Merry Christmas…
11/30/2022Twelve drummers drumming…
…for Randy Peterson, who has been writing sports at The Des Moines Register for 50 years…and Felipe Nogueira of Brazil, coach of the championship men’s volleyball team at Grand View University. (And how come Grand View (two words) University is on Grandview (one word) Avenue? Sounds like an investigative project for the Capital Dispatch’s Clark Kauffman — that’s Kauffman with two f’s.)…for Drake sharpshooter Okay Djamgouz of Canada and University of Iowa punter Tory Taylor of Australia and Iowa State forward Aljaz Kunc of Slovenia…for sports photographer Dylan Heuer, his wife Ursula and their new son, Ben…and Jeff Tilley, who will shoot his 100,000th T-shirt out of the Iowa Cubs Fun Gun next summer. But who has been counting?
Eleven pipers piping…
…for whoever makes the hamburgers at Sully’s…and Lisa LaValle at the Trellis Cafe at the Botanical Garden, one of the town’s gems…and Marty Scarpino at the Embers on Ingersoll, and his brothers who help out behind the bar…for the crew at the Waveland Cafe…and everyone at Lucca…and Kathy Fehrman, who is planning a new restaurant on Ingersoll…and the wizards at The Grateful Chef.
Ten lords-a-leaping…
For newlyweds Chuck Offenburger and Mary Ritchie…and best man Randy Evans…for Amy Duncan and Mark Davitt, who are bringing old-fashioned journalism back to Indianola…for south-siders Deene and Dari Ehlis, one of whom makes a great rhubarb pie…for Big Green Umbrella Media’s Shane and Jolene Goodman, who know that names make news…for warring county supervisors Angela Connolly and Matt McCoy, who probably don’t like to see their names in the same sentence.
Nine ladies dancing…
…for a bunch of folks who are moving on: outgoing State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald and Attorney General Tom Miller, who devoted their lives to serving the state… the hundred or so golfers who have resigned from the Wakonda Club in protest of the board’s costly plans to redo the golf course and clubhouse. (And why no stories on this? Rich guys vs. rich guys is always a good story.) Anyway, welcome to Echo Valley…retiring Register columnist Rekha Basu…and Cindy Axne, who was knocked down by the Red Wave in Iowa…for Channel 8’s Steve Karlin, who is retiring…and so are Art Center director Jeff Fleming and Library Foundation Director Dory Briles…for Gary Slater, who is retiring from the Iowa State Fair…and, especially, for Brian Cooney, who is more or less retiring after 40 years behind his bar in Beaverdale.
Eight maids-a-milking…
…for Ben Waseskuk, who for 33 years delivered the New York Times in the wee hours of the morning — he calculates he delivered 2.5 million copies — until the Times abandoned the Iowa readers of the daily print edition…(And whatever happened to news-boxes on the street — and telephone booths — and milkmen — and soda fountains — and streetcars and “Curbliners”?)!…(And have you ever seen a sentence that ended with that many punctuation marks?)…for the people who make the egg nog at Anderson Erickson…and Herb and Kathy Eckhouse, the prosciutto makers, who are selling La Quercia.
Seven swans a-swimming…
…for Rachelle Keck, the new president of Grand View, and Christy Anderson and Marilee Mitchell, who like dogs…and Renee Hardman at Broadlawns…and Angela Franklin, who is building a huge new campus for Des Moines University — as the folks on Grand Avenue wonder what will happen to the current campus, which was founded in 1884 as Saint Joseph’s Academy, a Catholic girls’ high school where the girls wore uniforms and didn’t chew gum… for Zachary and Mackenzie and Chris and Maggie, never on Santa’s naughty list…and weatherman Ed Wilson…and Chuck Betts, who has a Cadillac emblem on his motorized scooter.
Six geese-a-laying…
…for the old-timers who gather around a table at the Village Inn each Wednesday to talk about sports — and they know what they’re talking about. It’s hard to stump Mike Mahon or Larry Morgan or Laura Leonard or Dave Stockdale or Chuck Schoffner or Rick Leiserwitz or Dave Mills or the others. But a quick call to Sam Bernabe or Randy Wehofer could clear up any baseball arguments…for Drake’s Vince Kenney, who knows the difference between a tuba and a euphonium, and everyone else at Music Under the Stars…for Trudy Hurd, who is everywhere…and Principal’s Dan Houston, who must be the busiest — and maybe the nicest — man in town.
Five gold rings…
…and a crown for Mitchellville’s Randi Estabrook, the reigning Miss Iowa…for Luis and Adrian and Mayra and Rick at Dreamers Roosevelt Barbershop…and hairstylist Kelly Morris…for David Johnson, assistant librarian in Ocheyedan, who would never burn a book…and 91-year-old Elaine Estes, who integrated the Drake dormitories in 1949 and led the Des Moines Public Library for a generation…for the journalism faculty at the University of Iowa (who surely didn’t teach 1991 grad Kari Lake to tell reporters that “I’m going to be your worst frickin’ nightmare”)…and Laura Belin, who didn’t need a journalism degree to become a terrific reporter.
Four colly birds…
…for World Series umpire Pat Hoberg of Urbandale, who calls ’em as he sees ’em…and umpire supervisor (and trumpet player) Mike Everitt, who worked around 2,700 Major League games — and ejected 81 players…for Stephanie Sinovic, who raises money for Drake, and Matt Sinovic, who raises questions in Progress Iowa…and architect Kevin Nordmeyer, whose Harkin Center at Drake is a model for accommodating folks with disabilities…for the very organized Katie Miller…for Scott Sailor, who has files on everything… and Beth Giudicessi, onetime employee of the year.
Three French hens…
…for Rob and Jessica Tyler Feeney, carrying on the Tyler tradition at the Coca-Cola business in Iowa. And Jessica’s grandpa Jim Tyler in Atlantic…and the friendly folks at the downtown Y… for Tavian Banks and Rodney Filer at the Grubb recreation center…and Pilates instructor Gigi Filer, too…for Marty Tirrell, who is back in town…and everyone at Molly’s Cupcakes.
Two turtle doves…
…for some folks in Ankeny: software engineer Todd Brady, who invented the Internet Vaccine Hunter and the Formula Finder — but lost in his bid for the Iowa senate…and 84-year-old opera singer Simon Estes, who has sung around the world but still knows the Centerville High School fight song…for Trevor and Ethan and Blake and Cooper Conkel…Polk County Supervisor Steve Van Oort.…all the generous Lombardis…and track star Tyrese Miller.
And a partridge in a pear tree…
…in memory of the wonderful George Drake, Rhodes Scholar, Grinnell graduate and then trustee and then president, and baseball fan…the lovely and kind and generous Mary Pappajohn…the Rev. Carlos Jayne, who fed the poor and fought for peace…photographers John Hetherington and John Gaps…golfer and politico George Kinley…Broadcasters Mac McCausland (more precisely W.D. McCausland III) and Rick Swalwell and businessman David Hoak and Irishman Marty Walsh…State Auditor Richard Johnson, a stand-up guy, and public servant Jim Riordan…longtime Grand View coach and athletic director David Sisam and former East High Principal Earl Bridgewater…Mary Ann Beno and Lavon Schattschneider…dentist and winemaker Bill Brown…Stan Reynolds and Wes Ritchie and Kay Polydoran Wright…watchdog Dick Goodson and V. Hale Starr…Dr. Bill Hornaday…Phil Hildebrand, who loved and served Pleasant Hill…kind and upbeat Scott Kirkpatrick…businessman and teacher Bob Galligan…banker and entrepreneur Brian Chittenden…longtime legislator and school-board member and feminist Betty Grundberg…
…and, always, the first Christopher. ♦
— Michael Gartner
