Radding Family Reunion, Jul 14-17, 2011

We have a date for the next Radding Family Reunion, this summer, July 14-17 2011 at the Enfield CT Holiday Inn, a completely refurbished hotel on 13 acres of land. Lots of outdoor space for activities--tennis, volleyball, swimming, basketball, shuffleboard. Already a barbecue is being planned. It is located between Hartford and Springfield. Near airports in Hartford, Boston, and New York. Easy to get to, very reasonably priced, good food, and plenty to do for children, families, and the older folks too. An hour from the Berkshires, less than 2 hours from Boston--build your entire vacation around what will be the third Radding Family Reunion. For current details, visit the Radding Family page at Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=103497098646

A Successful Radding Family Reunion

[DOUBLE CLICK PHOTO TO SEE LARGE]

Over 60 Raddings gathered at Lake Tahoe and had a great time. People renewed old friendships, started new friendships, shared old stories, and started new ones. Best of all we made a commitment to do it again in a couple of years [to be announced].

Jenny Radding Mann and Jerry Mann came up a big winner at Reunion 2.0 [see picture above—Jerry proudly holding his Hyatt Lake Tahoe casino payout of a whopping 40 cents]. The Raddings must be the last of the big spenders judging from the photo of Linda Radding spending her last dollar at the Hyatt casino. I'd be surprised if the casino ever lets the Raddings in again.

The third photo shows Eugene Radding, the oldest Radding at the reunion, with his daughter Jenny Radding Mann along the late. This spry 85-year old hiked 300’ down and back to this point. We should all be in his shape when we get that age.

The Moses Radding paintings [shown below in an earlier blog posting] are now in the possession of Herb Radding, thanks to the help of Peter Radding. Herb brought them to the reunion where they were displayed. They look much better for real than the skewed photos previously posted here

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Eva and Pearl gave a genealogy update. They found more Raddings and are hot on the trail of confirming the missing branch of the family, the Racusin line. They also provided more details further confirming the connection between the Jerome and Joseph lines of the family. Without a doubt, we are ONE family.

Fay Radding volunteered to head up the next reunion committee. She will need lots of help with the research, planning, and preparation. So, if you can help out, please contact Fay on Facebood at the Radding family group.

Danny Radding, a high school student from Alameda CA, set up a Radding Family group on Facebook. Every Radding is encouraged to join. It is free. You will need a Facebook account (go to www.facebook.com), which also is free. Everyone who is part of the Radding Family group will be able to post photos for all to see and put up messages for the group. Details will follow. I will continue this blog for now but more of the interesting stuff should move to Facebook, where it is easier for everyone to participate. I already joined the Radding Family Group.

Hopefully Raddings who attended the reunion will post their thoughts in the comments that follow this blog. Just click the comment link and follow the prompts. (You'll have to identify yourself; we don't allow anonymous comments.) I hope Raddings will also post comments and photos on the Radding Facebook page. And it doesn’t all have to be about the reunion. Our FacebookFacebook page. group should become an ongoing Radding discussion and family celebration. Every Radding is welcome to put comments and photos on the Radding Family

In addition, I will put up more photos from the reunion in the next blog posting. Eva will put a selection on Facebook too.

Radding Reunion June Update

This is a view of Lake Tahoe. Pretty nice, huh? Hope you are going to join a bunch of other Raddings there in just a few weeks.

The Radding Reunion, 2.0 is almost upon us, Thurs.-Sun., July 9-12. As of the end of June, 69 people have signed up. Many of these are newly identified Raddings since last reunion. More will likely show up as late-comers and day-trippers.

Attendees are coming from across the country, Maine to California. As for age, they range from 2 to 83.

Scheduled activities include a poolside welcome on Thursday evening. Friday and Saturday evenings will feature group dinners. A Lake Tahoe brunch cruise is scheduled for Saturday and a group breakfast on Sunday.

The highlight of the reunion will be the presentation of the latest findings by the genealogy team. They have been busy since the last reunion tracking down more Raddings and clarifying relationships. Bring any additional information you have: names, dates, ages, locations—genealogy is an ongoing process of building the Radding family database.

Eva and I are flying out on Thurs., 7/9. See you at Lake Tahoe.

The artwork of Moses B. Radding

Moses B. Radding, 1889-1980, a doctor, also was an artist. Two of his paintings are for sale in an antique store in Easton, PA. Cathy McElligott recently spoke with the owner. The owner said the paintings had been in her private home, and that she and her husband own the shop. The photos are priced at $595 each. Cathy convinced the woman to send a photo of each picture, which I scanned. The pictures are above. Sorry for the skewed angles but the photos of the pictures were skewed to begin with. If you click the photo you should see a larger view.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Tahoe reunion.

Alan

Earl Radding, 1912-2009

Earl was the oldest Radding at the first reunion and, as far as the genealogy team could determine, possibly the oldest living Radding. Earl (standing in the photo) was gregarious and delightful at the reunion. We will miss him at the Lake Tahoe reunion.

Radding, Earl C.

Engineer-Musician-Senior Olympian-Family Man

Passed away after a short illness on February 1, 2009 at 96 years of age. Born April 26, 1912 in Albany, N.Y., son of Hattie Simons Radding and Aaron Radding, Earl received his Mechanical Engineering Degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1933 and his Professional Engineering Certification subsequently.

In 1938, he joined the US Naval ship building efforts in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, NYC. After the war, Earl accepted a position in the DuPont Engineering Department, Seaford location, from which he retired in 1977. Earl was perennially active in the National Society of Professional Engineers, Delaware Chapter, of which he served as President. In 1983, he was awarded Outstanding Engineer of the Year. The National organization bestowed “Distinguished Member” in 1991, “Fellow Member” in 2001 and in 2007, “Life Member.” Earl’s dedication to exemplary engineering professionalism led to the institution of rigorous PE requirements and high standards of excellence across the nation.

Music was a talent recognized in his youth when Earl, age 12, gave a piano recital under the tutelage of Helen Radding Maxwell, Albany, NY. Banjo playing with pick-up bands helped him with expenses through his college years. In the Seaford area, over a period of 40 years, frequent jam sessions were held with Gordon and Alice McCormick, and professional banjo artists, Buddy Wachter and Al Smith. In 1989, Earl formed the GrandpaJammers who performed on the Delmarva Penninsula. The group of 11 were eventually joined by Helen Lind, vocalist. More recently, the Grandpa Jammers had become a quintet of Earl, Helen, Dave Sterrett, Bob Corwin and Jim Smith. Often Earl and Helen would perform as a duo and did cut a CD of Oldies but Goodies in 2005.

Senior Olympics were another facet of Earl’s vibrant life. Throughout his 70’s and 80’s he continually won medals in Tennis and Bowling at National Competitions. Tennis fell by the way side in his 90’s, however he was a Bowling medalist in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Singles and Mixed-Doubles with his partner, Christine Morrow, in the Delaware State competitions and a medalist in the Singles and Mixed-Doubles Nationals in 2005.

A special hobby, Amateur Radio, was of interest to Earl from his teens, The Marconi days. He was licensed for 57 years and participated in the QCWA and Nanticoke Amateur Radio Clubs locally.

Family was Earl’s highest priority with emphasis on education, high ethics and social commitment. He was a Scout Master, a mentor for remedial programs, an involved father with his wife, Edna, and children. Earl and Edna, who predeceased Earl in 2002, were married 64 years with two sons, Peter (sr) and Wilson, two grandchildren, Peter (jr) and Nicole Radding Havert, two great grandsons, Trent and Grant Radding, a great granddaughter, Jordan Havert and a fourth due in May. Earl is also survived by three nieces, Lois Collins, Doris Turlo, and Arlene Vrooman, a nephew, David Maxwell, and a niece by marriage, Karen Scheie. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 7, 2009, 2 PM at the Watson-Yates funeral home, Front and King Streets, Seaford, DE. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Seaford Senior Center or the Milford Senior Center.

Preliminary Reunion Program

The snow is piling up (see photo). That means it is time to start thinking about the next Radding family reunion. Here is the preliminary program.

When: July 9th through July 12th, 2009

Where: Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino
Incline Village, Nevada
http://laketahoe.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Preliminary Program
Thursday, 7/9 3:00 pm
Hotel check in available
4:00 to 9:00 pm Hospitality Suite* open
Dinner on your own
7:30 to 9:00 pm Poolside Welcoming

Friday, 7/10
All Day Enjoy the Resort and Area
8:00 am - 9:00 pm Hospitality Suite* open
Organized AM Radding Golf
Outings TBD Radding Spa Treatments
5:30 to 6:30 pm Cocktail Gathering
7:00 pm Shuttle or Drive to Offsite Restaurant
7:30 pm to ? Group Dinner at Offsite Restaurant

Saturday, 7/11
AM Enjoy the Resort and Area
8:00 am - 9:00 pm Hospitality Suite* open
Organized 9:30 to 11:30 am Brunch Cruise on Lake Tahoe
Outing (30 min drive to boat dock)
2:00 to 4:00 pm Radding Genealogy Session
4:00 pm Family Photo
6:30 pm to ? Group Dinner at Hyatt Regency

Eva and I have put down our deposit so we're intending to be there. Eva and the rest of the genealogy team are still chasing down Raddings to complete the genealogy, which, of course, is never really complete. If you have any new information, please pass it along to Eva, Pearl, or Cathy.

Pearl promises more info on the reunion in Feb.

Otherwise, hope lots and lots of you will attend.

Until then, it is cold and there is a ton of snow covering my lawn. I'll be ready for Tahoe by July (if not sooner).

Alan

Reunion Fall Update

It’s more than official: the next Radding reunion is happening July 9-12, 2009 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village. How do I know it’s real? The Hyatt has taken my credit card deposit. Now I hope the rest of you will join Eva and me.

Pearl Radding Carpenter, Auntie Pearl to me, sent out more details on the reunion: Incline Village is just 45 minutes from the Reno, Nevada airport, 2 hours and 15 minutes from Sacramento, CA, and 3.5 hours from the San Francisco Airport.

Pearl reports that the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village is an incredible resort is located right on the lake complete with a private beach, pool complex, spa, and casino. (details here--http://laketahoe.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp). The hotel is holding a limited number of rooms for the three reunion days at a group discount rate of $238/night. For those who may want to stay longer the hotel will honor the discounted rate for up to 2 nights before and 2 nights after the reunion. Raddings can book rooms by calling 775 832 1234. Make sure that you tell them that you are with the Radding Reunion to get the discounted rate. You will need to place a one night deposit to hold your reservation

Quite a bit has been happening among Raddings since the last blog posting. Probably more has been happening than is recounted here but I only know what’s happening if people fire off an email to me, alan@radding.net, and let me know.

To start, Eva, Amy, and I attended Lisa’s graduation from Syracuse University in May. David Nappi and Kathy Cragin joined us for dinner one night.. Lisa actually landed a job in her field, linguistics, within one month of graduating. She is working at Ethnic Technologies, South Hackensack NJ, as an Ethnologist/Linguist, according to her business card. Lisa is now living in Hoboken, NJ, right across the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan. Great views of the NYC skyline.

David Nappi writes that Kathy's son Doug and his wife Kim are now parents of a healthy baby boy. Donald Jeffery Cragin was born 10/7/08. He’s not officially a Radding but close enough. David and Kathy also have set a date to get married, Oct. 3, 2009. And he became a grandfather yet again in July when his youngest daughter, Amanda, had a daughter, Cheyenne Leigh Nappi, on July 2. Mazel Tov all around!

Wendy Cumpston writes with an update from the Washington, DC area about a feature in the Washington Post on the Teachers In Space program, featuring Barbara Radding Morgan, the NASA astronaut, space shuttle crew member, and surely the most traveled Radding in terms of total miles.

Jerome Radding also checked in with news of his daughter, the same Barbara Radding Morgan. He wrote: “Our daughter, who went on shuttle flight ST-118 on August 8th, 2007, was a guest speaker at her old Hoover High School in Fresno on Wednesday April 9th. She spoke at two assemblies and in addition to the school officials and teachers, there were representatives from the City of Fresno and from Cal State University, Fresno, announcing the formation of a new educational program at the high school in conjunction with the University to promote careers in Technology, Electronics and Architecture. The mayor gave her a key to the City and declared April 9th ‘Barbara Morgan Day’. It was a great day.” Jerome Radding M.D. is the son of Edward E. Radding and grandson of the original Jerome Radding..

Mark Radding invited me to join his network on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). LinkedIn is a business-focused social networking site, sort of a Facebook for business and professional people. It is free. There are more than a few Raddings on LinkedIn. Would be nice to identify their connections to the rest of us and get them to the reunion. At the least, we should invite each other to join our various networks. Maybe we can set up a Radding group?

Andrew Radding of Baltimore reports the arrival on Oct 5, 2008, of the newest Radding, Alexandra Jane Collins. Alexandra is the daughter of Andrew’s daughter Judy and her husband Chris in NYC.

Herbert Radding reported a visit to his brother Irving Radding. Irv is a much decorated WWII and Korean War vet. Retired, he now resides now in Hemet, California with his wife Joyce.

Lastly, Eva and I celebrated Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year, in Longmeadow, MA, at the home of my brother Edward and Linda Radding. Joining us for a lovely holiday dinner was my brother Robert and Rina Radding, cousins Jerry and Susan Radding, cousins Cathy and John McElligott, and a last minute treat for us, the arrival of my daughter Amy Radding, who dashed up after an organic chem. test at Yale in New Haven, an hour away

Upcoming blog postings will include more details of the Lake Tahoe reunion and more genealogy findings from the genealogy team that continues uncovering and tracking down any Raddings they can find. If you know of any, pass the information along to Pearl, Eva, or Cathy. If there is more news to report, just let me know or blast it out in an email to the entire family mailing list, which all of you can take from earlier mailings.

Feel welcome to add your own comments to this posting by clicking the comments section at the bottom and following the prompts.

In terms of the economy the Jewish New Year (Sept. 30/Oct. 1) has gotten off to a rough start to say the least. Still, Eva and I wish all Raddings, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, a healthy, happy, and peaceful New Year, and (in the traditional Hebrew New Year greeting) Shana Tova.

Alan