Hegwein Family Blog

A brief Synopsis...

This is my second attempt to create a "Blog." The first disintegrated in Thomas' computer, which he graciously allows me to use. Two occasions prompted the composition of this mega blog. First, Peter encouraged all tribe members (Cavanagh, Scheider, Byrne) to communicate, exchange secret recipes, report about school accomplishments and some gossip. My second reason to write was triggered while searching for material for my 80th birthday in an album, whereby I stumbled over rehearsal pictures in our home. These events are reasons enough to drop a few lines about the original Hegwein familie, dating to Silurian times. Obviously I am unable to write about any achievements of our kids, therefore I will report odds and loose ends about us from currently sunny Sarasota, where the sun cheerfully rises and contentedly settles.

Evidenced by this communique, we are still meandering through the landscape, occassionally bothered by some maladies. Ann and I had our cataract operations which transferred us back to 19 1/2 - 19 3/4 vision and the ability to almost be able to look around the corners. Ann suffers almost daily with knee and ankle pains which is easy to explain. When we met, Ann was a superb dancer and was a member of the Embassy Supper Club in Stockholm where dancing was the number one sport. Ann did not engage in the famous Banana dance like Josephine Baker, but danced otherwise with unparalleled enthusiasm. Our "Golden Years" are passing in quick fashion.

Since finally retiring from private Club Management (after working through my 74th year) I keep busy slaving around our shack, which recently - particularly in Sarasota - gained in value. Water property...Since the time you were here for the rehearsal dinner, we remodeled almost the entire mausoleum and improved the landscape, resulting in massive back-aches for the undersigned. Our social highlights consist of birthday celebrations for 10 family members. Most of the official holidays are celebrated here at home, which injects some life into our mundane existence. The list of celebration excuses could easily be expanded by adding the famous Crayfish season in August and Lucia Dagen on December 13, both great holidays in Sweden. From Munich, my birthtown, we could import the Invention of the world-famous Weisswurst on Shrove Tuesday in 1854. The Swedish highlights date back to 1700-which also deserve to be celebrated here in Sarasota.

I TOLD YOU THIS WILL BE A MEGA BLOG! Other interesting social highlights are Flag Football and Basketball. Karl plays in both sports as major pillar. His main activity however is as universal player in Flag Football. Peter, winning coach of most games, puts Karl where needed most. Jennifer, the little girl you might remember who served drinks at the r-dinner, married a local boy. They have a nice home some 15 minutes from here and 10 from the local hospital where she works in the X-Ray department as RN. Six months ago, Jennifer delivered a boy who reacts by the name of Hunter Keating. Ann and I suggested Franz, Fritz, Isidor, Hieronymus, Blasius, Pippi or Cycly. Ann is also retired from Jacobson's department store. It was a "Belly-Up" closing. Thomas is currently taking some well deserved rest after slaving at a Teak-decking business for several years. [No, he does not own a yacht.] Last fall, the local tribe treated us for our 50th Wedding Anniversary at a gourmet temple. A "blast" was had by all!

One year prior to my retirement (January 2000), I started to write my autobiography. I felt our kids should know how our past was prior to their arrival. After going through my life once more in the form of research and typing some 200 pages, Peter elected to edit my creation of love, since he was not satisfied with my diction, syntax and punctuation. [It is a Bavarian-English version.] What I thought would be a snap for him turned out to be a literary (?) odyssey.

I have not received the corrected version and wonder some time if I should not compose a new story, written in short staccato sentences and totally void of a Bavarian-english slant. Well, he might just surprise me at Christmas with a finished copy. I feel the product is very interesting to the "kids" since it contains articles about Nazi-Germany, my humble performance in the obligatory Hitler-Marching & Singing Youth outfit, my appearance as K-2 in a 88 mm anti-aircraft battery outside Munich, performing duty in the equally obligatory Reichs Arbeits Dienst, followed by a stint as volunteer in the German navy and ending my military career for the Vaterland in the First Marine-Infantry Regiment, trying to defend the Reich from the upset Russian hordes who were anxious to occupy Berlin in 1945.

In order to keep my already negatively affected brain cells more active, I am currently working on another history booklet. In 1937, My father needed a so-called Aryan Background certificate (Hitler said so) in order to keep on working and being spared to spend some time in one of our emerging concentration camps, like Dachau, just 20 KM outside Munich. In the process, he gathered documents reaching back to 1773. Our ancestors had some interesting occupations, like a coach-wagon driver, blacksmith, baker, butcher, stocking-maker, farmer, sheep-herder, postal clerk, estate owner and administrator. Around 1946, he mentioned that I could perhaps one day write a "little story" about our ancestors in order for my kids to have a understanding of past times.

While working the customary six days/week in the hospitality field in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the USA, there was never any free time to gather material, coduct necessary research and write. But I knew I had to tackle this project. So, I am now on page 150 with some 80 or so pages to go. The compilation of material was time consuming but also very educational and fun.

So, now you know a little about us. Needless to say, we hope you will enrich the blog collection when you have time to write. This lengthy entry will keep you busy for a while. Future blogs will solely focus on one (?) theme.

Fritz