Heritage Happening: College Paper

Rhode Island College Paper, circa 1965-69, photo by Midge Frazel, 2016

Information NOT in my Genealogy

This week, Rhonda McClure wrote a blog post that fits well with my Close to Home Project and caused me to leap up and look for a paper I wrote as an undergraduate in college sometime between 1965 and 1969. Because of the content of these two pages, I must pay attention to this "sentimental" document. I don't remember whether this assignment was for my college health (physical education) course or for the genetics class that I had to take for my Biology major. I remember insisting that I be given back this part of the paper. (Pages 4 and 5). I don't remember what grade I got further proving that such things don't matter to me.

After doing this "do-over", I see things that can be verified and some that only I will remember and need to be in my genealogy notes. Photographs can't tell the whole story and neither can death records.

Typed on my manual typewriter that was my high school graduation gift, I studied this paper and discovered it was Eaton's Corrasable paper that was most coveted by students back in the day. I have to scan it and put it in an archival envelope before it is lost to time.

As right now, I am working on my aunts and uncles, it is interesting to me to write down their hair and eye color. My parents grandfather and grandmother died before I was born and although I am fairly sure that he was blonde and she was dark, I am going to ask my cousin. That is still second hand information because our mutual grandparents died before even my oldest cousin was born.

My genetics teacher "tapped, tapped" on my pedigree chart because both my grandmothers had brown hair and eyes. I am a genetically recessive person. My eye iris color is so light, my former ophthalmologist had my eyes photographed. 

Do you have a list of hair and eye color of your ancestors or even of  your grandparents? If not, get to work.

Some links to help you with medical genetics:

How to Draw a (Genetics) Pedigree Chart

Your Family Health History

Pedigree Nomenclature