Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary,General Meade

Oh, to be in Philadelphia today!

My dear, dear friends, the General Meade Society, are gathering in Laurel Hill Cemetery where they will toast and honor the victor of Gettysburg, General George Meade, born this day in 1815. Our hero, Andy Waskie, portrays the general and leads the march to his grave each year. It is a lovely spot, overlooking the Schuylkill River. There the assembled share bottle after bottle of champagne, toasting General Meade, President Lincoln, the veterans, etc., etc., until cases of bubbly have been consumed long before most folks have begun their New Year's Eve celebration. It is a grand tradition!!

 

150th Anniversary of Lincoln's call for 'troops to defend Washington' parade in Philadelphia. Marching down Chestnut St to Broad and then to the site of the old train depot at Broad & Washington Sts. — with Robert Houston and Kenneth Gavin at Philadelphia PA

 

Laurel Hill Cemetery, looking toward Meade's grave and the river. Gary took this when we were there a while ago. Below, Andy Waskie as General Meade and his bride, CarolNeumann Waskie as Clara Barton at the Constitution Center, Philadelphia.

This is also the wedding anniversary of General Meade and his beloved, Marguerite, and of Andy Waskie and his beloved Carol Neumann, my lovely and dear friend. Happy Anniversary, and we will have a toast in your honor. Thank you for the excuse to imbibe.

Below, statue of Meade at Gettysburg. In Kansas, Meade is memorialized in Meade, the town, and Meade, the county.

Waskie Gone Wild

I am fortunate to know some people who are extremely passionate about history. Some are in treatment programs. Some lead inspiring lives. Case in point: Anthony Waskie.

My dear friend Andy founded and serves as the president of the General Meade Society of Philadelphia. This prestigious group meets regularly to pay homage to the "Victor of Gettysburg" or "The Man Who Saved the Union." They have trips, galas, historic talks, wreath-layings--all manner of events to remind us of contributions of those gone on before.

I love these people! Let's face it--you have to be a bubble off plumb to show up at a cemetery in freezing weather on New Year's Eve to drink champagne and toast a man who has been dead more than a century. Perhaps. If so, the mania is spreading because each year Andy leads a throng of hundreds on the pilgrimage to the General's grave in Laurel Hill Cemetery. I have been honored to speak to this group and to accompany them on many travels. They are a shining example of what passion and determination can accomplish.

The General would be proud!