STAYING AFLOAT in the GENE POOL -Genetic DNA News

'

DNA: Another Side of the Story

DEAR ABBY: My parents divorced when my older brother and I were small. Mom remarried, and I was adopted by the wonderful man who raised me as his beloved daughter. I had limited contact with my biological father, "Nate," which seemed to please everyone.

After my adopted dad passed, Nate came back into my life. I have not seen much of him but he was present at my second marriage five years ago, traveling across country to be there. Last month he called to tell me he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has named me as his heir since my older brother is deceased.

As a birthday gift, I presented him with a box from a company that does genome sequencing. It allows people to see their DNA and learn about their ancestry as well as any health-related issues. I enjoyed learning about genetics and thought Nate would, too.

Imagine how stunned I was when I learned that Nate is NOT my father. The company has assured me there is little chance the test is wrong, and they are certain we are not related.
I am close to my mother and horrified that she kept this secret from me for more than 50 years. I don't want anyone to be hurt, but I need the truth. What do I do?

-- QUESTIONING MY DNA IN S.F.

DEAR QUESTIONING: Have a calm, private conversation with your mother and tell her what you have learned. If she denies it, have the test repeated. When you receive the results, either apologize to your mother or raise the subject again. She may know who your father was, or you may have been the result of an opening shot in the sexual revolution, a chapter your mother may not care to revisit.

-Submitted by Don Counts.

From the FIRST MATE's PHOTO ALBUM...

'
Winter brings us those cold, dreary, snowy days, but our friend Linda L. Young-Niemeier found some wonderful wildlife to capture some very nice, cheery winter pics!



This squirrel is munching on some seeds & oranges. click on the image for a larger photo.

This is my favorite... it looks like a Christmas card or a post card. Notice the seed in his beak.

- Photos taken & submitted by Linda L. Young-Niemeier.

Tombstone Thursday - Schulte

'

Saint Bernard Cemetery

Rockport, Indiana

Leland Louis Schulte

(1942-1995)

Married Sharon Carter 19 Oct 1963. Served as a Rockport City Councilman 1992-1995. The backside of the marker depicts a very peaceful scene and lists the children and one grandchild.

- Photos taken & submitted by JGWest.

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

From the FIRST MATE's PHOTO ALBUM...

.

I have been so busy, that I have not had time to post anything. I was hoping we would get some items submitted that I could post rather easily. Anyone can submit something for me to consider posting. Today's blog is a photo that seems out of season, but yesterday my letter carrier left me a lot of junk mail as I was standing by the box. I joked about needing a better carrier that brought better mail and he laughed saying that he was just getting even for that tombstone I had by the mailbox during Halloween. I have no idea what his problem is!


My letter carrier admitted that it made him laugh and made his whole year! I kind of think that he liked it.

- Photo taken & submitted by JGWest

Great Artist, Great Person

.

Calvin Maglinger

05 Dec 1924 - 20 Jan 2010

The above photo of Calvin is a perfect capture of how he looked, but also his personality. He had a wonderful sly, witty sense of humor that he shared freely with everyone! Becky & I enjoyed visiting with Ruth & Calvin to hear Ruth set him up for a story or joke. He was a great local artist with one of his paintings "Water Street" of the Evansville downtown warf of the past used for the cover of the book "Around the Bend" by Donald Baker, former Director of Willard Library. We have a copy of this print along with "Doe Run" and "Foggy Morn" for three great works of art. Two are proudly hung in our living room along with Evelyn Steinkuhl's print of Willard Library. Calvin's parents were Fred Maglinger & Bertha Long. One of Bertha's brothers was Byron Long, my grandfather, which made my mother Bernadine Long and Calvin first cousins. Byron & Bertha along with Melvin, John Logan, Dave, Froni Hodge, Alice Woodward, Ellen Dickens & Nora Abrams were the children of James Tobias Long, Jr. & Nancy Francis Gardner. They had come from Horse Cave, Hart Co., KY to Owensboro, KY where most called home. Calvin & Ruth with sons Paul & Stan made their Evansville home in the area near Sunset Memorial Cemetery just north of St. George Road. Coincidently, when my younger brother, Don, was born, we lived on St. George Rd. near Atlas Van Lines to the west of the same cemetery and further east of the cemetery on St. George Rd. lived a distant cousin of Mom's maternal line (not related to the Long's), Joseph Fabian Mattingly.

Here is Calvin's Obituary from the Evansville Courier & Press:

Calvin C. Maglinger, 85, of Evansville passed away on January 20, 2010. He was born on December 5, 1924, in Owensboro, Kentucky, to Fred and Bertha Maglinger. Calvin was a U.S. Army veteran. In 1947, he married Ruth Lionberger and together they enjoyed 62 years of marriage. After WWII, under the GI Bill, Calvin entered the Kansas City Art Institute. He received a diploma in Graphic Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He also received a diploma in Commercial Art from the Famous Artist's School in Westport, Connecticut. Calvin worked for 12 years as manager of creative services for Texas Gas Transmission Corporation. He retired from The Evansville Courier & Press, a E.W. Scripps Co. newspaper, after 21 years as art director. More than twenty of Calvin's paintings have had prints sold nationally. His Regional Art Series, popularized in the 1980s, has been well received and has won wide acclaim. A recipient of numerous awards, the artist has been honored with one-man shows and his originals are in the collections of a number of Midwest art patrons. Calvin was given a special medallion from the Indiana State Museum for the painting, Foggy Morn. His painting, Quiet Time, appeared on the Artists of America calendar in 1995 and he completed historical paintings of the Ohio River for the Casino Aztar Evansville riverboat in 1999. He was also admired by and inspired many local Indiana artists, including Evelyn Steinkuhl.

Calvin was preceded in death by his infant son, Phillip Irwin Maglinger; and by siblings, J.W., Woodrow, Hoover, Homer, William and Odelia.

Survivors include his wife, Ruth; sons, Stan (Cathy) Maglinger and Paul (Jenny) Maglinger; grandchildren, Brad (Meredith) Maglinger, Jennifer (Kevin) Banning, Jessica Maglinger and Andrea Maglinger; great-grandchildren, Alexis, Isaac and Isabella; and by siblings, Fred Maglinger Jr., Ozzie Maglinger and Hazel Miller.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, January 23, 2010, at Sunset Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Sunset Memorial Park. Visitation 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. until service time on Saturday. Memorial contributions may be made on behalf of Calvin Maglinger to the Alzheimer's Association .

Published in Courier Press on January 21, 2010

- Compiled by JGWest

STAYING AFLOAT in the GENE POOL -Genetic DNA News

.
Adoption Search: DNA Finds Birth Parents...

At our last TSGS meeting (12 Jan 2010), Becky West led a discussion group concerning adoptions. Becky was put up for adoption at the time of birth and officially adopted when she was about 1.5 years old. With my research help, she found her birth family right here in Evansville.

I just found this article about using DNA for Adoptees to use for birth parent searches! I am passing it on to our bloggers. http://www.dna-testing-adviser.com/AdoptionSearch.html by Dick Hill.

There is a lot of other information available with the links on the left column of the above article involving a variety of DNA testing on this web site of DNA Testing Advisor.

- Compiled by JGWest

From the FIRST MATE's PHOTO ALBUM...

.
THE NEW BARN!

You all have been hearing about my huge garage demolition project...
this is the end of the project. That is - to build a large 12 foot by 24 foot barn that is 13 feet high to provide a loft for (additional) storage.



Inside showing the 12'x16' loft. In the middle of the loft, it is about 5'6" tall.

- Photos taken & submitted by JGWest