Sesquicentennial (ses-qui·cen·ten·ni·al) noun
1. pertaining to or marking the completion of a period of 150 years.
2. a 150th anniversary or its celebration

On June 20, 1863, by a Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, the western Virginia counties which had rejected secession were admitted to the Union as West Virginia. It is the only state born as a direct result of the Civil War.

Today, June 20, 2013, West Virginians everywhere are celebrating the 150th birthday of our beautiful and unique state. Here are some words spoken by the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, who served the good people of his home state in Congress for 57 years (6 years in the House of Representatives and 51 years in the Senate).

"Covered from end to end by the ancient Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia remains, to me, one of the most beautiful, one of the most unique of all places, and I have seen lot of places throughout the world in my time. I suppose that if the more than one million mountains in West Virginia were leveled flat, the state would reach all the way to Texas. In any event, its boundaries extend farther north than Pittsburgh, farther south than Richmond (the capital of the Old Confederacy) as far east as Buffalo, New York, and as far west as Columbus, Ohio. It is the most southern of the northern and the most northern of the southern; the most eastern of the western and the most western of the eastern. It is where the East says good morning to the West, and where Yankee Doodle and Dixie kiss each other good night! It is the state that is 'wild and wonderful' and 'almost heaven,' with its beautiful hills and its law-abiding, God-fearing, and patriotic people."

Montani semper liberi

(unknown photo)}

"There is something within us that tells us all we will ever know about ourselves.
There is a destiny that tells us where we will be born, where we will live,and where we will die.
Some men are drawn to oceans, they cannot breathe unless the air is scented with a salty mist. Others are drawn to land that is flat, and the air is sullen and is leaden as August.
My people were drawn to mountains."

"They came when the country was young and they settled in the upland country of Virginia that is still misted with a haze of blue which gives those mountains their name.
They endured and they prevailed; through flood and famine, diphtheria and scarlet fever, through drought and forest fire, whooping cough and loneliness, through Indian wars, a civil war, a world war, and through the Great Depression they endured and they prevailed.
In my time, I have come to know them."

"I have walked the land in the footsteps of my fathers.
Back in time to where the first one trod, and stopped, saw sky, felt wind, bent to touch Mother Earth.....and called this "Home."
This mountain.
This pine and hemlock, oak and poplar. Laurel, wild, and rhododendron.
Home and mountain. Father, mother. Grow, too the sons and daughters.
To walk the old paths. To look back in pride in honored heritage.
To hear its laughter and its song.
To grow, to stand and be themselves, one day remembered."

"I have walked the land
in the footsteps of all my fathers.
I saw yesterday and now look to tomorrow."

~~Earl Hamner, Jr.~~

My grandchildren with Santa:
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In front of the Christmas tree:
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The 1970 Marshall University football team.
{ Image: 1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WMrGjnxL6c/SRzM5dmVh0I/AAAAAAAAC7s/8aJRiTptI8E/s400/mu70team.jpg }

Most of them were killed in a plane crash on November 14, 1970, along with coaches, staff, fans, and flight crew...75 in all.

Each year on November 14, a memorial service is held at this fountain on campus as a tribute to the 75 who lost their lives that day.
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http://www.herald-dispatch.com/multimedia/galleries/news/x1201848280/Gallery-Marshall-Memorial-Service-2009

November 11 is a day we set aside to honor those who have served our country, especially during time of war. This is my tribute to two men in my family who served during WW2.

From the World War 2 Memorial Website.

My Father, a WW2 Veteran who served in Europe and was awarded the Purple Heart:

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http://www.wwiimemorial.com/registry/search/pframe.asp?HonoreeID=1910144&popcount=1&tcount=4

My uncle, who served in WW2 and was killed in action in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, New Years Day 1945:

{ Image: grade1teacher.home.comcast.net/ww2vet1.jpg }
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/registry/search/pframe.asp?HonoreeID=1910147&popcount=1&tcount=2

My grandchildren in their Halloween costumes:

Emily (age 7) "The Bumblebee" and A.J. (age 3) "Captain Hook"

{ Image: grade1teacher.home.comcast.net/halloween_em.jpg } { Image: grade1teacher.home.comcast.net/halloween_aj.jpg }