MY PRIMARY FOCUS
Prelude
Born: Robert Watts Handy, 2 December 1931, the second child, first of three sons parented by Albert Clinton & Gertrude Eolyn (Watts) Handy at Civil Bend Farm bordering the Missouri River in Southwest Iowa during great depression's lastin', dust bowl's blastin', winter's taskin', earth's everlastin'.
Kid Tag-Along
Among the vivid memories of incredible instances when a mere 'touting sprout tag-along' are comprehending contrastin', first askin's, answered factin', wilderness trackin', thunderstorm's crackin', rain's splattin', rainbow's ummaskin', tornado's ramsackin', snow's lastin', locust combatin', hand-claspin', hay barn's stackin', thingamajig collapsin', jump rope's slackin', flood amassin', levee gappin', rural electro's jackin', back slappin', swing sackin', pickup waxin', milking's fly zappin', hired man shackin', migrating ducks' quackin', side wheeler riverboat's tackin', lefty corn shuckin's impactin', baseball smackin', soap making's cracklin', tree house sappin', boxed-ringer matter-of-factin', river's shacklin', horse team rackin', motorized contraptin', brother sassin', chickens cacklin', foot-racing's gaspin', cookie jar snackin', diseased relapsin', aortic coarctation satisfactin', study abstractin', glove catchin', hoe hackin', rein whackin', tractor packin', egg batchin', caught nappin', birds hatchin', world war puberty enactin', wild game trappin', buddys' backin', fuddys' lackin', square dance tappin', chore's procrastin', ballgame shellackin', hurt actin', yellow school bus in-the-backin', pet dog pattin', swimming hole cattin', dad's straw hattin', mon's satin, crop mappin', hog house mattin', pickle vattin', skeeters attackin', asparagus patchin', girl attractin', high school factin', grad adaptin', weekend relaxin', goal satisfaction, and more.
College Student
Class of '49 graduate. College bound, tiger claws, freshman beanie, dorm life, standing in line, co-ed dining, studied, played around, cramming, exams, friendships a plenty, dating, sock-hops, big-name bands, convocations, varsity games, stop day, homecoming, fraternity, hell week, sports reporter, actor, athlete, yearbook editor, baseball coach, student senate pres, student recruiter. Class of '53 grad with BA degree.
Careered Family Man
Alma Mater job three years as adminssions counselor on the road. Post graduate studies aided by part-time assistantship for the college union. Withdrew to be campus program director. Married, parented two daughters and a son. Launched two decade career as director of university centers and student activities, planning consultant, international profession exec, baseball manager, youth sponsor and coach, church elder, community volunteer.
In 1974, relocated family, restored inherited former homestead at Civil Bend. Served two years as executive director of regional commission commemorating nation's bicentennial, followed by eight years as producer of world premiere stage dramas and expositions based on the rich heritage of aboriginal tribal cultures, four years as metro-area camping director, and three years as development and marketing director of regional performing arts companies.
Elder Handyman
During early spring 1992, then age 61 years, accepted opportunity to assist my son and his partner open their new restaurant in the Nethelands. Arrived for 30-day inkind effort. Stayed on two years as part-time second cook, prepper, dishwasher; reunified father and son worked, conversed, celebrated side-by-side. A rewarding experience. Haven't returned to America except for wonderful reunion with first family. Soon to be eight years in northern Europe as serene father of three adult children and their spouses, proud grandfather of six descendents, and happy "housespouse" of extended family while also enjoying research, writing, publishing, bicycling, and a bit of travel. Life for this refined elder is indeed grand.
A Handy Family in America (family tree)
Gina's Get-Away
Homage Rhyme (versed memoir)
Consenting Victims (myth of reality)
The Kids In Us (children's trilogy)
Afina (fiction novel)
Someday - Civil Bend by the River (historical)
Footprints In Blood (historic trial of Standing Bear)
Great Plains Indian Arts (educational)
also unpublished manuscripts
Riverboat Nan
Michael's Seascape
Tears For My Father
Enemies
Aunt Inge's Cosy Knuffels
Have Talent, Will Travel (university performing artists)
Jesus Christ, Superstar (American Rock Opera Co)
Symbolic Americana (multi-media)
Black Elk Speaks (stage drama)
Footprints In Blood (stage drama)
Great Plains Indian Arts Expo (performing/visual arts)
A HANDY FAMILY IN AMERICA
Pittsylvania, Virginia to Fremont County, Iowa
1720 to 2000
by
Robert Watts Handy
Hardbound Book - 3-volume, 550 pages
featuring genealogy of
Handy, Watts, Acord, Potter lineages
to commemorate the new millennium
From where I sit
time has ticked
eight months quick
since begun unzip
of our family's bit
on humanity's trip.
Oh, the mystery of it.
Pick by pick, bit by bit
of lineage whiffed,
blipped, snipped,
saved on pc quick
for legacy's writ.
Oh, the discovery of it.
Sit by sit, hit by hit,
probing's dip, exposure's tip,
connecting's trick,
frustration's whip,
wit's end sip, didn't quit.
Oh, the neverending of it.
Let 'er rip, another submit;
look there quick, imput it.
Oh, the romance of it.
Bit by bit, our heritage lit
for wit's remit.
Draft after draft's fit
to knit facted picks.
Oh, the complexity of it.
Writing's needed quit,
editing's eye-blinding flips.
Regretted mistake's sick,
dim-wit authoring's admit.
Refining's again sit,
at last publishing's herewith.
Oh, the reprieve of it.
New millennium's itty-bit,
A Handy Family in America.
Quest's knip it,
book's promo kit,
zip-code's go get,
mailing's forthwith,
recipient's flip,
decision's git or yep.
Oh, the waiting's pit.
Ordering it,
publication's ship.
Got it!
Hopefully you'll
be happily reading,
absorbing it bit by bit.
Oh, the learning from it.
An now a tip
from where I sit
at desktop's windowed lit.
A Handy Family in America
is a start's submit
for future another's commit
to update, refine it.
Oh, the joy of it.
Inclined to express what's on my mind,
I authored and published
HOMAGE RHYME,
the three-volume book
highlighting three hundred sixty-five
Versed Scenes
lined on eve of the
new millennium time.
Verses inspired by good life's climb
from birthed mine to aged spine.
From dawning's lofty, lowly line
to ascent's goals, feats defined;
from resurgence's creative will refined
to plunge's mundane grind behind;
from rescue's miracled sublime
to second plunge's humiliating bind;
from second rescue's resolve redefined
to serendipity's serened soul,
fine state of mind.
Bits of divine's meditation fine,
bits of wisdom's refined vine,
bits of mellowing's savored wine,
bits of honesty's soured brime,
bits of anxiety's marvelous decline,
bits of giving's peaceful recline.