I have a simple request for all our members if you would be kind enough to indulge me. It was one year ago today that I lost my dad. Needless to say it hasn’t been easy, but I didn’t start the thread to bum anybody out. All I’m asking is if you are lucky enough to still have your dad in your life, please give him a call today even if it’s just to say hi. I’m sure it would mean a lot. And tell him Al said hi too.
Sorry to hear that Al. Lost mine 15 years ago this 2/27. Still remember it like yesterday. If you would, allow me to also ask for a favor. For everyone not lucky enough to still have their parents, it’s never too late to honor them where ever they rest…
Excellent idea Chuck. I’ll gladly second that.
Al, I know how you feel, I lost my dad as well a few years ago. My heart go’s out to you and even though It gets a little easer over time nothing can ever replace the special times with our fathers. I will keep you in prayer for peace in this time.
My dad’s name is Al. I dunno that I’ll call cause he’s at work and all, and I’m about to get some sleep, but I’m gonna shoot him a text message. He’s surprisingly hip with the technology, even more than I am in many cases, for a dude in his 60’s.
Hope your thoughts today ultimately leave you in a good place, Al Bundy. One of remembering the awesome. :thug-hug:
I know the feeling, Al; but it’s been a little longer for me, but that whole “the pain will fade in time” story? BULLSH*T!
On Dec 31 1990, Arthur Matthew Allen silently passed away at Phoenix Carl Hayden VA Hospital; with complications of congestive heart failure. A native of Clarkson, NY (note: outside of Brockport) and former Army Air Corps pilot, Art was the first member of his family to settle in southern Arizona.
He left behind his wife Mary (deceased July 17, 2006) three sons (Arthur Matthew Allen Jr, Mesa, AZ; Donald Allen, Rimrock, AZ; and James M “Jimmy” -aka- Desert Dawg, Yuma) and daughter Margaret (“Peggy”, also of Yuma); and, ultimately 12 grandchildren and (I’ve lost count, but over 20) great- grandchildren.
Sure wish his health had been well enough to meet his granddaughter Jessica (my 2nd child) and my son Matthew (also mine). He’d have loved them. He would also have laughed his a** if he could have heard that my oldest married a member of the 82nd Airborne… the great majority of his military time was spent dragging gliders behind his C-47, which was often loaded with paratroopers from some Army Unit that called themselves “All-Americans”.
Hey Al---------I am sorry that it has been a year since your dad’s passing. I lost my mother in MAy 2009. It is hard to believe it has been almost 3 years.
I will be sure to call my dad and do just as you asked. It is his 80th B-Day today. 
I am fortunate that he is in great health. He is going to come down from NY to see me this weekend to supervise the transmission trouble-shooting that is going to happen on Sunday to figure out where this noise is coming from. He too is a car guy, perhaps my issue has to do something with “apples and trees”?
I can’t help but to see that you are in SYRACUSE NY. GO SU!!!1
I am an alum. '91 undergrad. They have a very deep team this year. They are due and looking real good. My whole family is coming up to SU for the UConn game in Feb. Do you ever make it to any of the games?
Anyhow…remember the laughs with your dad. I am sure there were many.
Bill
Loss’s are very difficult no matter how much time has passed, but I believe that if you remember them they havent really totaly left. For all the memories a toast 
Very cool! I don’t get to many games, but they are always a good time. I have a buddy that’s had seasons tickets forever. So I get invited once in a while. A bit of a scare last night when Waiters turned an ankle, but I guess it’s all good. I’d love to see another national championship, I think they’ve got a good shot.
Really is a small world Dawg. Clarkson isn’t that far from me, been there a couple of times. Maybe it will get easier with time, maybe not. Sure is lonely in the garage sometimes though. I wish he would have got to see it finished, I think he would approve.
Sorry to hear you lost your Dad, but thanks for reminding me to call mine for no reason instead of “Hey Dad, can I store a motorcycle/engine/etc in your garage since I’m out of room?”
There is nothing I would rather do as I sit here than to ring Dad up and talk about cars or anything else. But …
I understand, Al… I wish my Dad were around to see Matt out dove hunting; the boy’s a holy terror at wingshooting -with a bolt-action Mossberg 385K that Dad bought at Western Auto when I was 5-6 years old. It had sat in my gunsafe for years, with the “expert opinion” that the receiver assembly was toast. Turns out “the expert” was wrong; as Matt had convinced me to completely detail-strip the old girl, including a complete disassembly of the bolt. Cleaned out a bunch of crud and ordered up a spring from Numrich in West Hurley; and whitewing dove once again fear Ol’ Miss Mossy - and the teen (grandson of the original owner) who now owns her.
In my head, I know Syracuse is somewhere near Brockport/Rochester; but I’ve only been there once, and I was 10 years old! I remember spending a week in Rochester at Dad’s cousin’s home - “Cousin Allen” Goffe (yeah, his first name was my surname) was a chemist for Kodak; his name is apparently on the patent applications for Kodachrome and Kodacolor. What I most remember (fortified by Mom’s albums, which I hold) most about that visit was that, even though I was 10 and she was 17, my “second-cousin-twice-removed” was freakin’ HOT!!! 
Then we went to Brockport/Clarkson/Hilton/Hamlin… I can’t remember which township encompassed most of Mom and Dad’s dairy, Hilton or Hamlin. The house and barn and milking parlor were just off Lake Road, about 7 miles from the lake itself; and the “back fence” was on Drake Road. I only saw it from the road 40 years ago (again, I was 10) and it was abandoned… didn’t look anything like the pictures (including a couple aerials) that I had seen in Mom’s albums.
The “almost family” that we stayed with were across the road; Dad’s old high school buddy Ebby Kenyon had bought my grandfather’s farm shortly after Dad bought his place, and Grandpa moved in with Mom and Dad. This was maybe 15-16 years before I was born (here in Yuma).
What other trivia do I remember… oh, yeah, this is kinda humorous. Last year, Matt had to do a “family tree” on our family, going back 4-5 generations. The best resource he had was my brother Donny; who had been doing some searching himself, and had met up online and over the phone with the Clarkson town historian. Along with a lot of background, he found out that -while not remembering Don- the historian had a crush on my oldest brother Art! 
Just too funny.
My oldest had to do a family tree for school two years ago. Fortunately I’ve always been interested in genealogy, so I have a lot of records and photos that my grandmother saved. I can trace my roots in my town back to 1789 when a tract of land was given to a Revolutionary War veteran. His name escapes me at the moment, I just remember he was a Capt. As much as I would like to seek warmer climes, it would be hard to leave that kind of history behind. I also have ties to Brockport through a sibling going back quite a few generations. Again I don’t remember the name off the top of my head, only that he was a minister and traveled the world quite extensively. Who knows if you dig deep enough you and I might be related.
Yeah, it was a little scare when Waiters rolled his ankle. He is fun to watch. His dunks are tremendous, and he can just shoot the ball too with some moves. Hopefully Providence won’t create too much trouble tomorrow. They beat up Louisville pretty good the other day. Sorry for the thread hi-jack. I’ll stop now.
Please hijack away. It’s nice to have something in common to talk about besides just the cars. I may get flamed for saying this out loud, but there’s more to life than just the Cougars.
I gave my Dad a call yesterday. It was really nice to talk to him. Thanks, Al.
It’s funny how common our interests are; bicycle racing, hot rods, drag racing, computers, hockey and physics. Most of these things I didn’t know he had liked for years until I got into them. Biggest difference; he likes little yippie dogs and I like big quiet dogs. My two golden retrievers are the best dogs I’ve ever had. The thing I appreciate most about him is the fact that he didn’t preach to me growing up. I didn’t know his political views until recently. In fact, I still don’t know them that well. He just raised me by example. Man, I’m going to miss him.
Glad to hear you called him Adam. I never had a chance to say any one of a thousand things that I wish I could have. But it makes me feel better knowing that others at least made a small connection because of me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k
Very apropos, or at least this is what the idea behind this thread made me think of.
Wow. Thanks for digging that one up Bob. Even the name of the band fits.