Graduation Daze

Four years ago our fourth child, a daughter, was enjoying a successful career in the newspaper industry in Anchorage Alaska. She had reached the position of executive assistant to the publisher. But being single and always hungry for adventure, she was ready for a change.

Vicki has traveled to and lived in Kenya. She made Alaska her home fifteen years ago and loves the outdoors--biking, kayaking on the ocean, even trying skydiving once (that was enough she said), playing softball on three or four teams a summer and volleyball all winter. Dull is not the way you would describe her life.

Along the way Vicki became good friends with a lawyer in the military. One result of that friendship was Vicki's decision to enter the world of law. She wrote about several schools she was considering including Kansas University. But at the little church where I minister we were immediately informed that the law school any prospective lawyer should attend was Washburn University in Topeka Kansas.

We sent that word to Vicki and told her that she could live at home free of charge and commute the 60 miles to Topeka every day. She took us up on our offer and as a down payment sent her dog down in May of 2004. Someone from Wamego Kansas was flying back from Alaska and offered to be the "person" accompanying the dog even though he made the trip in the cargo hold.

Vicki arrived in August and immediately began a three year sojourn through the law school of Washburn. On May 12 she received her degree in law. As soon as she passes the bar exam in Alaska she will officially be a bonafide lawyer.

It was celebration time. Her siblings came from Tennessee, Colorado, Oklahoma, and California. A group of friends flew in from Alaska for the big event. For three days we had more excitement than one can imagine. My wife, Arletta worked day and night to keep food prepared for everyone. She had help from church ladies from Zeandale as well as a family in the Presbyterian church where we occasionally go to teach.

Saturday we had open house with all the food people could want. About 50 people showed up and enjoyed Navajo tacos. If you have never had Navajo tacos, then you haven't lived yet. I won't try to describe this delicacy that we learned about from the Navajo Indians in Arizona. But it is great! Vicki's brothers worked to roll out the tacos and deep fry them.

Now the dust is settling. All of the siblings are gone. We put the youngest with his daughter on a Southwest Airliner and sent him back to Tennessee. Wednesday Vicki and her friend Kim begin the odyssey back to Alaska. She will be sorely missed.