If for No Other Reason

Mighty oaks stood guard at my country school, deeply rooted from the time before people began landing at Plymouth Rock. Their pungent perfume invited me to come and play. Their presence did not vary except in fall when their leaves turned brown and fell to the ground. They stood as strong as a bull and as independent as a Scotsman unaffected by the winds of circumstance. Such were our ancestors: the Olsons, Krugers, Matthews, Hamlins, and Mortons.

Each family came from similar backgrounds,...