Category Archives: History

In Praise of the One-Hit Wonder

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Driving home today, I was listening to (and, of course, singing along with 🙂 ) Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” on the radio.  My first idle thought was to realize that it is in 3/4 time, like a waltz. Most of his … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Music, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The original HONY – O.O. McIntyre

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Everyone seems to know and like the extremely popular “Humans of New York” (HONY) blog by Brandon Stanton.  Intriguingly, another man was putting an equally human face on the people of New York City, both celebrities and ordinary folks, nearly 100 years … Continue reading →

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The Northern Soul Project – Streaming 24/7 Northern Soul Radio (Post #4)

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

A quick post to share my latest Northern Soul find: a radio station that streams classic Northern Soul music online, ad free, 24/7. A partnership between San Francisco radio station KALW (91.7FM) and National Public Radio, “The Mix: Northern Soul … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Learning, Milwaukee, Music, Popular culture, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

F. Scott Fitzgerald: Football Genius?

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

I was about to toss yesterday’s Wall Street Journal into the recycling bin this morning but realized I hadn’t read the “Review” section.  Am I glad I took a minute to page through!  On page C3 was this excellent essay/article, … Continue reading →

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Fuzzy Wuzzy, “Vintage” Soap

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

I have no idea why this product from my childhood randomly popped into my thoughts this morning. I vaguely recall being allowed to get Fuzzy Wuzzy soap at least once.  All my friends were fascinated by it.  Does anyone know … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The Northern Soul Project – Some Background (post #2)

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

To recap: I stumbled across the term “Northern Soul” a week ago while trying to see if the Dusty Springfield part of the Pet Shop Boys’ “What Have I Done to Deserve This,” was actually one of her old songs.  … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Learning, Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Northern Soul Project

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

One of the terms in my blog’s subtitle is “Lifelong Learning.”  When I started writing here a couple of years ago, I thought I’d be talking much more about that topic than I’ve turned out to, as it’s a huge … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Learning, Life, Music, Popular culture, Teaching, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Colectivo Lakefront Café

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

What a beautiful afternoon in Milwaukee today!  Perfect weather for coffee at Colectivo’s Lakefront CafĂ© with two of my favorite MSOE colleagues, Jim and Jan.  These colorful chairs and rain barrel were right next to our outdoor table. After hearing Jim talk … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Casey Kasem: Keep reaching for the stars

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

I was on I-65 driving south from Chicago Sunday when I heard the news that Casey Kasem had died. Because I’d seen recent news stories of family drama pitting Kasem’s wife against the children from his first marriage, Kasem’s death came as … Continue reading →

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Three Memorials: The 32nd Infantry, Patrick Lucey, and Dontre Hamilton

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

On my Starbucks run while taking a break from making up the final exam for my political science class, I was struck by this sight. The granite arrow honors the 32nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army National Guard, made up … Continue reading →

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