Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

Charles van Heck

  • Chuck Wiser, Hot Dogs, Booms, Change,and a Question

    One of my pleasures on Fridays is reading Chuck Wiser’s column, “Wiser’s Wramblings” in The Wellsville Sun. Chuck summarizes his column, “I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels.” Chuck’s column is a reminder… Continue reading

  • ENOUGH!

    You could have been on any college campus or any place where students hung out. He generated excitement, an excitement also felt by the middle-aged and the elderly. There was excitement from the streets of Manchester, New Hampshire, to Manhattan,… Continue reading

  • Sweltering Parade Days

    As with most summer days, the sun beat down on the tree-lined street. People were gathered on the sidewalk, some brought lawn chairs. Children raced playfully across shaded lawns. Buntings and a flag decorated the viewing stand. A cluster of… Continue reading

  • Violence and the Social Contract

    There are times when a mystery novel appeals as a source of entertainment. The appeal of a mystery novel is the neatness. Facts are laid out like bread crumbs. We follow the trail, piecing together the evidence from the scene… Continue reading

  • Katrina: Memory of “We”

    Friday, 29 August, marks a dark anniversary. Ghost-like memories rise of the people and places of New Orleans, Houston, Beaumont, San Antonio, and places in between. There is no “I” in these recollections. There is only “We.” There are odors… Continue reading

  • The “Beloved Community”

    Donald Trump made two statements on Tuesday, August 19th that should give us pause. The first is a social media post. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was,… Continue reading

  • The Old Time Jim Crow Religion Revival Meeting

    The decision was made. There was a lesson to be learned. The suitcases were packed, and placed in the car. In the early hours of a July morning, my father backed the car out of the garage. We were going… Continue reading

  • Sometimes You Just Have to Breathe

    Fred and Louise Haisch invited us over to dinner. Terri and I decided to walk. The late afternoon sun wove through the overhanging tree branches, weaving an intricate quilt pattern of shadows and light across the dirt road. There was… Continue reading

  • The Environment of Dante’s Inferno

    The name David Suzuki is unknown to most people residing in the States. Canadians know him as the host and narrator of the CBC science program The Nature of Things from 1979 until his retirement in 2002. Suzuki taught genetics… Continue reading

  • Reconstructing the Past and Present

    History provides us with an understanding of our place in time. The words of authors glide into topics that pull us into paragraphs of digression. These allow us to consider the character and nature of those women, men, and events… Continue reading