Yes, indeed, today would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 80th birthday. Born in 1929, MLK died at age 39 in 1968. Such a long time ago, but his loss is still keenly felt.
The special birthday I am referring to, though, is NOT MLK's. My brother Tony was born on January 15, 1949. He was a beautiful baby - golden curls and a sweet smile. Until my Mom finally had his hair cut, everyone thought he was a girl.
Tony attended schools here in Southern California and college at UC Riverside and Univ of British Columbia. We thought he was a professional student and would never get a job!
He was a math major but then switched over to computer science for his master's degree and his doctorate. He ended up working as a professor in the computer science department of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
His personal life took an upturn during these years too - he married Margie, a gal with two young boys. A ready-made family!
But time was not on their side. In June of 1983, Tony and Margie were riding on their tandem bicycle in the Wisconsin countryside and were hit by a drunk driver. Tony was killed instantly, and Margie was in a coma for several months and had her leg amputated. They were both 34.
Today would have been Tony's 60th birthday. Although his life was cut short at an early age, he accomplished so much, both professionally and personally. Some of his computer science papers are still published online. He made his mark, and I am proud of him!
Happy 60th Birthday, Tony!
Comments (3)
What a wonderful birthday note for Uncle Tony. We're joining you in thinking of him, lots of love... Kathleen
Posted by Kathleen | January 15, 2009 8:04 AM
Posted on January 15, 2009 08:04
Oh, man, Nancy, I'm sorry but you honor his memory well.
Posted by Kim | January 16, 2009 3:20 PM
Posted on January 16, 2009 15:20
Nancy, I'm so sorry for your loss. But as Kim said, your blog post is a beautiful memorial to your brother.
Posted by sandrac | January 17, 2009 1:21 PM
Posted on January 17, 2009 13:21