I frequently think of things I want to write about during the week, and then, when Monday evening arrives, those things have disappeared and I can't come up with one interesting subject!
Tonight, I'm going to reminisce about one of my favorite Nebraskans, who died just a short time ago. His name is Roger Welsch.
I think I first became aware of him while seeing Postcards From Nebraska on Sunday mornings with Charles Kuralt. I don't think I saw very many of those because we were typically not watching television on Sunday mornings. But they were sort of like Pure Nebraska; the local show by Jon and Taryn Vanderford, highlighting unique, small, out of the way places in our state.
Roger had been a German instructor at Wesleyan, and moved on to teach English at the U. He was into all things Native American and became interested in the weeds they used for medical things and to eat. Therefore, he did not get rid of the weeds in his lawn. And, the Noxious Weed Board left a sign at his door telling him he had to get rid of them.
He found out that Board was an elected position and ran for it; on a pro-weed ticket! You can imagine that brought a certain cachet of notoriety. So much so, that when Kuralt was in Lincoln for the Press Association meeting, he asked Joe Seacrest, of the Lincoln Journal, if there were any interesting stories he could point him to..
The rest is history! Soon, Roger quit his day job and concentrated on this TV show. Plus, he wrote a lot of books. My Mom would buy them for my brother; she liked titles like Old Tractors and The Men Who Loved Them, featuring a picture of an old Allis on the cover, along with the author in his trademark bib overalls, his longish hair, and facial hair before all guys were wearing facial hair.
I just checked out more titles: Everything I Know About Women I learned From My Tractor, and It's Not the End of the Earth But You Can See it From Here! There is even one about Outhouses; how to build them, where to site them, and their history. That is one I did not run across.
He actually gifted his forty acres south of Dannebrog to the Pawnee and they made him an honorary member. I've forgotten all his adopted names, but they were worn with pride. Dannebrog was also home of the Liar's Hall of Fame. He conducted an annual contest for the best liars!!
In case you can't tell, it was all in jest. He actually loved his native state, and we all loved him back. When I flew home from the Olympics in Atlanta, when the plane landed in Omaha, the pilot asked us to give his regards to Roger! He literally put us on the map.
And, true to form, I meant to write about him the week he died. But then, Tuesday morning came and I had forgotten about him... that happened last week, too. Frustrating!! He will soon be old news!
I have to tell you, we visited Dannebrog several years ago and drove by his place. He was still raising weeds! And I'm not a bit sure he was cooking them. The Big Farmer just could not abide them. A former “hired boy” told me a couple of weeks ago that was one of the things he remembered about spending a summer on our farm; chopping thistles; Mike with his trusty shoe spade! I think it's a good thing Mike was never on the Weed Board in a community Roger Welsch lived in. But then, he didn't make nearly the same money from writing a book that Roger Welsch did! We all have our talents.
