t"; Y/F A T Ti lit u

*
-- -
l!

Dacl was born in 1B B 4 io T h o ma s iie n ry T ra c y , a s t ric t Me t h o -

d ist a nd Deacon of his chu rc h o a n d t o L a u ra I l' T ra c y , h is v rif e
a n d a fonner pu'lil in a c o u n t ry school 1 n } : o v rlin g G re e n , L,hio.
Th e y named Dad i"iervton A . iie t ria s t h e t h ird c h ild of s ix i The
m id d le boy.--- There rJere t h re e g i-rls .
A brovrn-eyed little b o y lv it h b lo n d rin g le t s and the T ra c y
n o se , trore over-sized tira n n o t , o ir a b a b y f a c c e , h e ria s h is f at h e r t s
pr id e and joy, I guess; the chosen one; the one chogen for t he
le g a l education tirat viould a s s u re a ju n io r p a rt n e rs h ip in h is
fa the r ts lar,v firm. The o n e t h a t h ig h h o p e s lv e re i: in n e d on; a
b o o ster of the fanrily prid e .
lie made the gracle.-* C, b e rlin lCo lle g e a n d t h e Un iv e rs lt y of
l"iichigan tranrsettoe* -- Uight years of legal preparati.on. Then
the r,var and a r';ife and ttuo children later, there vJas a stucco
bu n g a lo vi on three acres o v e rlo o h in g t h e i. ia u rn e eRiv e r, V ie ll-e s t a b -
lj-shed , he v,'as -- lSut no-one I';nelv him, and he hnetl'r no-oner not
e ve n hlmself.
I never knevr my Dad, a n d S e t r I d id , b y h is p h y s ic a l p res e n c e
in liis broivn leather chai r -- b y h is s n o re I k n e v , h e v / a s t h e r e , lvithout
l oo h .i ng"rt A nesthetized by h is o lv n b ra n c i o f B in , wh a t e v e r t h a t $ i a s t
It r vas a boot-leg variet;'a n d t h e re v / a s s e c u rlt y j-n b o o t le g g €r s r

Tir.at lvas r,vhere you went to drinh sorTretimes -- mi-nu.s the guilt. |lIgJ
r e a ll"y cared.
I never knelr my dad-
Some nights he dicintt a p u e a r. I , io t h e r lv a s s a d a n d we e p y . It
v/a.s catching. ririer,'relrt too, ury brother and I. lVe didnlt Is.no',vv"hat
else to do.
ft111e
I l devre re h u stl e d o u t top car ; an Ear l - - the o n e v rlt h t h e b o x
b e h i n d th e d n th te rl s se a t v,r her ethe batter y vJ&sr v Y e f o u g h t o v e r j - t ,
I t v / a s h i g h u p , a n d rve l i kecj- a per ch,
Il- oved my dad. lle v ia s rn ild -ma n n e re d a n d s v / e e t -- a n d s h Y r
ju st like fler and l,tother t o ld liim v rh a t t o d o rlllt b , ; me ' I mi-s s e d -
tiim v,'hen he vrasnrt tliere, and tliat vras nearly alvrays because tryhen
he r l r as liome he really $ias n rt .
 l i 14 t* mi n d s e xa g g e rate
i- n or der to r ationalize l' *r at the y bol i ev e
t o be tru e . l Ju t th a t is the lvay it lvas, and thatts the v,'ayI s om eti m es
mal';e it seein even noi,vvlhen I an6er at sj-milar occurances 1n ruy life.
That lvas l'totl:er r-- Adntj-red by those outsj-de her family circle
Sh e co p e d v,'e 1 1 , D a d l s str eet, ailathetj- c ir er sonality v,iasus ual l y dr ol ned
i n al ch o h o l i c re ve ri e . lie l,Tasof' ben bedr idden or deeply s unk i n hi s
green leather rocker, e,ndri-ng and oblivious to yrhat u/a,sg;oin6 on around
1., i
Il+rt( -- I

He was the daci tha t v ia s n e v e r' ' ' t h e re . lrih y mu s t h e c o m e b a c k t o

ha u n t ne nov'i? lV hy are these c h ild h o o d thoughts s o s t ro n g ? It nust
ha ve been extrernel;r trau ma t lc .
A nd l.tother, anong a ll other t h in g s , v t / a s h isn u rs e ma id , t o o , at*
ten d lng to all of iris n e e d s a n d d e s ire s r S h e rv a s h is p ro t e c t o r , liis
g u a r d i a n o h .i s ch a u ffe ur ' - * his pavior | She was ever ything to ev er y -
body! Su'oer-i"iorn! l,$ha+-t5trfr#f "@ Whq.t o Le)<twLa*,(