A geography lesson not soon forgotten

JACK AGNEW Contributing Writer

that contributed to the soundtrack of a generation, and one that continues to perform this day.

But, it’s not pop music of the past that inspired me to write this column.

It’s the current state of my playlist that my daughter recently reminded me contains no current entries. Now, the word current is subjective in this case, because, in reality, there’s probably not an entry on that list that qualifies as this century.

It dawned on me that I must be sadly out of touch with today’s music, or trapped in some sort of time warp where the music of my past is the only genre that appeals or beckons me. I’m not oblivious to the fact there are dozens of amazing artists making spectacu - lar music, but truth be known, I’m only briefly acquainted with many of the new artists.

And, I’m less informed on what qualifies as a hit in today’s music world, and I’m always leery of how some sounds in today’s music are produced. Again, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the talent, but somehow, most of the songs don’t connect with me either on an emotional or audible level, further confirmation that styles are generational and reflections of a specific era.

Having admitted that I am a musical dinosaur, I’m now prepared to explain the Tower of Power connection. In addition to the numerous hit records the group has enjoyed, it’s a lesser known

Editor’s note: The following is part of a continuing series in which we ask readers to share a true story with us—any story—as long as it happened to them or a family member. Do you have a story to tell? Send it news@ mechlocal.com.

Since Ukraine is in the news so much now, I’ll tell you a cute story that happened in the mid 1970s.

I was working with a Christian missionary organization up in New England. We were in New Hampshire, and one of the young ladies in the group had grown up in Ukraine, but moved to Canada in her mid-teens. Beverly had a real heavy European accent, beautiful and thick. A really sweet young lady. I was talking to her once, and asked her where she was from. Beverly said, “Ukraine.” I replied, “Oh, so you’re Russian?” She told me, “No” in that accent. “I’m Ukrainian!”

I said, “Well, USSR, it’s kind of a conglomerate. All these countries together. But it’s the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and it’s controlled out of Moscow. So in a way, you’re controlled by Moscow.” Her eyes flashed, and she fixed me with her gaze, and said in that beautiful European accent, “Nohh. I. Am. UKRAINian.”

It was the best geography lesson I had in my entire life. Now I know more about the split-up of Europe after World War II, where basically Russia was given half of Europe, and the West got control of the western side. It’s heartbreaking to see how we abandoned to Russia those poor people in formerly free countries. But Beverly was definitely letting me know she was not Russian, and I guess her homeland still feels the same way, the way they’re fighting the Russian Army. God bless the Ukrainians. They’re incredible fighters.

Let The Countdown Begin

Mrs. Baer’s class at Mechanicsville elementary school started their a-to-Z countdown to summer this week. For the “a” par t of the countdown, students took advantage of the nice weather and created art on the sidewalk.

WE WANT TO PUBLISH YOUR ISSUE-DRIVEN LETTERS

Publisher Joy Monopoli jmonopoli@Rsnva com

Editor Roslyn Ryan news@mechlocal.com

Sports Editor Robby Fletcher rfletcher@powhatantoday.com

Production Manager denine d’angelo ddangelo@mechlocal.com

Classifieds cindy adams ..........................................cadams@mechlocal.com send letters to: The Mechanicsville-ashland Local 8460 Times-dispatch Blvd. Mechanicsville, Va. 23116

The Local welcomes your signed letters to the editor on topics of interest to Mechanicsville and Hanover residents. Letters must include your address and a daytime telephone number. We reserve the right to edit letters. We do not guarantee that every letter received will be published. Letters reflect the opinions and positions of the writers and not The Mechanicsville-ashland Local.

News tips, story ideas, community events, photos, birth announcements, milestones, anniversaries (40 years & above) or birthdays (80 yrs. old & above) by contacting events@mechlocal.com.