Fred was good guy and made me laugh. When I think of him, I tend to go back to grade 6. Mrs. Rafferty said, "Fred, the bird is in the tree. What's in the tree?" Fred, being the free thinker he was replied, "the bird" as if it was a no-brainer. She went nuts and threw an eraser at him and shouted, "in the tree is a prepositional phrase!" This happened more than once with Fred.
I like to think Fred's reply captured his more important attention to life and nature---something that counts for lots more than any grammatical label. Nobody has ever suffered from not flagging every prepositional phrase that came their way, but many overlook things that matter much more than grammatical terms about which few care.
Mrs. Rafferty's class insured I could accurately diagram a sentence at 200 yards---even in dark, windy conditions, but I think Fred showed greater insight. Fred's insistence of focusing on more important life details and putting himself at peril regularly considering her temper and throwing arm reflects on Fred's better understanding of the true meaning of life. Way to go, Fred!
I think we can all learn a little from Fred. I think he really knew what answer the teacher wanted, but his answer was so much more fun for the rest of us in that class. Besides, Fred's up there higher than any birds still perched in the tree about which Mrs. Rafferty was so concerned and no prepositional phrase can match that.
Very well said, Robert. One of my last adventures with Fred was a camping trip that started out in Mammoth Cave, and ended in South Carolina. The weather at the Cave was horrendous; an ice storm had hit and limbs were crashing around our tents.........I ended up taking shelter in the brick restroom for the night, but Fred was so proud of his new down sleeping bag that he insisted on spending the night in the tent. I still think fondly of that trip, and Fred will always be an important part of my life.
Robert McClory
Fred was good guy and made me laugh. When I think of him, I tend to go back to grade 6. Mrs. Rafferty said, "Fred, the bird is in the tree. What's in the tree?" Fred, being the free thinker he was replied, "the bird" as if it was a no-brainer. She went nuts and threw an eraser at him and shouted, "in the tree is a prepositional phrase!" This happened more than once with Fred.
I like to think Fred's reply captured his more important attention to life and nature---something that counts for lots more than any grammatical label. Nobody has ever suffered from not flagging every prepositional phrase that came their way, but many overlook things that matter much more than grammatical terms about which few care.
Mrs. Rafferty's class insured I could accurately diagram a sentence at 200 yards---even in dark, windy conditions, but I think Fred showed greater insight. Fred's insistence of focusing on more important life details and putting himself at peril regularly considering her temper and throwing arm reflects on Fred's better understanding of the true meaning of life. Way to go, Fred!
I think we can all learn a little from Fred. I think he really knew what answer the teacher wanted, but his answer was so much more fun for the rest of us in that class. Besides, Fred's up there higher than any birds still perched in the tree about which Mrs. Rafferty was so concerned and no prepositional phrase can match that.
Allen Winkler
Very well said, Robert. One of my last adventures with Fred was a camping trip that started out in Mammoth Cave, and ended in South Carolina. The weather at the Cave was horrendous; an ice storm had hit and limbs were crashing around our tents.........I ended up taking shelter in the brick restroom for the night, but Fred was so proud of his new down sleeping bag that he insisted on spending the night in the tent. I still think fondly of that trip, and Fred will always be an important part of my life.