Grandma & Grandpa and Grandma & Grandpa

I was fortunate to have some pretty kickass grandparents; specifically my maternal grandparents Jess & Marilyn Haynes and my paternal grandmother Marjorie Hammond.

Growing up I lived in close proximity to Jess and Marilyn. I was in their company constantly; staying over many weekends; being Jess’s wingman working in the yard, attending work crony lunches, and running errands, as well as staying up late with Marilyn watching Fritz the Nite Owl on TV. My home life became pretty untenable in high school. Jess and Marilyn took me in without question. I credit them with saving my life. And for a few years we were a team. As they aged, my grandparents began to rely on me in similar ways to how I relied on them.

Around the time Jess and Marilyn died, Marjorie’s role in my life grew. This was by her design. Marjorie was a lifelong educator; first as a teacher, then principle in McConnelsville, Ohio where my father grew up; and later to her dozen grandkids. Majorie took a majority of us on an international trip in our teenage years as an educational exercise (and as an excuse to sped time with us). Marjorie and I had drifted somewhat when my life was in upheaval. At this time, she was an out-of-town grandma. But she came to my (2nd) rescue after Jess and Marilyn’s passing, becoming a person to rely on and my sole conduit to my extended family. It was a deep bond that lasted nearly 20 years.
Marjorie wrote a self-published biography, entrusting me with the curation of her collection of family photos. I had already inherited Jess & Marilyn’s collection. Near the time of Marjorie’s death, my uncle sent her entire collection of family photos and papers to me for safe keeping; some 4,000 pieces.

As a collector, it’s a dream come true to have two sets of archives of people I loved dearly and credit with enabling me to be here to write down these words. Below are a few selections from two larger collections of my family’s history.

Jess and I (1983).