autobiography, part II

While I was busy learning to do things like walk, talk, feed myself, etc., the world was rapidly moving forward. In 1975, the Watergate scandal was in full swing. Cabinet members were falling left and right, scrambling to find someone else to become a scapegoat. The age of the microcomputer had arrived. The Vietnam War officially ended with the fall of Saigon. The US and the Soviet Union docked spacecraft in orbit, the first such collaboration for the two nations. In July, Jimmy Hoffa was first reported missing.

My family lived in Columbia, SC. The first person on my father's side of the family arrived in the early 1700's, having fled religious oppression in Germany. A group of these German settlers chose Orangeburg, SC as their new home. It was one of the very first colonies in North America. My family lived in that very same area for the next 250+ years.

My ancestors were very religious protestants. We did find out that some of our ancestors were slave owners. Apparently that was not considered a sin at the time. There is a tradition of religious hypocrisy in my family that created a lot of confusion for me in my teenage years. I will get to that later, though.

In September of 1975, the same month that Lynette Fromme - a follower of Charles Manson - failed to assassinate President Gerald Ford, Patty Hearst was finally arrested in San Francisco. Her trial became a public spectacle. In October, Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frasier in the "Thrilla in Manila." The first episode of Saturday Night Live aired. The Boston Red Sox won the greatest World Series of all time.

I spent much of my very early youth with my extended family, and we took vacations to the beach, and to our little plot of land at Lake Murray, SC. I was introduced to fishing, boating, and swimming very early. I would always be a fan of water.