My wife and I reside at Eagle’s Trace, an Erickson Senior Living Community located in Houston, Texas. In January, 2018, ten residents gathered as a support group for writing our individual memoirs. Our target audience, at the time, consisted of our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We wanted to leave them a “legacy in words,” stories about our past and, perhaps, hopes for the future. Lacking such tales from our own parents and grandparents, we thought that the generations after us might have unanswered questions, as we did of the generations before us. At the time, we had no idea of how this transfer of information might occur.
During the height of Covid-19, I came across the first blog I had ever read: “BobOnBooks.com.” Among his book reviews, the author included stories about Youngstown, the major city near my own hometown, Niles. It occurred to me that blogging might be the method for transmitting my personal “legacy in words” to my own intended audience, who use electronic sources as I had done once with the pages of printed books. After several weeks of frustration resulting from self-learning this new technique, I began this “CameosAndCarousels: Legacy in Words” for my own three children, eleven grandchildren and, at present, six great-grandchildren, as well as any friends or strangers who might happen to access it.
CameosAndCarousels is a wordplay on my last name, Camerino, and my wife’s first name, Karen. This designation also relates to the idea that a cameo is a small profile, a life miniature, which is what I hope the reader will find among the items I’ve written. Furthermore, a carousel revolves as its creatures move up and down, getting nowhere, but providing amusement for those who participate. Life can be like that, too; besides, my wife is from Sandusky, Ohio, which is known for its carousel museum as well as for the Cedar Point Amusement Park.
This blog is organized for the three ages: Bronze, Silver and Gold, and a fourth group: Diamonds. A cover-page for each group of essays can be accessed from the “Home Page” tab, above. Individual entries may also be accessed directly through each drop-down menu. The pattern for these short memories and observations is:
Bronze Years: … my growing up and educational years associated with Niles, Ohio; Niles McKinley High School; Kent State University; and Cornell University.
Silver Years: … the middle years of career development associated with Dartmouth Medical School; Oregon State University; the National Institutes of Health; and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Golden Years: … the later years of growth and retirement associated with Baylor College of Medicine; the Diocese of Galveston-Houston; and Eagle’s Trace. Other, general reflections are included within these “golden years.”
Diamonds: … collections not necessarily dependent upon a particular age, but rather on such topics as Christmas letters, Travel and Homilies.
And yes, as one might conclude from the locations cited above, academic institutions have been a significant part of my life. I earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and have pursed a career in science administration in higher education. Furthermore, I am an ordained Permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church; spirituality has also been a significant part of my life.
A word on “Navigation:” Access to an entry can be made in two ways. (1) Clicking on tab “Home Page” will give a drop-down menu for each age. Instructions are given for access to a specific entry in each sub-class. (2) Clicking on tab for one of the three ages, e.g. Bronze Years, will give a drop-down menu for sub-classes found in this age: Niles Ohio, McKinley High, Kent State University, Cornell University. Clicking on a sub-class, e.g. Niles Ohio, will bring up a “page” of entries for that class. Scrolling down the page will access a maximum of ten entries. To proceed to the next “page,” click on >Older Posts at the bottom of the page. To return to a previous page, click on New Posts>.