November 10th Celebrations

Most importantly Nov. 10th of this year is my dad's 59th birthday---my mom just turned 58 on Saturday---so we are celebrating both of their birthdays tomorrow.



Also on Nov. 10th it is:

November 10: Remembrance of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (09:05 EET/06:05 UTC, Turkey)---Illness and death During 1937, indications that Atatürk's health was worsening started to appear. In early 1938, while he was on a trip to Yalova, he suffered from a serious illness. He went to İstanbul for treatment, where he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to heavy alcohol consumption.[103][104] During his stay in İstanbul, he made an effort to keep up with his regular lifestyle for a while. He died on 10 November 1938, at the age of 57. Atatürk's funeral called forth both sorrow and pride in Turkey, and seventeen countries sent special representatives, while nine contributed with armed detachments to the cortège.[59] Mustafa Kemal's remains were buried in a 42-ton sarcophagus in a mausoleum that overlooks Ankara,[105] Anıtkabir. In his will, he donated all of his possessions to the Republican People's Party, providing that the yearly interest of his funds would be used to look after his sister Makbule and his adopted children, and fund the higher education of the children of İsmet İnönü. The remainder of this yearly interest was willed to the Turkish Language Association and the Turkish Historical Society.

[edit] Legacy
[edit] Turkey

Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, in Ankara, TurkeyMustafa Kemal Atatürk is commemorated by many memorials throughout Turkey, such as the Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul, the Atatürk Bridge over the Golden Horn (Haliç), the Atatürk Dam, and Atatürk Stadium. Atatürk statues have been erected in many Turkish cities, and practically all towns have its own memorial to him. His face and name are seen and heard everywhere in Turkey; his portrait can be seen in all public buildings, in schools, in school books, on all Turkish lira banknotes, and in the homes of many Turkish families.[106]

At the exact time of his death, on every 10 November, at 09:05 a.m., almost all vehicles and people in the country's streets pause for one minute in remembrance of his memory.[107] In 1951, the Turkish Parliament issued a law (5816) outlawing insults to his reminiscence (Turkish: Hatırası) or destruction of objects representing him.[108] The demarcation between a criticism and an insult was defined as a political argument and the minister of Justice (a political position) was assigned in Article 5 to execute the law rather than the public prosecutor.

The 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street is Nov. 10th of this year as well:

1969 – The first episode of Sesame Street was broadcast (Grover and Elmo greeting fans in 2009 pictured), pioneering contemporary standards of educational television, and eventually becoming the longest running children's television series in the United States.

Remembering D-Day

I know I am a few days late in remembering D-Day but I thought it was appropriate considering that my grandfather, Jack, arrived on the shores of Normandy a few days after the main invasion. He was part of the clean up crew. I guess that's one of the reasons he survived the war---the sheer luck of avoiding the most dangerous part of the D-Day Invasion.

My late grandfather, Hank, was an aerial photographer in the United States Air Corps in England and France. I forgot what part he played in D-Day, but anyways one of his favorite war stories to tell was how he dated the mayor of Vert-le-Grand's daughter, André LeBlanc and how her dad sent her little brother to chaperone them. I wish we had recorded all his war stories for posterity before he passed on.

I had other relatives that served during World War II as well including a Great-Uncle that was stationed at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th. He never liked to talk about Pearl Harbor up to his passing.

Anyways, world history should never be forgotten and world history was certainly made on that day---June 6, 1944.


RARE COLOR FILM D DAY - JUNE 5th 1944 - Click here for this week’s top video clips

My Grandfather: Deacon Emeritus Of Oxford Baptist Church

This Sunday we went to Oxford, North Carolina to celebrate my grandfather's service as a deacon of Oxford Baptist Church. We really surprised him, which was nice! Unfortunately he wasn't feeling well that day but at least he was honored. It truly is a sad thing to watch loved ones grow old and slowly wither away especially since medical science makes life seem to go on and on far past the point it should. However, we must always rejoice in all the triumphs the elderly undertake just to make it through the day so I count it a blessing to have three grandparents still living at this point! Anyways, my grandfather was the second ever recipient of a Deacon Emeritus Award at Oxford Baptist Church, so it was neat to spend Pentecost Sunday with family that has served Christ, their churches and communities for many years and beyond---even my Uncle Cameron got to take time off of the church he pastors to be there. Here is the bulletin from that day though there is no mention of my grandfather which helped aid to the surprise element:

Thoughts On The Resurrection

"Faith is never easy, and the appropriation of belief is always difficult. But the Church has been it's strongest when it has proclaimed the death of Jesus, relived and recapitulated in the believer's own life. The Church today finds itself once again confronting this ultimate truth. No longer can the Church be exclusive, either in race or denomination. We are all brothers, one of another. The Church cannot be an instrument of the status quo. It must always point above and beyond the values of contemporary life. It must point, ultimately, to the Cross of Christ."

"In our own lives, as in his, there can be no Easter Day without a Good Friday. There can be no life without death. There can be no resurrection without a crucifixion. There can be no benefits of the Passion without sacrifice, dedication, and commitment, even when they contradict the things which are labeled by the world as success, popularity, prestige, and entertainment."

----Beverly Madison Currin, If Man Is To Live: A Rediscovery Of The Meaning Of The Atonement, Backcover.


Dr. Currin is probably one of my relatives as he was originally a native of North Carolina---which is pretty cool.

The Curran/Currin Family And Coffin Ships

Irish Clan Map

Currin Coat Of Arms

On Saint Patrick's Day, I have to thank my ancestors for taking the long and perilous journey across the Atlantic to escape the potato famines in Ireland and religious persecution in County Donegal, Ireland/Northern Ireland. In fact, one of the reasons why most of my side of the Curran/Currin family are in North Carolina is because the coffin ship they were on shipwrecked off the coast of North Carolina and a bunch of them ended up staying here.

More on Currin/Curran family history: Currin Surname, Curran Surname, Currans In The United States, Currins In The United States and Famous Currans/Currins In America:

Alvin Curran (born 1938), American composer
Catherine Curran O'Malley (born 1962), a Maryland state judge
Charles Curran (theologian) (born 1934), Catholic theologian
Charles Courtney Curran (1861 – 1942), American painter
Chuck Curran (born 1939), an American politician
Francis Earl Curran (1912 – 1992), an American politician
Jack Curran, an American High School athletics coach
Joseph Curran (1906 - 1981), an American labor leader
J. Joseph Curran, Jr. (born 1931), an American politician
Kevin Curran (disambiguation)
Margaret E. Curran, a United States Attorney
Pearl Lenore Curran (1883 – 1937), American author who wrote as Patience Worth
Robert Curran (disambiguation)
William Curran (Maryland), an American politician
Curran Oi, (born 1990), an American figure skater


John Currin- John Currin (born 1962) is an American painter
David Maney Currin- David Maney Currin, Sr. (November 11 , 1817 – March 25 , 1864 ) was a Tennessee attorney and politician who served in the Confederate …
Nathan Currin- Member of Family Force 5
The Rev'd Beverly Madison Currin, Ph.D., Rector Emeritus of Christ Church Parish and author to name a few.