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\noindent{\bf Dear family and friends,}\hfill December 30, {\bf 1992}

Happy Holidays! I trust you all had a Merry Christmas.
Yet another year has come and gone. 
The most memorable aspects of 1992 will be: Theron's progress;
Terri's involvement with the local church building program;
the purchase of 60 tons of scrap computer equipment;
the red trim on the house; and May 1 of next year.

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf Terri, Theron, and ?}

Terri's parents moved into the area on May 15.
In the spring bored Terri volunteered as
the campaign secretary for the PMC \$3,000,000 building program.
After generating a membership list she kept busy 
handling paperwork during the campaign most of June. 
The campaign starts again in January.
In July Terri flew down to VA to spend a
week over the 4{$^{\rm th}$} with Via. 
Theron enjoyed the local fireworks,
keeping people nearby entertained with his oohs and aahs and other
constant commentary.

Terri kept active on the library board as well. They put a millage
issue on the ballot in August. Preparatory to that the patron list was
computerized by volunteers. I was asked to help when trouble arose.
I discovered that the address list was about 3000 names in
12 different files---two corrupted on the hard drive---two 
corrupted on floppy---one in a different label program than the rest.
After all the work getting that straightened out, the millage failed
for various interesting reasons and they tried again in September,
with different wording, {\it etc.\ }and it passed.

Theron's two-year molars are all but through---the last one will erupt any day.
We are still working on potty-training.
On August 4 Terri became pregnant. It really was that sudden---one
day she wasn't, the next day she was. The due date of {\bf April 27}
is Theron's third birthday. It is also the next to last day of classes
for me next semester. (My tests are over {\bf May 7.}) Terri wants a girl.
Since she is lagging a few weeks sizewise, we may know it's gender
next week after an ultrasound.

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf Work}

Work at the computing center continues to be challenging and entertaining.
Power outages, air conditioning problems, mechanical wear and tear,
personnel issues, and system crashes randomly generate work along with the
more interesting, but occasional logic failure or operating system bug.
The working arrangement which allowed/forced me back to school continues
to be unacceptable. According to a memo I received June 17, 1992 my 
``position will be eliminated $\ldots$ we will no longer need your services
as of {\bf May 1, 1993.}'' Although not entirely unexpected, the memo's
specifications were less favorable than earlier verbal assurances had been.
After threats and derision, scouting reports indicated that that date was
based on unplugging the Xerox Sigma computers in October 1992. The computers
are running smoothly through December with no final dates established.
My worst nightmare is it could happen April 1 (how fitting)
and getting moved out of the building in those 30 days (i.e. by {\bf May 1})
would be challenging! {\sc Unix} on 12 25Mhz 386's with a reduced disk
spindle count should prove interesting under full load!
And then there's the network $\ldots$

On July 1 my technical support division officially had only two workers with
the reassignment of Clarence to new responsibilities (but retaining old ones)
and two days later it was down to only me with the involuntary termination
of my maintenance helper.
The prior July 1 saw Dan's reassignment within the computing center, again
retaining old responsibilities and also Byron's voluntary termination as he
returned to school. Three days after my fourteenth anniversary of fulltime
work at AU, I had a meeting with the Vice President and my boss---they had
little to present other than the fact that they believe in cutting those with
the most seniority and talent!

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf House and Garage}

We started the year by getting Bethany moved into her room,
finishing the closet, trim, wallpaper, and carpet early in January. 
We also hung the door on ``Theron's'' room in time for Via's visit.
In February Theron ``helped'' me ``mud'' ``his'' room. 
In April it was painted, in May we got the underlayment down,
and in June the wallpaper up.
After my sister left for the summer I moved my genealogy and gold (see below)
into her room and set up my office. Of course when she returned in
September I had to move into ``Theron's'' room.
Fred was up with Bonny for a seminar in July and played hooky to help
me hang the front upstairs outside door. (He also carved a 10'
pine chain for me.) Later I installed the back upstairs outside door and
the remaining upstairs (bathroom) window. Well over half the new cedar
siding is now installed.  With the arrival of cold weather, recent work
has involved electrical, patching the kitchen ceiling where the old stairs
were, and drywalling the chimney bedroom. Yet to do is finish the stairway,
the bathroom, and as always, the kitchen.

In July I started work in earnest on the eaves; washing, scraping, setting nails, 
caulking, priming and painting. Since I had to do it in 6 sections (front, back, 
sides (2), dormers (4, but done in pairs)) and there were two coats of primer 
and two coats of paint, both oil-based, this dragged on into September. Then I 
was able to install the gutters, which helped tremendously with basement water.
Terri choose what I call fire-engine red for the trim.
The neighbor across the street wanted to paint their house red, but her husband
noted the lack of such color in the neighborhood and vetoed it, so
the neighbor was rather ecstatic about our red trim.

The powers that be said the garage had to go by June 1, 
so the weekend after school was out in the 
spring, Theron and I rode up with Bethany to the farm.
Again this year we found about a dozen small black morels, 
but they were very dry.  We brought back grandpa's pickup truck. 
The garage
was filled with dirt from the basement and cement from the old driveway, 
garage floor and a sidewalk. So in two weeks time 
I loaded, hauled away, and unloaded 
37 pickup loads full of dirt and cement to various destinations.
A few judicious cuts with a skill saw left only a pile which is keeping us
warm this winter. Spreading a little dirt around allowed garden to grow
on much of the building site and everyone was happy.
Since then much of the foundation has been removed, 
but has yet to be hauled away.

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf Genealogy}

I resumed genealogical research on Terri's family. 
You may recall that one of Theron's middle names (Fitzhugh) 
came from being the ``son of'' Hugh---a Hugh Calkins being both 
his great$^8$- and great$^{10}$-grandfather. 
You can just imagine Terri's delight when I turned up her ancestors, Theron's
great$^4$- and a great$^6$-grandfather named Hugh Baskin!
Early in the year I put most of the Fivash information in book form,
but several research trips and some good correspondence has left that
in chaos. 

In October Terri's mother had a Snively get-together. I prepared,
and we distributed what I've collected on the family.
Later that month we visited Terri's 
maternal grandmother's sister---Aunt Lottie in Petoskey. She is 95 and
still very ``with it''. On the way we stopped at the cemetery near Bliss
and found gravestones for three of Terri's ancestors and many relatives.
Four more of Theron's great$^4$-grandparents turned up when I obtained
death records for Aunt Lottie's maternal grandparents. Aunt Lottie's 
paternal grandparents' deaths are still elusive! 
Theron's seven generation family tree still has 24 blanks and 6 partials.
The Snively information
has been updated yet again and runs to about 90 pages including 
the sectional pages and the every-name index with 459+ names.
The Fivash information will be about twice that.

For the Calkins and Anderson reunions in July and the Fox-Bullen reunion
in August I had large descendant charts for the appropriate 
great$^3$-grandparents on display. 
For Neziah Fox there were well over 1000 descendants.
For the Calkins and Fox-Bullen reunions
I had major sections of the descendant portion of ``my books'' available
at cost. What few were left over I mailed out and obtain additional information
in return. I have yet to catch up from that. I had hoped to write
the ancestor part of the Fox-Bullen book, but that is ``behind schedule''.
The Bullen information has yet to ever be distributed.
I finally obtained the pension information for the correct James Hall and
now know his county of birth---one of the three suspects.

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf School}

Spring semester I TA'ed one {\sl Freshman Physics} 
lab and also {\sl Numerical Methods}.
For coursework, I continued {\sl Quantum Mechanics}, and took
{\sl Electricity and Magnetism}, {\sl Methods of Experimental Physics},
and starting {\sl EXAFS (\rm x-ray absorption fine structure) research.}
On May 8 school was finally out for the school-year. 
I ended up with a B+, a B, an A, and an S, respectively (see below). 
In late August school resumed. Fall semester I took
{\sl Electricity and Magnetism}, {Solid State Physics}, yet another
semester (the last) of {\sl Quantum Mechanics} (relativistic), and 
{\sl research}. I ended up with an A-, an A, a B+, and an S, 
respectively---my highest GPA yet since returning to school fulltime 
while working three parttime jobs.
The research took me out to Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, NY
where the National Synchrotron Light Source is located. We took data on some
Al samples one with 0.5\% Fe and the other with 7.5\% Ti. These alloys
exhibit anomalous (higher) densities in the liquid state, possibly due to 
local ordering around the minor constituent.

Next semester I will finish my coursework by taking {\sl Statistical Mechanics},
{\sl Atomic Physics}, and one of {\sl Elementary Particles} or {\sl Nuclear Physics}.
I have yet to decide between the last two. After that its my written test
likely about October and my candidacy exam (oral) possibly the following
spring. Last fall semester I TA'ed the undergraduate version of the 
{\sl Methods of Experimental Physics} and this semester I expect to TA the
graduate version.
My Argonne research (Fall 1988) was (finally) published in the Aug.\ 15, 1992
{\sl J. Chem. Phys.}

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf Deaths}

Our ``cat'' Nimrod died June 2. Theron was with me when I found him. 
I got Theron's little red wagon and hauled him home. Terri and Bethany
joined us for the interment in the north corner of the lot
%---That's catnumber three buried there by me.
After I explained things to Theron he kept repeating for weeks
``Nimrod cold'', ``Nimrod in hole covered with dirt'',
and ``Nimrod died, Bethany cried''.
(In December he told me ``Uncle Fred's water is bad---we can't
drink it.'' That one had to date back to our visit the week of January 1!)

On my first day back to school in August, I received a message to call
home regarding family distress---Grandma Anna (my stepmother's mother)
had died, the funeral was Thursday. Terri went up days early with Alice
to help clean, can the large batch of peaches, and otherwise assist the
bereaved. Theron spent days at Grandma Fivash's while I started school.
We came up for the funeral and again for days Theron told us how ``Uncle
Fred had worship''.

In early October Sniffer, Bethany's dog of 13 years, broke his lower jaw
almost off and was relieved of his misery. Theron was close to him, so we
consistently kept him aware of Sniffer's age. After Theron had Christmas
with his maternal relatives, he and I went up to the farm. On the way
he reminded me again that ``Sniffer died''.

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf Computer Scrap, XDX revived}

The \$10,000 treasure trove of 60 tons of computer parts mentioned last year
was in the way in April. 
I had already sold several thousand dollar's worth of parts from it this
year for the University, as well as used countless spare parts.
I was indirectly given one week's notice to move 
it---destination unknown. An aeromotive company was moving into
the Essex building quickly.
I worked day and night, but attended classes and the crisis was deferred.
You can imagine the affect of this on my tests the following week (see above)!
Meanwhile serious consideration to the computer parts'
disposition was given and I kept
insisting that I could get more out of it if allowed to sell it over the
summer. Eventually my boss obtained a final offer of \$30000 for scrap,
so I bought it for one dollar more in May.  
Since the University is still using some of it, and I don't have that kind
of money, the arrangements were interesting to say the least.
The equipment had to be moved again in June, but in the middle of that
move the aeromotive company arrangement fell through so the pressure was
off. After hundreds of dollars in phone calls and several trips to Chicago,
I finally took 600 pounds of my best circuit boards in and witnessed them
being incinerated. That load resulted in over two pounds of gold!
I don't expect to lose my shirt in the deal, but how close my pay is to
which side of minimum wage is yet to be seen.
Earlier, Richard Bender, the head of programming at the computing center
bought one of the Sigma 9 computers. After he prepared his basement, 
it was delivered and assembly started in July. In early September we 
got is working fairly well and again in December considerable time was
spent. George Plue from AZ was here during these work periods.
George Plue's business partner bought the remaining 3 Sigma 9 computers for
him from me/AU last June with delivery by Feb.\ 1, 1993!?

\vglue .1 in
\cl {\twelve\bf Conclusion}

I expect 1993 to be an interesting year with job-hunting, new baby, 
my coursework finished, {\it etc.} Finding work is paramount, but 
finding work compatible with my Ph.D. research schedule may be challenging.
Thank-you for your cards and letters---especially those with
genealogical content. \hfill~/s~{\it~Keith~and~Family}

\noindent
Enclosure: Theron in Sep.\ 1992 with sailor suit and Grandpa Calkin's WW II hat.
\end