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Together,: Memoirs and other writings by John B Pendleton
Together combines family history with different stories about people and events imn the life of John. B. Pendleton. Although the memoirs are arranged in a loose chronological order, they do not present a continuous of complete history of his life. Rather, some were chosen merely because they afford humor; others because they depict significant events in his life. All of them reflect the enjoyment of being together.
219 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2017
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September 8, 2020
John B. Pendleton, my 1958 classmate at Amherst College, wrote the 31 vignettes and nine poems in this collection after retiring from a 35 year legal career and a decade-long stint as a boarding school teacher and house master in conjunction with his wife, Betsy Carruthers.
John has a large and extensive New England family dating back to the the late 16th century. One ancestor born in 1747 sired 17 children who in turn presented him with 136 grandchildren, and John and Betsy raised 10 children in their merged family, children who have gone on to add numerous in-laws and grandchildren to the extended clan. They not only provided John with an ample audience for his memoir but also an endless source of anecdotes, adventures, reflections, and character studies.
Although John does trace the Pendleton family tree, Together is a more than just a family history. In this illustrated reminiscence, John deftly describes the people (and animals) and recounts the events in his life and those of other family members, both happy and tragic, with honesty, compassion,warmth and humor. Nautical misadventures abound., as do reflections on various aspects of life.
As a fellow octogenarian, I especially appreciated John's recollections of boyhood in the 1940s and early 1950s: 25 cent Saturday movies with 10 cent popcorn, Jack Benny and Fred Allen on the radio, unorganized sandlot baseball games. This Brooklyn Dodger fan did not, however, appreciate being reminded of Bobby Thomson's 1951 Shot Heard Round World. Sadly, despite his other virtues, John Pendleton was a Giants fan.
John has a large and extensive New England family dating back to the the late 16th century. One ancestor born in 1747 sired 17 children who in turn presented him with 136 grandchildren, and John and Betsy raised 10 children in their merged family, children who have gone on to add numerous in-laws and grandchildren to the extended clan. They not only provided John with an ample audience for his memoir but also an endless source of anecdotes, adventures, reflections, and character studies.
Although John does trace the Pendleton family tree, Together is a more than just a family history. In this illustrated reminiscence, John deftly describes the people (and animals) and recounts the events in his life and those of other family members, both happy and tragic, with honesty, compassion,warmth and humor. Nautical misadventures abound., as do reflections on various aspects of life.
As a fellow octogenarian, I especially appreciated John's recollections of boyhood in the 1940s and early 1950s: 25 cent Saturday movies with 10 cent popcorn, Jack Benny and Fred Allen on the radio, unorganized sandlot baseball games. This Brooklyn Dodger fan did not, however, appreciate being reminded of Bobby Thomson's 1951 Shot Heard Round World. Sadly, despite his other virtues, John Pendleton was a Giants fan.
Displaying 1 of 1 review