VINTAGE FAMILY MOVIE CLIPS FROM MARK O HAMMEL ❧ 1950's

VINTAGE FAMILY MOVIE CLIPS FROM MARK O HAMMEL ❧ 1950's

I made the video at the link from the movie cameras' footage that our family had when I was growing up.

Ferne Jane Wiles Hammel
My Dad's Mother
My Grandma Hammel
Grandma had a disease that enlarged her bones after my Dad was born

It is so special to have these videos, though no sound was available in those days. I love seeing Grandma Hammel laugh, dry glasses in the Michigan home's kitchen, just as I remember seeing her do at the Gragg Street homestead. I love seeing Grandpa Hammel put his arm around Grandma Hammel while laughing like jello - the way my Dad also laughed. I love seeing Grandpa Hammel take the Sunday dinner roast out of the oven - and in his hat - as I saw him do more than once. I love seeing myself chew on one of Grandma Hammel's cookies, while sitting beside her. I love that Dad caught all of this through the lens of his camera....Grandma hoeing, Grandpa with his fire, Grandpa laughing behind a pole thinking my Dad was actually shooting the camera at his wife.

I love the Ring-around the Rosie with Nannette and Heidi. I love the picture of Nannette and Heidi in the red cart pulled my the pony Tony. I love all the family get together meals at Gragg Street. Just some special gems. I hope others do find some joy in watching these little clips, as I certainly do.

HAMMELofHuntingtonIN Youtube channel
My Dad's birthday was August 3rd and the Hammel Reunion would have been tomorrow (cancelled due to the Indiana heat index), August 7 ~ so how fitting to have this ready to share now. I hope everyone is okay that I made it "public". I explain below why I did that, instead of making the video "unlisted".

This is the text that I included with the video at the youtube page:

I am Sandra "Sandy" Kay Hammel. This video is a tribute. A tribute to my father Mark O'Keith Hammel (August 3, 1924 ~ May 10, 2007), third child of five that Audry Harold and Ferne Jane Wiles Hammel raised in Huntington, Indiana on Gragg Street. A tribute to Ferne Jane Wiles Hammel, a wonderful mother and grandmother. A tribute to my first cousin Nannette Hammel Stump, who I always felt a spirit kind of connection, although our actual encounters have been rare. Really a tribute to all the Hammel descendants and ancestors of which I am one. This has been a labor of love over three weeks plus. After making the video and being rejected because I was a little over the 15 minute youtube limit, I edited out some of the original and here you have what I now present.

I combed through our disorganized family movies (which my mother and brother had transferred to dvds) and edited as a whole for the extended Hammel Family. I hope you enjoy. And I hope you are okay with my including you in this little family movie. I originally made this "unlisted" so that it wasn't "public", but it wouldn't show up on the "HAMMEL of Huntington IN" channel page, unless is was accessible as a "public" youtube video. If others want to upload a video to this channel, contact me.

In this video, you will see featured the August 1, 1999 Hammel Reunion at what was the home of Vic and Freida Hammel. The photos that I shot of the grave stones were taken in late August or early September of 2005. You will also see the home of Audry and Ferne Hammel when they lived a short time in Michigan. I don't remember the town. They eventually moved back to Gragg Street where they raised 5 children beside Audry's parents' home.

The house I was born in at 910 Ray Street, Huntington, IN is down the hill from their house which is included in many shots. Featured are the five siblings of my father oldest to youngest: Ted, Jed, (Mark, my father), Dick and Evalyn and their children, my first cousins. Also, you will see brothers of my dad's father, Stanton, Victor, Meredith (Byno), Stanton's wife, Melba, their daughter Diana, their son, Rex, and maybe Stan "Bub", Meredith (Byno) and Marian's boys, Ron, Terry, Steve and Brent. (I need some help on who is at the Rook card game on our front yard in Columbia City, Indiana to be able to name more precisely the children pictured), Vic and Freida's children: Karen, Kendal, Duane, Royce, Jolene. Nannette Hammel and Gerald Stump and their children, Tara and Reggie sometime in the 1970's I believe it must be - when they lived in Colorado. My son is also pictured, Jonathan M Erickson Hammel. He just graduated May 6, 2011 from Northeastern University with Bachelors and Masters in Engineering.

See Connie Evans work of listing our ancestors and descendants at familytreemaker.genealogy.com

The pdf files of family members, pictures and stories are well worth time to look through.

The HAMMELofHuntingtonIN Youtube channel's logo picture is of my dad's parents and siblings. See below the Video Credits for the names.

❧ Video Credits ❧
❧ Music ❧
"From Here"
Written and Performed by Sandra Kay Hammel
"Did Trouble Me"
"May I Suggest"
"Help Somebody"
Written and Performed by Susan Werner
Used by permission
Susan's music at susanwerner.com, itunes & amazon

❧ Photo Credits ❧
Sandra Kay Hammel
Harold Theodore "Ted" Hammel
Contributors to familytreemaker.genealogy.com

❧ Video Credits ❧
Sandra Kay Hammel
Mark O'Keith Hammel
August 3, 1924 ~ May 10, 2007
Evelyn Viola Mickley (Michelet) Hammel
And anyone who held our camera

❧ Editing ❧
Sandra Kay Hammel

❧ Special Thanks ❧
Mark O'Keith Hammel
Evelyn Viola Mickley (Michelet) Hammel
Gregory M Hammel
Connie Evans

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Audry and Ferne Hammel's Five Children and their children:

Harold Theodore "Ted" Hammel and Dorothy King children:
Nannette Hammel
Heidi Hammel

Jerald Hammel and Freda Richards children:
Michael DeWayne Hammel
Patricia Alice Hammel
Ralph Edwin Hammel

Mark Hammel and Evelyn Mickley children:
Greg M Hammel
Sandra Kay Hammel
Nancy Jo Hammel

Richard Hammel and Arlene Funk children:
Terry Lee Hammel
Crystal Ann Hammel, born 21 Sep 1947 in Huntington, IN; died 01 Apr 1952.
Rodney DeWayne Hammel
Brenda Sue Hammel
Lynette Ann Hammel, born 21 Jan 1965 in Huntington, IN; died 27 Jan 1997 in Columbia City, IN.

Evalyn Hammel and Charles Wohlford children:
Sharon Lee Wohlford
Eric Lane Wohlford

COACH MARK HAMMEL - I AM LOOKING FOR HIS PLAYERS

Coach Hammel

Coach Mark Hammel coached basketball at Union Township School in Huntington, Indiana and starting in 1958, he was the head basketball coach at the new Columbia City Joint High School. I am looking for players, students, student teachers ~ who have a story about Coach Hammel. I am Sandra Hammel, his daughter. You can join us at Facebook Coach-Hammels-Players-Columbia-City-Indiana

My father passed away May 10, 2007. He wanted to write a book called Why Coach? which centered around the reason for coaching being to make a difference in young people's lives. So, I am looking for stories that would make this point. If possible, a collection of stories would then be a tribute to him and make his dream come true. The Columbia City Indiana Post and Mail newspaper has accepted the idea to publish an article about this as soon as I write it.

You may email me at CoachHammel1924@aol.com

See this previous post for some pictures of CCJHS basketball
Coach Hammel had lasting impact

MERRY CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN

For Dad

and

For Heath

For Darfuris

Light a Candle for Dad

Light a Candle for Heath

Light a candle for Darfur

Candles only stay lit for 48 hours. You can light more than one candle at a time. And you may light a candle at any time.

I did. Initials SH
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Cryin' For Me sung by Toby Keith
Uploaded by TobyKeithVEVO

My love

SO LONG SLINGIN SAMMY BAUGH

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Great video
Direct link: www.youtube.com
Uploaded by SKINOFWAR

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Direct link: www.youtube.com
Uploaded by AssociatedPress
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Direct link: www.youtube.com
Uploaded by redskins78

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Direct link: www.youtube.com
Uploaded by SKINOFWAR

Sammy Baugh in the movies
Direct link: www.youtube.com
Uploaded by captainbijou
Text by poster;
Theatrical trailer for the 1941 Republic serial, KING OF THE TEXAS RANGERS, starring football legend "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh. An All-American footballer at Texas Christian University and a charter inductee into of the NFL Hall of Fame, Baugh had limited thespic talents, but was a gifted athlete. Director William Witney once noted that Baugh was extremely capable, a superb horseman and would have made an exceptional western star...

Tributes to Sammy Baugh
Direct links:
www.youtube.com
by 21RedskinsFan21
www.youtube.com
by pldRO95

See my extensive post on Sammy Baugh
and my dad:
slingin-sammy-baugh-and-my-dad-played

www.lambeaufield.com

SLINGIN' SAMMY BAUGH AND MY DAD PLAYED FOOTBALL - SOME MEMORABILIA

In this Dec. 15, 1936 file photo, Sammy Baugh, backfield star of Texas Christian University, is demonstrating his sidestepping ability in Dallas. Baugh, who set numerous passing records with the Washington Redskins in an era when NFL teams were running most every down, died Wednesday night, Dec. 17, 2008 his son said. Baugh, who was 94 and had numerous health issues, died at Fisher County Hospital in Rotan, Texas, David Baugh said. (AP Photo/JFL, File) (Jfl - AP)

Sammy Baugh 1945

Sammy Baugh

SAMMY BAUGH DIED WEDNESDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 17, 2008

Sammy Baugh was the last surviving member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class of 1963.

After starring at Texas Christian University, "Slingin' Sammy" played with the Redskins from 1937 to 1952, leading them to the NFL title in his rookie season and again in 1942.

FUNERAL SET FOR MONDAY (December 22, 2008)
www.google.com

ROTAN, Texas (AP) — Funeral services for Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh are scheduled for Monday.

Weathersbee-Ray funeral director Doug Ray said Thursday that Baugh's service will be at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Rotan. Burial will follow at Belvieu Cemetery. Family visitation is scheduled for 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

"Slingin' Sammy" Baugh, one of the league's best passers in an era when most offenses were geared toward the run, died Wednesday night at 94.

The Texas native played for the Washington Redskins from 1937-52, leading them to the NFL title his rookie season and again in 1942. Baugh was the last surviving member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class of 1963.

Commentary: Baugh's stories reflect a life lived to fullest

NFL star also played baseball, had show on TV

By JOHN McCLAIN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Dec. 18, 2008, 8:46PM

Source and credit: www.chron.com

When I learned that Slingin’ Sammy Baugh had died Wednesday, I reminisced about the most entertaining night of my life.

In July of 1998, I spent the night with Baugh at his ranch in West Texas. What a trip down memory lane.

Samuel Adrian Baugh, an All-American at TCU and Washington’s first-round pick in 1937, was a storehouse of sports and entertainment knowledge.

Green Bay receiver Don Hutson had died in June of 1997, leaving Baugh as the last surviving member of the original, 17-member class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame that was inducted in 1963.

I recruited Baugh’s friend, Cowboy Bill Lamza Jr., to set up the interview with Baugh at his ranch outside Rotan, an 8,000-acre spread at the base of Double Mountain.

Baugh, who got his nickname from a Fort Worth sportswriter because of the way he threw a baseball from third to first, was a cussing, golfing, domino-playing legend whose extraordinary career included experiences with more memorable characters than Benjamin Button and Forrest Gump combined.

Baugh was 84 when Lamza introduced me to him on the porch of his ranch house. I turned on the tape recorder and listened to Baugh’s stories while he and Lamza played dominoes for hours.

Set 13 league records

Baugh’s career in the NFL has been well-documented. In 2007, the NFL Network voted him as the most versatile player in history. He was an outstanding quarterback, safety and punter during a 16-year career with the Redskins that ended after the 1952 season.

When Baugh retired, he owned 13 NFL records.

At one point, Baugh showed me around his house. He had a small trophy case. I asked him which award he valued most. He opened the door, reached into the back and pulled out a certificate for his first hole-in-one.

Every weekday, Baugh got in his car and drove 20 miles to Sweetwater to play golf. On weekends, he stayed home to watch football and golf. He loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He ate them almost every day.

Fans would send items for him to sign. They’d be addressed to Slingin Sammy Baugh, Rotan, Texas — no address and no zip code. Just about everybody in West Texas knew where he resided because he’d owned the ranch since 1941.

Every two weeks, his daughter-in-law would come to his house and line up the items for him to sign. He signed “Sam Baugh” because it was quicker. She made sure every item was signed and returned to sender.

No matter how hard the Hall of Fame tried to get him to return to Canton or how many award banquets he was invited to, Baugh never went anywhere unless he could return home and sleep in his bed every night.

Memories of the minors

Baugh’s minor league baseball career was almost as interesting as his 16 years with the Redskins. He regaled us with stories about playing in the St. Louis Cardinals system with players who would become members of the legendary Gashouse Gang.

At a semipro all-star game in Denver, Baugh played against a Negro League all-star team that included Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell and Satchel Paige. He said it was the most talented team he ever saw even though the game ended with a bloody fight between fans and players from both teams.

Baugh told us about a 17-year-old rightfielder from an opposing team. He said the kid hit line drives you could hang clothes on. He said when he played third base, the kid would hit the ball so hard that Baugh could hear the planks coming out of the outfield fence faster than he could turn his head to actually see it.

The kid infuriated opponents because he’d turn his back to hitters and dare them to hit it to him. To antagonize opponents, the kid would stuff his glove in his pocket when the pitcher threw. Sometimes, the kid would do jumping jacks with the batter in the box.

Baugh asked the opposing manager why he let the kid act that way. The manager said the big boys with the major league team told him to leave the kid alone because he was going to make them a lot of money someday. That kid was Ted Williams.

A star magnet

Baugh was such a star in the NFL that Hollywood called.

He starred in a weekly series called King of the Texas Rangers. He crossed paths with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Duncan Renaldo, who became famous for his weekly television series, The Cisco Kid.

Actor Robert Duvall spent a few nights at Baugh’s ranch before he filmed the television miniseries, Lonesome Dove. Duvall based his Gus character on Baugh.

Of all his interesting experiences, Baugh loved football the most. When he walked off the field at Griffith Stadium for the last time, Redskins fans gave him a 10-minute standing ovation.

Now that he’s gone, many of us who admired him are still applauding.

SAMMY BAUGH
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME website source and link:
www.profootballhof.com
Class of 1963
Quarterback, 6-2, 182
(Texas Christian University)
1937-1952 with the Washington Redskins

Sammy Adrian Baugh. . .Two-time TCU All-America. . .No. 1 draft choice, 1937. . .Split career between tailback, T-quarterback. . . Premier passer who influenced great offensive revolution. . All-NFL seven years. . . NFL passing, punting, interception champ, 1943. . . Six-time NFL passing leader. . . Career records: 21,886 yards, 187 TDs passing, 45.1-yard punting average, 31 interceptions. . .Born March 17, 1914, in Temple, Texas. . .Died December 17, 2008, at age of 94.

Sammy Baugh arrived on the pro football scene in 1937, the same year the Redskins moved to Washington from Boston. The Texas Christian star was the team’s first round pick that year. Over the next 16 seasons “Slingin’ Sammy” not only helped establish the pro game in the nation’s capital, he also was a major influence in the offensive revolution that occurred in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

When Baugh first started with the Redskins pro football was largely a grind-it-out ground game. The forward pass was something to be used with caution, and never inside your 30-yard line, except in desperate situations. By the time Baugh was through, the forward pass was a primary offensive weapon. Obviously, such a change could not be totally brought about by one individual. But Baugh was the catalyst that changed the game. No one had seen a passer who could throw with such accuracy.

Baugh started his pro career as a single wing tailback and didn't make the switch to the T-formation until 1944. He won a record-setting six NFL passing titles and earned first-team All-NFL honors seven times in his career. Sammy also led the NFL in punting four straight years from 1940 through 1943. Extremely versatile, he led the NFL in passing, pass interceptions, and punting in 1943.

One of his best single performances came on “Sammy Baugh Day” in 1947 when he passed for 355 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Chicago Cardinals, that season’s eventual champions. Baugh, although highly competitive, was still comparatively easy-going and never lost his sense of humor. When the Chicago Bears defeated the Redskins, 73-0, in the famous 1940 NFL title battle, a Redskins end dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone. Reporters asked Baugh if the outcome would have been different had the pass been caught. "Yeah," Baugh answered, "It would have made it 73-7."

Baugh, perhaps greatest ever, dies at 94 Read the article: baltimoresun.com

My dad Mark "Mick" Hammel played in this preseason game as a Green Bay Packer end.

Slingin' Sammy Baugh is pictured on the program front cover. The roster was on the inside of the program as well as on the back. Both are pictured below.

The football articles below are memorabilia that I have about my beloved dad.

Click on the pictures of the programs and articles and they will enlarge.


Sammy Baugh is number 33 of the Redskins
My dad, Mark Hammel is number 15 of the Packers

Inside of the program above.

Don Hutson is listed as the Packer Backfield Coach.
He changed his mind and came out of retirement to play again. And this is referred to below in a letter from Packer Coach Curly Lambeau to my dad's high school football coach. That is the reason my dad was cut from the Packers before the season actually started.

My dad then went onto to Ohio State University with a football scholarship. He hitchhiked there and hitchhiked home. Just before going to the Packers he had gotten married and he was "homesick" he told me. He was rejected from the military because of his back. But he loved playing football. When he entered the hometown Huntington College after his short experience in professional football, he was ineligible to play football for one year. And the only years that they had a football team were the three years that dad did get to play there.

My dad went on to Coach Basketball in Indiana's high school level. He was hired to coach before he even went to college. There was a war going on...

Packer Coach Curly Lambeau refers to dad as made out of prewar rubber in above newspaper article.

Click on the articles and they will enlarge.

In the above article is included this text:

Hammel, Clark Shine

During the first stiff contact work Thursday on defense, two rookie lineman -- End Mark Hammel and Tackle Don Clark-- looked especially good along with Tiny Croft, 287-pound tackle, and Ben Starrett, who was used at an end spot as well as at blocking back. The big surprise of the session was the work of Hammel.

A comparatively small man, Hammel uses his 170 pounds to advantage. As the Packer coach put it, "...he seems to be made out of prewar rubber the way he bounces back after he is hit." The former Wabash (this is wrong - it shoud read Huntington player, which is high school) makes up for his lack of weight with plenty of speed. The ability he showed in the rough session was the fist major surprise of the young practice season.

(The last line in the article is missing the words: a play.)

The letter where Curly Lambeau cut dad from the Green Bay Packers
because Don Hutson came back from "retirement"
It is referred to at the end of the letter.

A source for more information on Sammy Baugh:
.................
Sammy Baugh Biography - Discovers Sports In Temple, Texas, Moves To Sweetwater, Texas, Recruited For College Career At Tcu
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From our files: Sammy Baugh: In Passing

Source and credit: www.csmonitor.com

From the October 14, 1948 issue of The Christian Science Monitor.

For years, forward passing was regarded as daring football. Fans usually liked passing because it was exciting to watch, and because danger rode with every attempt at it - danger of interception for the home team, and of completion for the opposition. Either way, passing was spectacular.

While the fans cheered it, however, fundamentalists insisted that it was not sound football. They regarded it as desparation play. Victories won on passes were sometimes termed "fluke" wins. Now the picture is different. The fellow who changed it is a drawling Texan, who proved that passing could be a science instead of a gamble.

Sammy Baugh did not aspire to football greatness as a boy. He wanted to be a baseball player. Just as the baseball major leagues are dotted with frustrated footballers, the football big time is sprinkled with fellows who wanted to play baseball. Sammy probably is the outstanding example.

When he was growing up on a Texas farm, heliked the sandlot game. Texas had good baseball weather, and Sam was determined to make the most of it. Football was not just something to try for the sake of variety, fun to dabble in but lacking in the solid virtues of baseball.

When he was of high school age, Sam retained much the same opinion of the two sports. At this time, the Baughs moved to Sweetwater, Texas, where Sammy went to high school. Tall and slim, Sam did not look much like a football player, but he went out for the team, anyway. He liked sports, and he watend to keep his hand in. If he had not subsequently achieved fame, it is unlikely that anyone who saw Sammy in high school football uniform would remember it now. He was unimpressive. At the time, he apparent lack of outstanding ability did not worry the young fellow, because everyone agreed he was a fine infielder on the high school baseball team.

After graduation, Sam had high hopes of making the major leagues. He joined an Abilene, Texas team as a third baseman, and sports fans continued to point him out as a fine prospect for organized baseball. Among the people who watched him and admired his work on the diamond was Dutch Meyer, baseball coach for Texas Christian University. Meyer thought that Baugh had natural ability as a hitter, and after some time he interested Sammy in going to Texas Christian. Meyer also was freshman football coach at TCU, but he is the first to confess now that he had no suspicions that Sammy Baugh might become a great football player. He knew Sam had played football, and figured he might fill in as a substitute on the freshman team in the baseball off-season.

Sammy went out for football as a freshman, but he failed to establish a reputation as a good football player. Francis Schmidt, head football coach, attributed Sammy's so-so play to the fact that he was too slim for football, anyway. For the first time, however, the easygoing Baugh was unwilling to ride along on that excuse. That freshman year he developed something more important than a reputation, he developed a determiniation to become more than a mediocre football player. He was beginning to get football fever, to feel that the autumn game was more than a change of pace from baseball.

It became obvious to Sammy that he did have a natural ability to pass. He watned to develop it, but he realized that he would have to become a better all-around player in order to make the passing count.

During his sophmore year, Sam studied the game of football. He spent hours on the fundamentals of the game, trying to imagine himself in every position on the team(he played quarterback) and in every conceivable situation. The team as a whole, and how it should operate - this was what Sammy had to know in order to do a good job of quarterbacking. He assimilated facts, and he began, gradually, to put his knowledge to work on the field. At first his play was marred by extreme nervousness. But he stuck to it and, as he saw theory work out on the field, developed self-confidence.

Sammy Baugh was a fine, workmanlike quarterback when he reported to his coach at the beginning of junior year. As serious practice got under way, he proved that he could punt well too, and he gave every indication of being a calm player, sure of what should be done in every situation.

Having painstakingly built the groundwork, Sammy was ready to reap the rewards. His passing, always his strong point but worthless without all-around basic ability, came into its own. It seemed to unhappy rivals of TCU that Baugh just couldn't miss. While fans screamed themselves hoarse, Baugh passed TCU into the Sugar Bowl. Even then he had no idea of how good he really was, and few other people guessed it.

After graduation from TCU, Same figured still that he might find a steadier, more dependable job in baseball. He played a season in the minor leagues. The next year he returned to football, hoping that his passing arm would enable him to make good with the professional Washington Redskins.

Since then, football fans have had occasion to be very thankful for Sammy's decision. His amazing marksmanship changed passing from a desparation measure to good, sound football. In 11 years of professional play, he has netted 15,000 yards for the Redskins on passing alone. Again and again his passes have been touchdown throws. As he himself admits, he is getting a little old now for the rugged game of football, being 34. There is talk of replacing him with a recent graduate of college football. But in a sense, Sammy cannot be replaced. He was a trail blazer, a pioneer, and the fellow who comes after will be treading a well-marked path.

At this link is an audio talking about Sammy Baugh:
sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news

Here is a part of the article:

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Slingin' Sammy Baugh, the ultimate three-way threat who revolutionized the use of the forward pass as a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Washington Redskins, died Wednesday night. He was 94.

Baugh, who had numerous health issues, died at Fisher County Hospital in Rotan, according to his son, David Baugh. He said his father had battled Alzheimer's disease and dementia for several years and recently had been ill with kidney problems, low blood pressure and double pneumonia.

"It wasn't the same Sam we all knew," his son told The Associated Press. "He just finally wore out."

Another article about Sammy Baugh:

NFL record-setter Slingin' Sammy Baugh dies at 94

By Betsy Blaney

The Associated Press

Thursday, December 18, 2008, 8:21 a.m.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- People never forgot Slingin' Sammy Baugh.

Every day as many as four letters arrived at the West Texas ranch the pioneering quarterback called home.

Baugh, whose use of the forward pass took him to the Hall of Fame after a career with the Washington Redskins, died Wednesday night. He was 94.

The letters came from young and old. Some asked for an autograph from Baugh (pronounced Baw). But in the last several years of his life he couldn't oblige them.

His son David Baugh responded to each one, telling fans his father could no longer hold a pen.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett even wrote to Baugh, and like so many others "just talked about how he was an inspiration in their lives," David Baugh told The Associated Press. "He did a lot of things pretty good, not just as an athlete. He was a good rancher, roper. He was a pretty good man."

For the full article: www.washingtonpost.com

At the following link you can see:

Gone, not forgotten
Notable sports deaths of 2008.

nbcsports.msnbc.com

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My dad died May 10, 2007 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. But I do not believe that he had AD. He had some form of dementia, just not AD. He always knew me to his dying breath.

I love you Dad.

Maybe, Sammy and you can talk some football.

I wrote about my dad at these posts:

though-my-dad-died-he-lives-on

i-sang-for-my-father-precious-memories

because-of-my-dad-i-know-i-have-known

death-does-not-end-relationship

if-not-for-you

life's-reason-to-be

my-last-good-by-to-my-dad

BECAUSE OF MY DAD I KNOW I HAVE KNOWN WHAT LOVE FEELS LIKE ~ DAD'S MY ANGEL

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The Last Rose of Summer

Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
No flower of her kindred,
No rose bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one,
To pine on the stem.
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go sleep thou with them.
'Thus kindly I scatter thy leaves o'er the bed
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow
When friendships decay,
And from love's shining circle
The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie withered
And fond ones are flown
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?

This is the note I sent recently to the nurse who was with my father when I talked to him on the telephone when he moved from mortal life to immortal life…

I cried today. I have my regret that I wasn’t there in body to be with Dad and watch him take his last breath, to hold his hand. But you were. I am grateful for you. Thank you.

I didn’t know how my note would be received because my family is broken and people knew it where dad lived his last year of his life in an institution. They didn’t know the weird inside story, but we had to appear in ways to draw judgments. I was never told by my mother that dad was near death and she knew he was. So I was in Rhode Island the day he died. I sent my note to Marcia anyway because I am sincerely grateful for what she did for me and for my father. I really only knew Marcia from a couple exchanges. So I took a chance that she would receive me in the spirit that I sent my sentiments.

Today, I received a reply from my note that I sent to Marcia ~ who sat with my father in Indiana, May 10, 2007 the morning he died. I have been so moved. It has helped me grieve, finally, for losing my father.

This is the note sent to me.

Dear Sandra,

I felt privileged and honored to act in your behalf at your Father’s Death.

I admire your courage and strength born of the great faith that you shared with your Father.

I think back at that unforgettable moment in time when Mark took his final breath precisely at the final word of your song. I was in awe at the peace and stillness in his presence.

I have no doubt that Mark was very proud of you ~ and had great love for you ~

Sandra ~ thank you for sharing those final ~ precious moments with me ~ PEACE

The song that I sang to him was “The Old Rugged Cross”.

Today, I don’t feel like sharing my deep feelings or talk more of the story. I did write about it complete with pictures at posts
Though My Dad Died He Lives On
and
I Sang for My Father ~ Precious Memories

From my childhood through today, I love the old hymns we sang as I was growing up. And Dad and I shared this love together.

This is in honor of my beloved Father:
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I Surrender All

Thank you, Dad.


Mahalia Jackson ~ Just A Closer Walk With Thee

I SANG FOR MY FATHER ~ PRECIOUS MEMORIES

MY FIRST CHRISTMAS WITHOUT DAD

Dad and my son on the lake that dad made out of a corn field and a natural spring.

Dad around 1954

I was in a play called I Never Sang for My Father years ago. But I did. I sang for my father. When he was alive. We sang together, too. And I have sung for my father since he died seven months ago. There was something special that I had with my father. And now my feelings for him have become even more precious.

I was not allowed to see movies when I was growing up. Not counting the Disney movie, Bambi, that I finally was allowed to see after much debate with my second grade class on a field trip, the first real movie experience I had was when I convinced my parents to let me go see the movie The Sound of Music. My parents went with me and my dad loved Julie Andrews in the movie.
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The Lendler
Uploaded by ArtHistory101

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The Sound of Music movie locations
Uploaded by r2djannes


And then in November 2005, I visited Salzburg and walked some of the very places where the movie was shot. How cool is that!

When I was in Villach, Austria, I stayed at a very nice hostel and one night a birthday party was being celebrated at the hostel. I was walking by the room and heard this fantastic harmonizing singing ~ it sort of blew me away. We have lost that in the USA. We used to sing the National Anthem at events ~ now we mostly just stand there and let someone else perform it without any audience participation. That is sad. Music is such a community thing. A joy we could give ourselves.

This is my first Christmas since my father left his mortal life behind. As sorrowful as I am that I was kept from him at the end of his life by my mother, I spent time with him on his last Father's Day June 18, 2006. When I returned home after visiting him in Indiana I wrote the following to him.

From your daughter Sandy, from Rhode Island

Dad

I will do the remembering for both of us.

I remember the first time you saw me and said my name, “Sandy”, when I surprised you, Sunday, Father’s Day.

I remember you closing your eyes, then opening your eyes, then your eyes looking into my eyes when I sang “The Old Rugged Cross” to you while you were
lying down in your room on Monday.

I remember the slow- moving pain in your eyes when I told you of the day I would leave you.

I remember the big smile that you gave when I showed you the words “Rhode Island” on your wall
and you saying “that will help”.
I remember you spelling the word r-o-a-d.

I remember my prayer to God that we shared in your room and you said “that was a nice prayer.”

I remember the time you were lying on your bed,
I mentioned your favorite song,
“Go Tell It on the Mountain”
And you starting singing the song by yourself
and I sang along with you.

I remember the day we were walking through all the halls on the way to outside and you telling me it was the wrong way, then telling me that I was right three times
as we continued walking on.

I remember you reading the road sign “Roanoke” when we were driving to Roanoke.

On my last day, it was hard on you, I could see.
But you stood and told me you loved me, we hugged,
you walked me down the hall.
You were being my Dad.

We don’t always get what we want in life,
but I still have you and that is my blessing.

You are still doing God’s work, teaching me.

We walked holding hands.
Thank you for that.
We kissed on the lips.
Thank you for that.
We shared love.
Thank you for that.
You needed my help
and I was able to help.
Thank you for that.

Thank you for the time we shared together.
Thank you for your heart that you shared with me.
Thank you for looking at me, eye to eye.
Thank you for saying my name, “Sandy”.
Thank you for the feelings that you shared with me.
Thank you for letting me love you.
Thank you for being so brave.
Thank you for trying so hard.

Your brain is not serving you well,
but your good spirit lives on.
I will have your spirit with me always.
I treasure our time together more than possessions.

I am so grateful to you,
Your Daughter “Sandy from Rhode Island”
Visit: June 18, Sunday, Father’s Day – June 23, Friday, 2006

Dad in the the hammock, my older brother Greg, me and my younger sister, Nancy .

My son and my dad in 1997.

MY LAST GOOD-BYE TO MY DAD AND MY RED SLED

Today, my plans were turned upside down. Once my Darfur lobby appointment was cancelled for December 17 with U.S. RI Representative Patrick Kennedy, I could stop studying the points to be made to the constituents prior to meeting with Patrick for Monday morning. I already had emailed all the important “asks” to Patrick’s office Friday, so I simply asked the scheduler to forward them to Patrick in Washington, D.C. because some of the things are to be up for a vote Monday. Although it has taken me since February 2007 to land this lobby meeting, I wasn’t upset with the change in plans for now. We will be rescheduled after I go to New Hampshire to volunteer in the Derry, New Hampshire Barack Obama campaign office through January 9.

So the big decision to be made after going to the Doctor’s this morning and getting a prescription costing $109 ~ a bottle, 1 inch high and ½” in diameter of ear drops ~ I decided NOT to buy a Christmas tree. I spent hours this afternoon decking the house out though. I cut lots of branches from my juniper trees in the back yard, put them in a bucket of water. Cut holly branches complete with the red berries. Got out all the Christmas stuff.

While in the attic, I saw the little red sled from my Indiana childhood, that my dad had repainted red with my name across the middle wood slat and transported to Rhode Island years ago when mom and dad traveled a lot by a 32 foot motor home. Great! I thought. Dad can be here in my decoration scene. My dad died May 10th ~ the same date that his mother died years ago. But dad died this year. I only cried recently about dad being gone from my mortal life. But mostly because he didn’t get to die living in his home, but in a tiny room in an institution.

My dad had a favorite song, that I don’t think anyone knew of ~ until I told them. It was “Go, Tell It On the Mountain”. We sang it together in that tiny room even when I had been told he couldn’t remember things, that he wouldn’t recognize me, he had no capacity to smile ~ only I found all of that to be untrue. He smiled with me, he remembered and talked with me and we shared some of the most intimate and memorable times while his memory was less, but still there.

The saddest part was that my mother kept me from being with my dad at the end. She denied me and my dad time and experiences together those last years. And when he was near death, she never called and told me. So here I was in Rhode Island doing my Darfur activist stuff. On May 9th I was organizing the thousands of divestment petitions to be delivered to Fidelity Investment Company’s main headquarters’ office in Smithfield, RI with students from Providence College and Brown University.

May 10th, my brother had arranged to have me talk to my dad in Warren, Indiana on the phone following his phone call to dad. And I called at 10:00 a.m. with a written out message to dad to tell him that I was coming to Indiana to see him next week, but that if he couldn’t wait until then, to know it is okay to go and that I love him. On the phone, I sang him one of his other favorite songs “The Old Rugged Cross” that I had sung to him on my recent visit to Indiana. At that time, while I was singing it, dad closed his eyes and I thought to myself that maybe he was passing away at that time, but no, he slowly opened his eyes later in the song and looked straight ahead. He was just taking it in.

This time I had the nurse who was holding the phone to his ear so he could hear me talk to him ~ also hold his hand while I talked to him. He was unable to talk anymore. But he understood everything that I was saying. I said again, I love you, dad. I asked him to squeeze Nurse Marcia’s hand to say that he loved me. After I said my last good-bye, Marcia came on the phone and told me that she thought he was gone. She was amazed at the peace that came over his body and face. She saw him take his last breath. Marcia said that he was too weak to squeeze her hand, but dad at the time I asked him to squeeze Marcia’s hand, winked his left eye. My dad told me he loved me with a wink of his eye. His mind was there for us both.

At his funeral I told the story of my last phone call with my dad. My dad’s sister told me that mom never looked at me once as I talked and sang “The Old Rugged Cross”.

Marcia, said he had waited for me. I adore my dad. And I am sad that my mother didn’t tell me he was this near death so that I could have gone home to be with him in person. But my mother hadn’t told me she moved dad into this institution either. Dad so badly did not want to go to this institution. He hated it there. He wanted to go to his final annual Hammel Family Reunion August 5, 2006. I wanted to grant him this wish. But my mother forbid it. So my mother got her way. And my dad is now gone from this mortal life.
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youtube
Uploaded by a 16 year old of Sweden called Hafor at Youtube.

At his funeral May 14, 2007, we all sang “Go, Tell It on the Mountain". I love this youtube of it. Dad liked music. But he was a sportsman. Right out of high school, he went to play for the Green Bay Packers with Curly Lambeau. Football was dad's favorite sport to play, although he was a track star also. Dad told me he loved playing football in the rain the best. None of this was in my dad’s obituary. He was an excellent basketball coach in two Indiana high schools, also. Bobby Knight would scout the boys on my dad’s teams for recruitment because of the fundamentals and X’s and O’s coaching that my dad did.

My mother left for the airport to go to Hawaii with my niece, on the afternoon of May 14th. The trip had been planned for a long time.

Recently, I have begun to write about my life, my feelings, my memories by sifting through my prolific writing over a lifetime and it is stunning to have all these feelings for a dad that belted me, but in the end, showed me how very special I was to him. In his heart, he was a teddy bear. The afternoon, following my dad's funeral, I went to visit his only surviving elder brother on a farm. Jerald told me that dad had received more whippings than the other four children in their family put together. Jerald died in his sleep 5 days later.

My dad's mom, dad, siblings and him. He's the one holding the ball.

Here you have my Christmas “tree” that cost me nothing but time. AND there is the red sled of my childhood, painted by my dad by the tree as a part of the Christmas 2007 at my house. Thank you.

Mark O’Keith Hammel
Born August 3, 1924
Died May 10, 2007
CoachHammelDies
familytree
Merry Christmas Dad!

Sandra Hammel
Born April 2, 1949
Not dead yet
My dad's nickname for me was Whistle Bait. I know it may sound disgusting, but he meant it in the nicest way, I am sure.