Along Our Way
We’ve loved watching the coverage leading up to the February 15-16 visit in Iowa by China’s Vice-President Xi Jinping, who is expected to rise to the presidency of that nation in the next year. For columnist Chuck Offenburger, it’s been a reminder of his being part of the first group of Iowa citizens who visited China in 1984, when relations between the nations were undergoing “normalization” after decades of strain. It was an amazing trip! One Iowan used a collapsible golf club to hit a ball off the Great Wall of China. Most on the trip got their photos taken posing on a two-hump camel at the Great Wall, as Offenburger was doing in this picture snapped by former Iowa First Lady Billie Ray.
[FOR THE STORY & THE PHOTO IN
LARGER FORMAT, CLICK HERE.]
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A conversation
with the Offenburgers
Chuck Offenburger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins follicular lymphoma cancer on July 10, 2009, had six months of chemotherapy & started a maintenance program. Carla Offenburger underwent surgery on April 26, 2010, for removal of a jaw tumor which was found to contain adenoid cystic carcinoma cancer. She underwent six weeks of follow-up radiation in June and July, 2010. Since then she has returned to good health, but she continues to have close medical observation. Two days after Carla finished radiation, Chuck noticed a pain in his left hip, and within days, a small mass near his tailbone was diagnosed as more aggressive large-cell lymphoma. In the fall of 2010, he underwent intensive chemotherapy, and had a stem cells transplant in November, with follow-up radiation in January, 2011. Since then he's been doing well, too, but continues to have regular check-ups. We post updates frequently here, including brief insights from Chuck, Carla and at least one of you readers.
“Chuck, in the past year, I’ve seen you with long hair, no hair and now this short hair. This is best.”
FOR THE LATEST UPDATE, CLICK HERE.
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What's the deal with the
black & white saddle shoes?
Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa.
Here's looking at life
at Simple Serenity Farm
We've had very little snow so far this winter. Saturday morning, January 14, brought a reminder of just how pretty a light snow can be. Just over an inch fell in the wee hours, and the countryside was beautiful at wake-up time.
Click here for larger format
Earlier photos in this series
Chuck Offenburger's
latest book on sports
legend Gary Thompson
''GARY THOMPSON: All-American'' is the new, 352-page biography of one of the state's genuine sports icons. From 1950-'53 Gary Thompson led the Roland Rockets to high school sports glory in basketball and baseball, giant-killers from one of Iowa's small schools. Then he led the Cyclones at Iowa State from 1953-'57, becoming the college's first two-sport All-American. He's had major success in broadcasting and business, from his home base in Ames. And he and his wife Janet have a family as solid as they come. "I'm the luckiest guy around," Thompson says.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
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Our Partners & Patrons
Iowa Hall of Pride
Sam's Barber Shop
Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney
KMA Radio's ''Chuck & Don Show''
The Monks of New Melleray Abbey
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Along Our Way
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