Elected Winter Carnival King in 1988

Dad (me) on right and Billie Jo on left
in Winter Carnival competition.

Did you know that in college I was the Winter Carnival king? In early 1988, I was living in the upperclassman dorm, and a bunch of my dormmates convinced me and a friend, named Billie Jo (she was an exchange student from Nebraska), to run for carnival king and queen to represent the dorm. A vote was held in the dorm, and we won!

The winter carnival theme that year was "Hooray for Hollywood," so we had to do all kinds of skits and competitions related to that theme. The posters we made matched that used on the "Top Gun" movie posters, and we did a skit from "Revenge of the Nerds".

We received points for the skits and contests, and then a campus-wide vote was held. We won again!

The week was a lot of fun. Maybe one day you'll also run to be a carnival king at your school!

"3, 2,1, Blast off!"...Playing "Countdown"

When you were a baby, one of my favorite things to play with you was "Countdown". I'd hold you in front of me and then count backward from 10, and after reaching one would go "Blast off!" and lift you really fast above me then hold you up there and say "And baby is on his way to the moon!" You'd laugh gleefully every time!

After a few times of playing the game, though, when I'd get to three in the countdown you'd shut your eyes really tight and tense up in anticipation of the quick blast off! Once I got you in the air, though, you'd open your eyes and giggle as wiggling your hands and feet in the open air!

You always were disappointed when I brought you back to Earth - I think you wanted to fly!

Campus literary magazine editor

In addition to being the editor of the campus newspaper when I was in college, I also was the editor of the campus literary magazine, called Prologue, for three years. When I was a freshman and a sophomore in college, I'd gotten writings published in them, and I was an English major, so I was a natural for the job! The magazine published short stories, poems and essays.

As editor, I changed the look of Prologue so that it was the size of an actual magazine. Then I got artwork for the cover, which ran in color, something we'd never done before. To keep costs low, I lowered the quality of the paper within the magazine.

We produced the magaine at the campus newspaper office, which made it very easy to do, as I became lit mag editor after I was the newspaper editor.

Would you believe that I'm still friends with people I met while working on Prologue?

My involvement in college forensics

While in college, I was actively involved in forensics - or speaking contests (Not the science of how people died, which is another definition of the word!). I participated in forensics during the first four years of college.

At first, my big events were prepared serious speeches, such as communication analysis, informative, and persuasive speaking. My speeches included an analysis of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos", toothpaste, and bilingual education.

But my biggest success came in making up speeeches off the top of my head, specifically extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking. In extemp, you're given a political question and have 30 minutes to write a speech about it; you can use one note card. In impromptu speaking, you're given a quotation and have up to 2 minutes to come up with a 5 minute speech about it. In both categories, I took second place in state during spring 1988 and went on to nationals.

I also was president of my campus' honorary forensics society, Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha.

My work as campus newspaper editor

Campus newspaper offices

During college, I was the editor of my campus newspaper. The paper was called the Student Voice.

I began just helping the newspaper staff on Wednesday nights during my freshman year. Then I was asked to be the Arts and Entertainment editor, which I did during my sophomore year. In March of that year, I was named editor, a position I held for the next 12 months.

While the editor, I oversaw a staff of 72, redesigned the newspaper, and expanded its size to include more stories. It was a lot of work, and I had to cut back on my class load to make time for it all!

It also was a lot of fun. Many good friends were made during that time, and I learned a lot about newspapers, my abilities, and how to be a leader.

Maybe one day you would like to work on a publication, like a newspaper or a magazine?

Where I went to college in 1984

Freshmen Academic Honors I received in May 1985.

After graduating from high school in 1984, I went off to college at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. My original majors were going to be broadcast journalism and political science (I wanted to be a radio news reporter/announcer). I was on the campus radio station as a DJ and announced news my first year of college.

But I found the political science classes a bit dull and liked working with the people at the campus newspaper (which I also participated in during my first year of college), so I switched my majors to print journalism and English! Then I added an education degree to it so I could be a teacher.

I lived in the dormitory Hathorn Hall my first and second years of college. Then  I spent the next two years in the upperclassman's Prucha Hall dormitory and my final year lived off campus across the street from the college.

I had lots of fun at college and achieved many things there; I'll tell you more about them in future entries!

My email sent to you on Dec. 1, 2012

Here is my email sent to you on Dec. 1, 2012, in case you don’t receive it:

Hi Kieran,

Hope you are doing well. I miss and love you very much! I was surprised to not receive a response to my last email, which I sent Nov. 25. Quite a number of your email responses somehow are not getting to me! Perhaps you could have your mother resend all of them, especially your one from this past week.

How is school going? What kinds of things are you learning about? I recall you telling me that you were studying the phases of the moon. Have you moved on to other space topics?

The last time we were together, you mentioned that the guinea pigs in your classroom were looking for a new home. Did they find one yet? Where did they go?

Christmas is coming up - it'll be here in a little more than three weeks! What presents have you put on your list to Santa? What presents do your friends want? When I was in kindergarten, for Christmas I got a GI Joe doll and the "There's a Monster at the End of this Book" storybook. I got other toys and books as well, but those are the only two gifts I remember!

Speaking of books, have you read any good new ones lately? I did - it was called “Santa’s Secrets Revealed” by James Solheim. It's about this boy named Stevie who doesn't believe Santa could possibly deliver toys to so many boys and girls in just one night. So Santa takes him on a tour of his high-tech facilities and shows him how the elves and reindeer really get the presents to everyone! It was a very humorous book.

We are scheduled to visit one another on Friday, Dec. 7. I can't wait to see you - and I'll be bringing some Christmas gifts that Santa dropped off at my house for you!

Be a good boy, and I'll see you soon!

Love,

Dad