After the Heritage Commission, MSU GEnealogy Seminar ended–we tooled south on the Enchanted Highway in North Dakota. Sculptor Gary Greff has created free-standing works depicting the wildlife and characters of the prairie–geese in flight, pheasant family–father, mother, and all the kids–the Tin Family, and many others.
As we pulled into the viewing area to take pictures, a man and his wife climbed out of their vehicle too. The man was wearing a red tee shirt with “Wasilla, Best Town in the US” across the back in white letters. (Photo)
There is only one Wasilla that I know–so I asked him if he was from Alaska. He answered yes. So I grinned at him and said, “I bet you are very proud to be from Wasilla.”
“I live across the street from her. We are proud of her. She is an honest, hard-working woman–and that’s rare.”
As they drove away, we saw that their license plate was Alaska. Who would have thought that in out-back North Dakota we would meet a red tee shirt from Wasilla and have a conversation with a neighbor of Governor Sarah Palin!
The same serendipity occurs in genealogy library after genealogy library. The person across the table or next in line for the copier or scanner could be of interest to your ancestry.
Smile and ask. Even if the tee shirt is not familiar! Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://www.arleneeakle.com
PS Stay tuned. More of what happened After the Seminar Ended…