he was a teen. Emma lived with her father, Henry Eicher and in her diary she mentions him stopping by often in his youth.  I remember that my dad cared deeply about his aunt.  I remember visiting her in a group home later in her life in Ohio. See else where on this blog for more about Emma Esther Eicher. 

Paul Henry Weaver 1928 Portrait for his graduation from West Carrollton High School.

When at Antioch College in nearby Yellow Springs, he seemed to bloom in his independence and creativity.  The bas relief of Mozart that I have on my apt wall is a product of how his creative juices were encouraged here at Antioch.  He became on oil painter and when I spent time with Addie Langevin his office assistant at the East Side Faribault medical Center Building in the late 50's  early 60's remembered him painting and working on his stamp collection between seeing patients. It was while he was a student at Antioch he was hospitalized in nearby Xenia, where after having his appendix removed, he got curious about learning about medicine.  As Antioch did not have the curriculum to support his interests, he transferred to Ohio State, where he received is BS and MD the same day in 1938 .

Paul H Weaver and Margaret Mary Glessner wedding photo Sept 1935 Findlay OHIO

Paul H Weaver MD, intern at Swedish Hospital Minneapolis MN 1938.

Here is my mom, Peg Weaver, in 1958 working on their hobby of stamp collecting.  She relates in her memoir that he first showed her his stamps while they were dating in Columbus when they took the interurban to West Carrollton.  This hobby then grow after he completed his training an they moved to Faribault in 1939. 

For me, postage stamps have provided an education about nations, their history, their heros, how the economy is doing and they are expressions of art and culture of the times.  Here on a sheet given to me for my kids, by Eric Hoopes of MKP Washington-Baltimore Community of the over run nations in WW II.  All but Korea are in Europe. Curious that China and others we not included from the view of the US Politics at the time. 

The first airplane on a stamp for airmail 

Peg was a Camp Fire Girl in Findlay Ohio in her youth. This is a stamp when a first class letter was 4 cents in 1960 that I collected.

Also, the first automated Post Office around the same time in the 60's. The beginning of the automated systems that have expanded until today. 

 Commemorative Stamp Scott #1159 with 2 colors and the Washington Monument in Washington DC and  Cherry Blossom symbol of Japan issued for a centennial in 1960. 

When first postage went up to 5 cents and later 6 cents by 1969, the US Postal Service chose to commemorate  Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Nation. I like the art statement here as well.

My parents encouraged a liberal arts education.  Emerson, one of the classic writer of 19th Century America is honored in 1940 in this 3 cent mono colored purple. From my Al Anon courage to Change meditation book "Nothing Can Bring you peace but Yourself” Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

James Whitcomb Riley is a poet who according to Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Whitcomb_Riley

James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include "Little Orphant Annie" and "The Raggedy Man".

Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers. Thanks in part to an endorsement from poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, he eventually earned successive jobs at Indiana newspaper publishers during the latter 1870s. Riley gradually rose in prominence during the 1880s through his poetry reading tours. He traveled a touring circuit first in the Midwest, and then nationally, holding shows and making joint appearances on stage with other famous talents. Regularly struggling with his alcohol addiction, Riley never married or had children, and created a scandal in 1888 when he became too drunk to perform. He became more popular in spite of the bad press he received, and as a result extricated himself from poorly negotiated contracts that limited his earnings; he quickly became very wealthy.

Here are a couple of post cards in young Margaret Glessner's post card collection from the early 20th Century that clearly affected her in her youth. 
Hoosier Poet with little friends.  "Riley never married or had children, and created a scandal in 1888 when he became too drunk to perform. He became more popular in spite of the bad press he received, and as a result extricated himself from poorly negotiated contracts that limited his earnings; he quickly became very wealthy."

Another of my mom's post card collection.  The Indiana Swimming hole?

Another poet of Leaves of Grass Fame. On a 1940 Blue 5 cent stamp.

Alway found this 3 color interesting back in 1957 when I learned about the endangered species . The baby chicks seemed to glow... My parents were avid bird watchers.  I did see sandhill cranes that are common in Minnesota and I continue to follow the story of the whooping cranes and there guided migrations despite the continued encroachment of the 2 leggeds in North America 

Back in 1961, the US press was filtered to consider Taiwan, The Republic of China as the only China  I just loved the mystery that is China and its long civilization.  As a boy, I subscribed to getting Taiwan Stamps from the Philatelic Agency directly, so I would purchase stamps at the face value....and learned about history the way the Taiwanese told it.  Not until Deng and Nixon did any opening happen for the common people of America.  Dualistic thing of the time  Red China was "bad" ROC was "good".... It always stuck me humorous that there was a huge nation of Chinese on the mainland that shared the the long culture.  The long civil war (no wars of the 2 leggeds seem to be very Civil) between the KMD and the Red Army, like all civil wars just seemed be fanned by resentments, quest for land and power..the usual drama.  Sad so many people continue to suffer with this continued drama and addiction to the "illusion of control " in my humble opinion.  Lots of fear based rhetoric all around. (do it our way, or we will hurt you! Poly tics as usual??)

 Interesting another famous writer on Famous American issue of 1940. The bright pink "red violet" color here is seen to  be remarkable for the time  "In 1940, the U.S. Post Office issued a set of 35 stamps, issued over the course of approximately ten months, commemorating America's famous Authors, Poets, Educators, Scientists, Composers, Artists and Inventors. The Educators included Booker T. Washington, who now became the first African-American to be honored on a U.S. stamp. This series of Postage issues was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. These stamps were larger in size than normal definitive issues, with only 280 stamp images contained on the printing plate (400 images was standard for the Presidential series). Notable also is the red-violet color chosen for the 3¢ stamps, a brighter hue than the traditional purple."

In conclusion for today, Christmas Eve 2013,  I honor both Peg and Pete Weaver for their long term curiosity on this planet. 

When Peg got "hooked" on Mushroom identiffication in the early 1960's they gradually shut down their extensive world exchange of stamps and letters.  Here in 1967 are the two of them with the trailer they began to pull behind the 1965 Chrysler Station wagon they purchased through Schreyer Motors in Faribault. They camped all over the mid west and wrote notes in travel logs...Always curious ------Remembering the times and life of Paul H Weaver 1910 - 1982. Thanks dad for the memories...