Larry McIntyre, The Smoker, c1937

Larry McIntyre was a smoker and a comedian.  He said he started smoking when he was 12 years old and selling newspapers on the west side of Chicago.  He smoked Camel cigarettes, nearly two packs a day.  When he was about 80 years old he stopped smoking cold turkey!  He was having some trouble breathing after he walked and had been diagnosed with COPD.  I remember asking him how he could just stop smoking after all of those years and he said "The doctor said I shouldn't smoke anymore, so I just didn't buy anymore cigarettes!"

I remember as a young girl, the "special" gift for Dad on Father's Day was always a carton of Camels.  Amazing.  Photo c1937

Celebrate Boise State University Authors

Albertsons Library is proud to host the fifth annual University Author Recognition reception to honor Boise State University scholarship.

The university community is invited to a reception this Thursday, February 25 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm in the McCain room, second floor of Albertsons Library.

The bibliography and author list are available online at http://library.boisestate.edu/faculty/ .

Please join us to celebrate and recognize the scholarship and accomplishments of Boise State University faculty and staff!

5855 N. Sheridan Road, 2004

Helen and Larry bought their first home in 1967. A condominium built by Dunbar Builders on Lake Michigan.  It was one of the first condominium buildings in Chicago.  When the developers initially designed the two towers, they were to be 13 stories each.  The first building sold so fast that by the time Helen and Larry decided to buy, the developers had doubled the height making the second tower 26 stories.  The lowest available one-bedroom, facing south, was on the 18th floor and construction had not yet begun.  Helen and Larry enjoyed the building's balconies, pool, and beach. They lived there the remainder of their lives.
The first tower, which can be seen in the right corner of the photo, is were Bob Newhart was supposedly living in his 1970s TV Show.
A one bedroom, 900 square foot unit costs $24,300 in 1967. By 2007, the price had increased eight-fold.  They made a good investment!

Stuffo Baby

Helen loved her stuffed animals - and she had many of them. Her favorites seem to be monkeys and frogs but her love was "Baby."   Baby traveled with her, attended events (including Helen and Larry's 50th wedding anniversary party) and kept her company.  She would dress him, add ribbon bows to his ears, and set him on the couch in the living room so he could join Helen and Larry when they watched TV.  The t-shirt Baby was wearing at the time of Helen's death said: "Life's a beach - Then you die."  Clipped to the neck of the shirt was a "JFK" button.

Larry Sr., Helen and Larry Jr., 1945

The McIntyre Family at the celebration of Fr. Charles Sullivan's 25th anniversary as a Jesuit, June 24, 1945.  Standing in front of Holy Family Church, Chicago, Illinois.

Helen Sullivan the Poet, 1935

Helen Sullivan McIntyre starting writing poetry when she was in high school at Trinity in River Forest. The oldest of her existing poems was written in 1935. When asked about the poem she said "I wrote this about Larry McIntyre two years before we were married. At the time, Larry was also dating another women and I didn’t know who he would finally choose."


I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES

I look into your eyes
Your heart was there inside
You whispered a few sweet lies
And your arms were opened wide.

You knew I’d love you forever
That was nothing new to you
You knew I’d always endeavor
To make you love me too.

And so in between our kisses
Someone else took my place
You thought “how swell this is”
Another love – another face.

You loved me – but she was sweet
Someone new to rave about
I was O.K. but she was neat
‘Twas second place for me no doubt.

And so the time has come to choose
If I’m to go – then of course she stays
Oh honey! If I’m the one to lose
Then thanks for all the yesterdays.

McIntyre-Sullivan Family History Website

The McIntyre-Sullivan Family History Website is underconstruction. It includes birth, marriage and death related information. Direct family names include McIntyre, Sullivan, Walsh, Madigan, Cawley, Fitzgerald, Connor, Colfer, and Reidy. Photos of many individuals are also included. It can be viewed at McIntyreGenealogy.com

Sola Scriptura

I'm delivering a paper at the annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society in three weeks, and a good part of my paper involves the doctrine of sola scriptura. I am expanding on the idea developed in the book Canonical Theism that sola scriptura is an unreasonable conception of scripture. The problem that I'm runnign into as I learn about this doctrine is that sola scriptura is a very fluid term, meaning different things withing different communities. It can mean that scripture is the only proper source and norm for the formation of doctrine. Or it can mean that, while the creeds of the church are true, scripture, when read properly, leads us to understand the faith in the manner of these creeds. The creeds are therefore summaries of the proper reading of scripture. Or it can mean that scripture contains everything necessary for salvation. Or it can mean other things. This, gentle reader, is the problem. It's hard to argue about a concept with no stable definition.

Around the same time, I am also speaking at the East Ohio Conference UTS alum gathering on the topic of the Bible and disability. I have been learning about this topic for a while now, but I have not spoken on it before. Given this, you may be asking, "Why are you blogging right now, rather than working on these two projects, the deadlines of which are quickly approaching?" The answer is: I really don't know. Perhaps this is a form of avoidance behavior.

LibGuides: LibaWhat?

Say you have a topic in mind, and you're not sure where to start. You want to get a nice range of resources for finding more information about your topic. Where would you go? How about saving some time and giving our super research guides a spin?

LibGuides are a collection of library research guides filled with handpicked resources on just about any subject you can think of -- from Accountancy to Theatre Arts, and everything in between. Each guide has recommended books, databases where you can search for journal articles, and other subject-specific resources you can go to for authoritative info on your research topic.

We've also got special-interest guides that you may want to use: for citing sources, locating primary resources, and even a guide for UNIV 106.

Bible Translations

Ever wonder what the differences are between various translations of the Bible? The Society of Biblical Literature has a web page that offers some info on these, along with articles about the topic of Bible translation. Click here to get to the site.

Happy Imbolc!

Spring is in the womb, soon to be birthed into new beauty and wonder.
Today is Brighid's day. Light your candles and bonfires, braid your hair, and enjoy her warmth, beauty, and creativity.