Commonwealth Network

About This Project

My grandfather is quite a storyteller. If you doubt me, just ask him! With eighty-eight years of experience, and less than half as many bourbons, he is well qualified to spin a yarn for any occasion. Woody can conjure up at will every friend, acquaintance and passer-by he has ever encountered - and tell you what they had for lunch on a given day in nineteen thirty-six! I cherish many fond memories of fishing, dining, or otherwise passing time with Grandpa and listening to the great story-teller at work - effortlessly recalling an incident of some folly, mischief or mayhem somehow connected with the current topic of discussion.

His acuity of detail and near-instant recall seemingly transform me back to a time and place I have never been, as a good book might, allowing me to visit the memories of my grandfather first-hand. I suppose there are many great story-tellers, and my fondness for Grandpa's story-telling is arguably subjective, as it should be. However, when I look back to the published works of my great-grandfather, presented here, it becomes clearer to me where my grandfather's mastery of the yarn came from. And clearer yet when one considers that my great-grandfather's father, the Hon. Benjamin Weston Woodward, was a published poet himself.

Among Grandpa's countless reckonings, on every subject that has touched his life from his humble beginnings in Kansas City, MO (1908) to that which occurred this very morning, the single-most memorable tale is the one told herein of his father, Mr. Pitcher Woodward, and his adventures and misadventures during his payment of a lost election bet. I was only six or perhaps seven when Grandpa first brought the fascinating (and dubious) story to light. Indeed, if the scarce remains of what once was a widely and well-documented public spectacle weren't so carefully preserved by my grandfather, I doubt that this project would even be possible (or plausible).

Although I am not quite the storyteller that my grandfather is, or that his father was, I will attempt to explain the events surrounding this project the best I can, begging your forgiveness, as I am not a journalist or otherwise employed by the media. This story-telling business does not come so easy to me, but I trust that with enough years, and bourbon, I shall improve.

Dave

Home
Introduction
About the Journey
About the Project
Foreword
The Weekly Diary
Sponsors
Feedback