I met Steve at Starbucks. His shirt said "Whitehead 1901." I asked him what that meant. He didn't know; his son gave him the shirt.
By the time I came back outside after ordering a coffee, Steve had looked it up. Whitehead was a man who claimed to invent manned flight two years before the Wright Brothers.
Steve grew up in the wealthy nearby town of Darien. His father was a successful lawyer and his brother was a good scholar, but Steve didn't like formal education. So, he became a machinist.
An interesting guy. We had a good conversation.
Our elders are gold, they have stories behind stories and so much, if we take the time to listen. Whiteheads that name as I have found it to be of course Steve here is a great example, his hair it white (he's lucky he has so much too) and coming from a background of automobiles many folks refer to anyone driving a Buick as being a whitehead because so many of the older generation drive Buicks. I'm not so sure I'd ever give anyone a shirt like that, but apparently Steve is honored by it and he wears it well. Your good conversation with him will last you a lifetime, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteJack, you take the best portrait photos. I suspect it has something to do with getting people to trust you by talking to them. Yes, Steve is an interesting guy.
ReplyDeleteA great person to meet and enjoy. Lots of history in his brain.
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