Old proverb: "To speak the names of the departed is to make them live again."

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

St. Louis Gateway Arch Approaches Milestone

1.  While changing planes during a two-hour delay in St. Louis some years ago, Dr. Ed Fieg sat down for a snack and found himself at the same table with:
A.  Former Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench
B.  Former Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr
C.  Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr
D.  Tennis great Jimmy Connors

2.  The St. Genevieve Fiegs, from their home less than an hour away, witnessed the St. Louis Gateway Arch rise from nothing to its current height of  630 feet.  Next year the number of candles on the arch's birthday cake will be:
A. 10
B.  25
C.  30
D.  50

3.  The initial bond issue for the construction of the arch was floated in:
A.  1935
B.  1949
C.  1954
D.  1960

5.  The Gateway arch, the tallest man-made arch in the world, is how wide?
A.  630 feet
B.  150 feet
C.  200 feet
D.  430 feet

6.  The amount of land that was condemned for construction of the arch was:
A.  10 city blocks
B.  15 city blocks
C.  25 city blocs
D.  40 city blocks

7.  On November 22, 1980, at about 8:45 a.m. CST, 33-year-old Kenneth Swyers of Overland, Missouri, parachuted on to the top of the arch where he:
A.  slid down the north leg into a fireman's net
B.  slid down the north leg to his death
C.  was arrested by FAA officials in the Observation Room
D.  was warmly greeted by the mayor in the Observation Room

8.  From their fourth story attic window, Stephen and Eleanor Fieg can look out and see:
A.  the airplane warning lights at the top of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, blinking in the night.
B.  the entire arch, illuminated in silhouette against the sky on a clear day at sunrise.
C.  aircraft flying  underneath the arch, west to east
D.  nothing - they have no fourth floor window.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Kevin Corkery Among Last to See Oneonta Mayor Alive

Kevin Corkery, husband of Fieg cousin Sarah Fieg Corkery, exchanged a wave of the hand with Mayor Dick Miller as the two passed each other at the bank Friday afternoon, never guessing for a moment that he would be among the last to see the city's chief executive.

Miller, 71, was found dead the next morning having shot himself to death with a .22-caliber pistol..  Police found a suicide note but have not revealed the contents.

"He had a serious look on his face and was somewhat distracted," Kevin said.  "Maybe he was making plans for what he was going to do."

The community is in shock, with many grieving over the loss.  Miller was a popular figure with a garrulous and effervescent personality.

In 2009 he became Oneonta’s 20th mayor for the first of two terms.  He was a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran, Hartwick College President, SUNY Vice Chancellor, Vice President at the University of Rochester and President and CEO of Case-Hoyt Corporation.

Greg Fieg left a message at City Hall about a year ago concerning a minor traffic issue.  A few days later he was surprised to receive a return phone call from Mayor Dick Miller.  "I was amazed that he paid that much attention to detail," Greg said.  "I have known many mayors - Roger Hughes, Sam Nader, Jim Lettis, Dave Brenner and so on, several of whom I counted among my friends.  All of them were outstanding men who devoted much personal time to their community but none seemed to enjoy being mayor more than Dick Miller."

A service to celebrate the life of Mayor Miller will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Run for the Hills! It's the Killer Bees!

Last Saturday while helping a friend cut brush on her ranch,  Joe Kestner, husband of Fieg cousin Judy Kestner, was attacked by a swarm of Africanized honey bees.

The noise of the chain saw he was using disturbed the insects, known throughout the southwestern states as aggressive and dangerous predators, and they set upon the first living thing they saw: Joe.

He ran toward the house nearby but the horde pursued him, a trait that separates them from regular honey bees.  They all poured into the bathroom, where Joe turned on the shower and stuck in his head.

Though this discouraged some bees, many others had gotten inside of his clothes and were stinging him under the arms and on the back.  Probably because of the venom entering his body under the arms, where are located many lymph nodes, Joe began to lose consciousness.

The other people there came running into the bathroom, receiving the wrath of the bees as well, and tried to get Joe to stand up so they could get him to a vehicle and away from the scene of the massacre.  Because he was virtually dead weight (sorry!) they struggled mightily, but eventually were successful in righting him. 

They took off his clothes, poured a bottle of ammonia over his body (can you envision them using an After Bite pen on every one of the 40+ stings?), loaded him into a car and drove to the ranch gate, calling 911 on the way. 

To make a long story short, after an ambulance ride and a few hours in the hospital in Laredo, Joe was discharged, wearing an attractive hospital gown with stylish back tie, and our friend Janice drove him back to the ranch.  He was fine after a couple of days, though his glasses have not been discovered.  (Maybe the bees are learning how to use them to focus the sunlight into a little pinprick of heat to fry ants.  It wouldn't surprise me.)

The End.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Out of Africa

Thanks to Fieg cousin Sue Williams for sharing a blog address for her niece, Laura Fieg Kasibante, husband Chief and their child Maxwell Musoke

Laura is the daughter of Doug Fieg, who is the son of Lother "Bud" Fieg who is the son of Lothar Fieg Sr. who is the son of Carl Fieg of Pforzheim, Germany, the man who planted in America the sapling from which fell all the nuts in our family.

You can read about the family's life in Uganda, watch the baby growing up and feel the passion these three have for their mission by visiting http://kasibantes-in-ug.blogspot.com/2014/08/june-july-2014.html.

See if you can recognize Laura's grandmother, Catherine Shafer Fieg, smiling out from Laura's face!