Wallace Blackwood 1921-2010
Wichita, Kansas
My father, Wallace Blackwood, passed away early this morning. I don’t know why I’m even bothering posting a POTD at a time like this except that he always enjoyed them, so this is a fitting tribute in a way. As such, it is totally inadequate as a means of expressing what this man meant to me and how wonderfully he shaped my life, but it’s the best I can do. I took this photo just the day before yesterday when I was in Wichita to help my parents get ready to move to assisted living. Like most photos, this one does not tell the whole story of his situation at the time, but those who knew him will not be surprised to see that in spite of his pain and discomfort the last photograph of him was with his nose buried in a book, in this case a book of Sudoku puzzles that he couldn’t seem to put down.
POTD is going to be on hiatus for a few days. It will return when acting normal seems to be the best medicine for me.
Thank you for this beautiful photo of Uncle Wallace. I was just blogging about memories of him as my email registered your posting.
Holding you all in my thoughts…
Carol
I am so sorry to hear this. You will be in my thoughts here in Oklahoma. I can tell just in the description how much yoiu loved your father and what a good son you were. I face this one day with my own parents and I don’t look forward to it at all. Take care. Kevin
While, I’m not the most adept on describing Dad, there is a word that I have always been fascinated that to me. And the more I think about it, it describes Dad to a tee. Dad was our polymath, a master of much knowledge that he shared with us all.
Wonderful! In this last photograph you’ve pretty much captured your Dad’s essence of strength and perserverance, disciplined and always stimulating his mind and challenging others to do the same by his example. It occurred to me that he is one person in this world I don’t recall ever being angry with. Probably because of the deep respect I felt for him and the exemplary way he lived his life.
Larry … all the best to you and your family in this sad time. Your Dad looked like an interesting guy. Nice portrait of him. Thank you.
He was a great granddad, can’t believe how sudden it happened, and how much I already miss him and his stories.
So sorry, Larry. It’s obvious he was a wonderful man – he raised a wonderful son. Our thoughts are with you. Mark and Judy
Sad news, but it is a time when families re-connect. I have such wonderful memories of Uncle Wallace during our trips to Kansas to see Grandma. It was a long trip from Nantucket Island but we loved being with our Blackwood cousins, aunts & uncles. Great picutre! Linda
My condolences to you and your family.
I only met him twice, but I liked him immediately. He was a great man and will be missed. It comforts me to know that he’s reunited with Glen and Ralph, though. My prayers are with you.
Larry,
I am sorry to hear about your loss. I think your photo and caption are a wonderful tribute.
-Jeffrey
This is really random, but your dad was my favorite Wichita South Math teacher. I remember the Navy recruiter telling me “with my strengths in math, I’d be just right for the nuclear power program”. I DID become a nuclear reactor operator on the guided missile cruiser Truxtun, and later worked at Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant in Kansas for 35+ years from before it started up in 1985 until I retired. Your dad had a part of that life story, so you should be proud. My daughter has been a high school math teacher for 14 years, so you could even deduce that his positive math influence went even further… RIP Mr. Blackwood
Duane, what a surprise to get this comment, after 14+ years even. How interesting how your math background led you to that career in the Navy and then the nuclear power industry, not to mention your daughter becoming a math teacher. You might not be surprised to know that math influence Dad’s own kids as well. My older brother is a retired civil engineer, my younger brother started his career as an engineer and ended it as a math teacher. I got a PhD in Statistics and worked at the Idaho National Laboratory, where the nuclear navy used to be trained,for 18 years. Much of my work there was related to defense-related nuclear waste.
I remember when I was in high school I would occasionally ask my dad for help on my math homework. He was also eager to help, but I ended up mostly trying to just figure it out for myself. As I put it at the time, “I just want a quick hint on how to tackle a problem but dad wants to explain the whole theory of mathematics. It’s quicker just to struggle through on my own.” He knew his stuff and was quite happy to share his knowledge with anyone who was interested.