[Magdalen] 25th Anniversary

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

​
On Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 9:53 AM, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
 wrote:

> I had to stand outside for the ceremony, but they still made us all go
> through metal detectors, since W was there.
> Later we learned that Bishop John Walker had died that day. Seemed
> entirely fitting, since he was responsible for getting funding back on
> track to finish the Cathedral.


He got to watch it from the best seat in the house.

​"Hey! Look who's here!  Over here, Johnny!  We've got you a ringside seat!"
​
​Watching that from above would have been neat!​

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

​

> > On Sep 16, 2015, at 11:39 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > September 29th will mark the 25th anniversary of the completion of the
> > National Cathedral.
> >
> > I remember sitting with my great aunt Kate who showed me articles about
> the
> > grand cathedral that our church was building.  She had been in it from
> when
> > it was a hole in the ground.  Back in those days, it was not much to look
> > at just yet.  It was coming together as I grew up.  I remember hearing
> > Mahler's 8th Symphony in the still not complete building. Rode all day to
> > get to DC, rode half the night to get home.
> >
> > I was visiting DC and went to see the Cathedral while I was on leave.
> There
> > was a small (yeah right) display of the final piece that would be hoisted
> > by crane and put in its place in a ceremony in the future. I touched it.
> >
> > My aunt Kate was in a nursing home at this point, but I came to visit and
> > told her about this little event. Her eyes shone with excitement and
> > delight.  It's really finished?  It's really finished! So many folks just
> > like Kate gave a little here and there as they were able.  It was just a
> > dream, but they could dream.  And hearing me tell her it was a reality --
> > that was a very special privilege for me.
> >
> > Not to long after that, her favorite aid came to get her ready for
> supper.
> > Kate was sitting quiet in her chair, a Discover Magazine still open on
> her
> > lap.  The aid later told me, "I just had to go home." It took some time
> > before she said she could bear to enter that room again.
> >
> > I gave a little to the Cathedral to help it celebrate the anniversary of
> > its completion, but it was really from Kate and me.
> >
> > James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> > *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> > except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
>