Video Trek III: The Search For Dad - Part 4...

SitRep:

10 interviews completed, 3 more to go (ended up dropping a few who wouldn't be able to meet).
Nothing has been edited as yet, but footage is still being noted and logged.
50% of required pictures have been scanned and edited.
Research at 100%
Script at 80%

28.35 days remain.

Status: On track for delivery.
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Busy week.

Started off meeting with my uncle (Dad's brother) on Monday. It was quite an interesting experience to meet with my uncle because I didn't know what to expect from him.

My uncle and my dad didn't always see eye to eye on, well, pretty much anything. They were fairly opposite to one another in most respects and didn't always have the best relationship in the world. I suppose that I could write another large entry just detailing that alone, but in this case I shall just restrict myself to our meeting Monday since writing long essays on sibling rivalry would literally Amtrak for pages upon ages.

Anyhoo.... Interesting.

We spoke on camera about Dad and his early life. Mostly innocuous information about where they were born, what their parents did for a living, Dad's love for baseball, etc. After a certain point, I knew that we had reached the unspoken Wall of Fire, where the period of time in their lives after my blood grandfather's sudden death in '55.

I could see that we were there, and I knew that the topic was a no-fly zone with my dad, so I wisely decided to fast forward to the time seven years later after Dad had received his bachelor's degree. We continued on discussing Dad's decision to go into the field of pharmacy, his doctorate from USC and his eventual move to pharmacy education.

After the Q&A, my uncle gave a very heartfelt message, which kind of gives me hope that one of my brothers in particular and I can one day bury the hatchet. He told Dad how proud he was of him and his accomplishments (a big step for my uncle) and that he hoped that in retirement, they could become closer as brothers. Then he said that he loved Dad, which just about floored me.

So, it was quite a moment. A touching one that I just couldn't deny. They may not have always been close, but my uncle seems ready to try.

Afterwards, we spoke off camera about my blood grandfather's death and the effect that it had on both my uncle and my dad. I was surprised that he was so willing to share his thoughts with me and I was grateful for the chance to listen. I hadn't heard a lot of what he said before, but it did help to put things in perspective. I really wanted to call my dad just to tell him about the evening, but I knew that if I did, the secret project would be a wash. Dad is far from being an idiot.

Kind of funny, that. Dad's suspicious of something, but he doesn't quite yet know what. A colleague that I had interviewed last week accidentally slipped by commenting on how tall I was. Dad, of course, didn't really pursue the matter too far because the colleague quickly changed the subject to something work-related. Instead, Dad queried Mom: "How did he know Rob was so tall?"

Mom covered: "Well, hon, it's natural that people are going to talk about you and your family now that you're retiring. I'm sure he saw a picture of Rob at some point. You do have pictures of the family in your office, after all!"

Dad: "Oh, yeah. Hmmph. Didn't think of that."

Yeah, I've had a few close calls. Ever tried to ask twenty people who work closely with someone to keep a secret from them? Not easy, Chuck.

I was invited to Dad's retirement party in San Antonio and it kills me that I can't go. I know the SA crowd a lot better and some of them can be quite entertaining. I met with them on Wednesday, but I know that if I show up on that Saturday, someone will blow the good ship Silence out of the water with an accidental comment.

The San Antonio bunch was more fun to interview. I remember most of them from picnics, gatherings at my folks' place and the occasional visits to Dad's office, so it was in a way like meeting old friends. They were more willing to crack a little wise and kick back with me, so I really felt like this visit was a roaring success.

Also, they had a ton of pictures, some videotapes of my dad in action, more videotapes of the lampoons (kinda like a roast session put on by the students for the faculty) and several stories that while not necessarily for the video, were fun to hear anyway. Yaaaay, team SA!

Overall, I'm feeling rather optimistic about the project. I have two more interviews next week, one with the Provost at UT and another being a internet phone interview with a friend of the family. Also plan to stop by the family compound during my Dad's trip to Tucson next week to gather a few more pictures if I can swing it...