Good to know -- Top Ten Politically Conservative Colleges

Gig 'em, Aggies.

Dad wanted me to go to Texas A & M. Lots of my family had attended and he really liked the campus, the respect for the military, etc. My grandfather was a proud A & M graduate and he had worked his way through the school by milking the cows at the Ag school every morning and every night.

It would be appropriate here, I guess, to mention that my father is on my mind a great deal today. Two years ago today he passed away.

I had gone out to San Diego to move him out with us in DC for cancer treatment. At the time, I was all of 10 weeks pregnant, but determined to help my father through the fight of his life. When I saw him, I was shocked. My 6'1", 210 lb, Cary Grant lookalike of a father was a gaunt 140 lb and physically devastated by the lymphoma that had ravaged him.

We spent one glorious day and evening together. The last lesson he taught me was about the care of his firearms. I had heard the lesson a thousand times, but was thrilled at the unexplainable burst of energy he was experiencing. That night, he died in his sleep. My world has not been the same since.

My father had been a professional football player, an OSS agent in WWII in both the Pacific and the European theaters, and a widely respected banker. I grieve for him not only because there is no one who can replace a daddy, but also because my wonderful sons will never know their extraordinary grandfather personally.

Rest with the angels, Daddy. You've earned all the peace the heavens can muster for you.