On birthdays, memories, and song practice

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Today’s my birthday. I share it with the birth of our country, which has always made me feel kind of special. Other notable birthday buddies include George Steinbrenner, Leona Helmsley, and Geraldo Rivera. (We Cancers can be characters.) If I could have chosen a day of the year on which to be born, I suppose I would have even chosen this day. There was always something fun to do—picnics, ball games, boat rides, and pyrotechnics to cap it all off.

When something happens on my birthday, chances are pretty good that I’m going to remember it. While I can’t remember every detail of every birthday I’ve ever had, I do remember many of them. And if something out of the ordinary happened on my birthday, that made a bigger dent. It became a part of me—filed away for the rest of my life. I’d venture to say that, if something happens on my birthday, there’s a better chance that I’ll remember it than if it happens on July 5 or 10 or 31.

Which brings me back around to the Ronald Tammen story and my most recent discovery. You may still be unsure about whether to believe Paul’s version of events. I get that. It was so long ago, and memories do have a way of morphing over the years.

But there’s something I haven’t shared with you up until now.  April 19 is Paul’s birthday. That’s why his memory of song practice that night is so vivid. He kept his birthday to himself, he told me, because he’d seen how merciless those guys could be in celebrating other Delts’ birthdays. No sense in putting oneself through that if you can help it. But regarding the question of whether there was a song practice that night, and who it was he walked home with? On those topics he’s quite sure. Sure as the day he was born.

 

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DRader
DRader
3 years ago

I’m new to your page, but not new to Miami University. I grew up close to Oxford and eventually went to school and graduated from Miami as well. The story of Ronald Tammen has always fascinated me because how can a person disappear into nothingness like he did?

Anyway…as far as song practice goes, wouldn’t that have come out from the investigation itself? I mean to say, immediately following his disappearance, why wasn’t that noted in the original Ronald Tammen disappearance story? Why isn’t everything Ron did that night known and in a report somewhere. I guess what I’m trying to say is that an event like him going to song practice shouldn’t be guess work for us now. I feel like everyone that saw him that night should have come forward and spoke to the investigators then so it wouldn’t be guess work. Does that make sense?

twinklestarz
1 year ago
Reply to  jwenger

I wish Paul was able to undergo hypnosis to recall his memories of that night. Any idea if he is open to that?

suziewthomas
suziewthomas
6 years ago

“Sure as the day he was born.”

Some things are just perfect and that sentence is one of them. Enjoy your day!

jwenger
6 years ago
Reply to  suziewthomas

Thanks! It kind of came to me out of the blue. 🙂