John's Pel Tech

This past Wednesday, a check was presented to the principal at Mother Catherine Spalding School conveying the proceeds of John's memorial scholarship to date. Again, many thanks to all who contributed. A tax deductible fund will be established at the school shortly which can receive additional contributions in John's memory. Details will be provided soon. In the meantime, for those who want to know more about how this fund will be used, you can go to this earlier post.

Papa's Big 85th Birthday Celebration

This past weekend, the Leonard clan got together to celebrate John's granddad's (Papa) 85th birthday. A memorable time was had by all -- and memories of John and his grandmother (Mammy) added to the specialness of the evening. Papa offered reflections on memories involving all, to include his grandchildren. Of course, it was John who first made Papa and Mammy grandparents, being the first of six grandchildren. One of Papa's memories of JW entailed JW's Uncle John, who many years ago was a builder of homes. In that vein, on a trip to Monticello with his Mom, Dad, Mammy and Papa, JW asked if his Uncle John had built Thomas Jefferson's famous architectural achievement high on a hill in overlooking Charlottesville, Virginia. We don't know if his Uncle John used the comment in his advertising after that, but apparently that is one of the reason why JW became a computer engineer and not a liberal arts major like his Mom and Dad.

A Big Thank You

We have become aware lately of individuals who have made contributions to John's Scholarship Fund who have not received an acknowledgment from us. We have talked to Bank of America and they have acknowledged that they have had a problem in consistently informing us of contributions to the fund so that we can provide an appropriate acknowledgment. Nonetheless, we are distressed at the thought that individuals have made thoughtful contributions (to include one truly significant contribution) and yet have not received our personal heartfelt thanks.

If you have made such a contribution and did not intend to remain anonymous yet did not receive our personal thanks, please accept this imperfect substitution. Also, please do not hesitate to mention to us if you believe your contribution (either in John's or his Grandma's memory) falls into this category. In the meantime, we anticipate establishing a formal, tax exempt fund directly at Mother Catherine Spalding School in John's memory in the near future. Thank you for your understanding and your continued generosity.

The current balance of the scholarship fund is a whopping $50,434.77.

The Rock (Part Two)

Recall the earlier posting about the rock from Alcatraz which Alex made certain to bring back to John. There is now a companion rock on the other side of John's headstone, a rock from the Inca Trail in Peru. This rock, however, will someday be returned to its original resting place by John's family. In the meantime, it is a fitting reminder of John's adventurous spirit and love of life.