in the name of the father and of the son the pursuit of truth -...

Can we know whether God exists?Is there any real evidence to review? And what about our Founding Fathers?Is there any hard evidence to determinewhat their real intenti ons were whenthey craft ed The Declarati on ofIndependence and the Consti tuti on? What about the “separati on of churchand state”? Is there any way to knowwhat The Founding Fathers reallyintended in the public arena? And are these questi ons sti ll important today? You can weigh in with the Romano’s as theyjourney around the golf course and through life.

by

Dave Serena

In the Name of The Father ...And of The Son ...

The Pursuit of Truth - Golf -And the American Way

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One November day in 2009, at the age of 61, a man named David, received a trophy for winning at the game of golf. And, after all these years, he could only think about his long dead father who had taught him the game.

It is back to the 1920’s as we learn about David’s orphaned father Domenic; how he comes to Milwaukee, what he does to make a living; how he studies incessantly; meets his soul mate wife, Stella, and becomes dangerously ill.

His illness results in his friendship with a professional golfer from Scotland who teaches the humble Domenic the game of golf. The friendship becomes so close that he gives Domenic a special gift; onethat turns out to hold a mystery that surfaces later in the story.

The story continues to unfold with the opening in 1929 of a new municipal golf course, Brown Deer Park, a course that Dom plays often and with growing respect and acumen. Some highlights are introduced that show why the course was great then and why it still is now.

As Dom’s self-studies continue, he is at home in Milwaukee’s biggest and best libraries, and we start to get an inkling of what he is studying and why it drives him so.

The results of his studies unfold as David, Dom’s son, becomes old enough to play golf. Back then, because the great Brown Deer is a municipal course, golfers have to sign up and then wait for hours before teeing off. And, because of the course design, there are additional long waits elsewhere.

Most players play cards while they wait, but Dom and David talk. And this then is the stage for serious discussion about the important questions of life. Since the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, David is interested in some of the same things that Dom has been researching all of his life. There are two agenda items that are tackled on the course in earnest: playing the real game of golf and addressing the big questions of life and, specifi cally, the American way of life.

Enjoy this powerful story of life and love.

About the author … Dave Serena is a long-time student of the game and the history of golf. Since lettering as a freshman in high school in the 1960’s, Dave has competed in local events, including the Wisconsin State Golf Association Senior Match Play Championship. He is the two-time flight Champion at his home course, Brown Deer Park, a magnificent municipal course that has been the three-time host of the US Public Links National Championship and the site of the annual PGA Tour event, The US Bank Championship (formerly known as The Greater Milwaukee Open) since 1993. Its senior members are among some of the finest golfers in the state. With a family history of the humblest of origins, Dave has an unusual legacy of having Brown Deer Park, the stage for this story, as his father’s and his home course since its inception in 1929. Dave has a successful Insurance practice. He lives in a village on the outskirts of Milwaukee with his wife Laurie and two children. This is his first novel. He is currently at work on his second.

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In The Name of The Father …

And of The Son …

The pursuit of Truth … Golf … and

The American Way.

By

Dave Serena

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“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you”.

1 Peter: 15

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Brown Deer 2009 In early November of 2009, Brown Deer Park Golf Course was already cold and grey. The spectacular oranges and yellows of autumn were replaced with stark, naked trees and dark, withered leaves. For all but the hardiest, the presence of the harsh bite of winter in Milwaukee was already looming on the horizon, closing in like a gathering storm. The most avid golfers would still watch and hope for that one last cool dry day. For them, the Green Bay Packers could wait for a deferred viewing later on a Sunday night while golf was played with the help of canvass-covered carts and propane heaters fitted into the cup holders. But this particular day, November 15th, was different. There was warmth permeating among the banter and laughter, for it was the end of the season “awards” breakfast of the Senior Men’s Club. “I am pleased to award this trophy to the winner of the 2009 Gross Championship, David Romano”. The Brown Deer Seniors, including David, were special people who had a love of the “real” game: the ’don’t improve your lie; everything gets putted in’ game. The

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universal attitude here was: “If you want to improve your lie or not putt the short putt until it’s finally in the hole, go play somewhere else.” After what had happened three short weeks ago, when a golf ball, perfectly flushed off the head of a three-wood way down the fairway of the 18th hole, taking David out of his putting stance and down to the ground with a chop to his temple after one hot hop, he was fortunate to be here at all, much less as the champion. The blow had resulted in a concussion and it still caused some loss of memory. But memories were coming back. So, at the age of sixty-one, David said he felt blessed to be here and he gave his perspective in a few short words, “My only focus this past year has been on my father’s favorite expression, ‘Far and sure’, a common saying from the great Scotsman golfer, Old Tom Morris, which means, ‘Be confident and trust your swing”. David acknowledged the applause and sat down, thinking, “If only my father, Domenic, were here”… That same night, savoring the day’s events, David could not get his father off his mind. Although Domenic had died back in 1993 at the age of 85, his words and actions seemed so alive; so vivid; so intense. As David drifted into sleep, it was as if Domenic were there with him again, “Far and sure Dad, far and sure” …


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The Road to Milwaukee The year was 1924. Domenic was sixteen years old. His parents were dead. The uncle he lived with was usually drunk and always mean. “How come you’re home so late?” “I had to work overtime at the bakery” Said Dom. THWUMP!!! It felt like a thunderstorm broke inside his skull. Looking in the mirror the next morning, Domenic saw a blood-stained purple cheekbone and a noticeable bulge to the right of his right eye; smacked from the butt end of a broken shovel. It was time to leave. He packed up his clothes and his only keepsake: his father’s ratty old bible. He took his meager earnings from his bakery job and headed to the railroad station. Putting his money on the counter, Domenic said, “I need a ticket to Chicago”. “Is this all you have? Sorry son … this can only get you as far as Milwaukee. “Alright, Milwaukee it is”. Before his father died, Dom dreamed of becoming a lawyer like the father of his best friend. He had seen his friend’s


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father in action in the courtroom at a criminal trial in Iron Mountain. He had a ‘swagger’ about him as he tripped up a witness on the stand. It made a lasting impression on Dom. But this dream would have to wait. Instead of “lawyer”, it was “shoe-shiner”. By 1926, it became ‘waiter”. A job at the Astor Hotel in downtown Milwaukee meant waiting on tables whenever there was a big party. Banquets meant good money. Through all of this time, Dom read incessantly. He read books with as much relish as his patrons savored steaks. With the major downtown library nearby and Marquette University Law Library only a few blocks further away, the libraries became his second home. Certain kinds of ancient history were high on his list, ancient authors that people seldom heard of, like Galenus, Pliny the Younger, Tacitus, Flavius Josephus. Dom studied their writings and what he could learn of their lives. When asked what he was doing, Dom was evasive. The most he would say was that he was “skepticizing” them! The fact of the matter was that Domenic was very thoughtful, very private, and very guarded. No one got inside, but most liked the outside. There was always free time between the lunch and dinner shifts, and, instead of going back to his apartment, he would stay downtown. His playground was the Antler’s hotel, known for its high stakes games. Dom played at straight pool, bowling, and his favorite game: three cushion billiards. With his natural athleticism, he became


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somebody to play. And, with his pleasant attitude, he was easy to like and most everyone enjoyed his company. The world-famous “three cushion billiard” champion, Willie Hoppe, practiced at the Antlers. He took a shining to Dom, and, with his coaching, Dom may have been the next best local billiard player. But he could never beat Willie. The closest he came was a night in the heart of the winter in 1927. Dom was one point away when he barely missed. Willie then grazed the first red ball … and then the cue ball took off with a lot of right top English … easily moving through three rails …and then a quiet fourth … and gently kissed the other red ball…which was tucked tight in the corner. Because of the geometry involved, Domenic later said it was a shot he never would have imagined, and he credited Willie with not only the master’s touch, but the artist’s creativity. Willie was a sculptor at work on his green velvet canvass. “You’re good kid, but long as I’m around, you’ll have to settle for ‘runner up’”. The great Milwaukeean, Hank Marino, enshrined in the International Bowling Hall of Fame, also hung out at the Antlers, and he taught Dom how to bowl. Dom learned fast. And under Hank’s tutelage, he got better than expected. For instance, with Dom’s short legs, Hank added a “fifth” half step to Dom’s routine. This helped him with his timing and within a year, at a time when the average league bowler was rolling 140, Dom would be one mark away from a 200 average.


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Dom threw the bowling ball out at a spot and released his hand, which meant he would turn his right hand up and over, producing some spin from right-to-left. But he had such a quick release that the ball would dive into the pocket and carry the pins even when it would catch the head pin thin. If off on a Saturday night, it was a different kind of play time. When Dom first showed up at The Roof Gardens, the ballroom for the major bands, women taught him how to dance. Once he learned the steps, he added his gifts of rhythm and timing. “Hey Honey, put your hand right here … yea … right here … ooh … now hold me in close … there … can you feel the music in me Dom?”, said another friendly face as she giggled and pressed against his thighs … From the Fox Trot to the Charleston, things were going along just fine. And then Stella showed up. The tables were turned. Stella didn’t know how to dance either, so Dom was in control. The problem was, when it came to Stella, dancing was the only time that Dom was in control. If it wasn’t love at first sight, it was within the first hour. Rheumatic fever almost killed Stella at the age of thirteen. It did untold damage to her heart and she wasn’t strong enough to do the work demanded on the family farm. So,


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with friends of the family in Milwaukee, she made a few dollars as a maid and had the good fortune of a place to stay. At night, she went to a technical school downtown to learn accounting. Stella was a whiz with numbers and she managed to get a job at a factory in town, Harley Davidson. Harley “cherry picked” the best from the school, so Stella was selected to work on a brand new accounting machine at Harley: the Elliott Fischer. It had hundreds of keys and Stella mastered them all in short order. And although she was small, barely 5’, 103 lbs, she stood out. There was a presence about her; lustrous auburn hair ran down to her waist when she let it. She had sharp facial features with engaging eyes and a warm smile with a hint of mystery; a touch of the Black Forest from her Germanic and Austrian heritage. She also had a hidden iron disposition that pushed her touch of frailty into a night of dance most Saturday nights at The Roof. So in short order, with both of them having an inherent sense of timing, the almost frail Stella would let the athletically-gifted Domenic glide her over the dance floor as if they were skating on ice. With no intent to do so, they were the talk of the patrons and an obvious pair on and off the dance floor.


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“Get Outside or Die” - 1928 Carbuncles: big, nasty boils on the back of his neck, temporarily damaged the appearance of this dark, almost oily skinned, thick black haired, friendly-faced Italian. The only way for these boils to heal, according to his Doctor, was for Dom to get outside; out of the hotel’s stagnant air. Living on the north side near Downtown, Domenic was minutes away from his job at the Astor Hotel: waiting on patrons and working the banquets in the ballroom. It was fun work, but no such thing as ventilation, resulting in dank, stale air; air that caused his carbuncles. These boils not only hurt; they were dangerously infected, inflamed, and drilling ever deeper into his neck. Every morning and evening he would soak and bathe them; puss leaking out like the ooze of a rotten banana. Dom’s marching orders from his Doctor were: “You need to get outside or you will die … and you don’t have much time!” The very next night at work, a waiter friend mentioned he had worked the summer before at Elgin Country Club in Elgin, Illinois. Although he wasn’t going back, he noted that they were expanding the golf course from nine to eighteen holes and there was a lot of work left to. After a few long distance phone calls and some reference checks, he was hired for the season.


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On tax day in April, he took a bus to Janesville, where he picked up the new trolley to Belvedere, and then a train to the back door of Elgin Country Club. Dom’s plan was to “heal up” and get back to Milwaukee for the winter.


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Elgin Country Club – Springtime 1928 Founded in 1901, Elgin Country Club was one of the oldest Golf Clubs in the Midwest. The Club was named after the Illinois town, which was named after its namesake, Elgin, Scotland. Elgin Country Club was beautiful and thoughtful; a tree-lined course with rolling hills and almost grand elevation changes: a unique setting in the usually flatter Illinois terrain. Although work had begun on the new nine hole layout, this year would be spent clearing the land and planting seed. The goal was to open next year in July. Dom’s duties were to help manicure the original course during the day and wait on the members in the restaurant into the evening. Dom liked being outside but he delighted in his waiter work. And it showed. It showed because he felt safe. His father’s bible from home was “ratty” for a reason: he had grown up reading it daily, a habit forced upon him by his real parents. After their early deaths, life with his abusive uncle had taught him quickly how to be cool and calm under pressure, and when to pray; he prayed when he had no control. And he had prayed not infrequently, “My God, I don’t even know if you’re real … but I have no choice: Deliver me from this terrible man!”


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So, now that he felt safe, his demeanor was delightful pretty much all of the time. But his deeper thoughts were centered on the fundamental questions of life… and whether there were deep meanings at all. The one conviction that Dom had accepted so far was that there was an aura around the star of the bible that he had read most of his life; this character named Jesus. Dom had latched on to this idea of a “master servant”, for this Jesus had great knowledge and talent and it seemed to Dom that Jesus was at his best when he was kind and gentle and serving others, which he did most of the time. Dom recalled reading that one of the nation’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, had a similar attitude. Jefferson had actually cut all of the miracles out of the four Gospels in the Bible and offered what was left of Jesus as the greatest ideal of a human to have ever lived. Dom privately championed and adopted this “servant” attitude of dealing with people and consciously worked to pattern his life in this manner. But that was a practical matter. The bigger questions still remained unanswered, like all of these miracles that Jefferson had cut out. For someone his age, Dom’s positive external attitude was contagious. The members liked him. The management liked him. After three weeks of watching what was going on, Alfred Parker, the Club’s President, was so impressed that he was talking to the Board about Dom. So, it was agreed that Dom would work the restaurant full time and leave the greens-keeping to others.


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His work hours changed to afternoons and evenings. With the opportunities to be outside during the day and, with the open screened windows and doors, his boils were beginning to heal. Something else happened in those first few weeks. The Club hired a new Head Professional. His name was Willie Robertson. Willie came from the land of the braes, the deep glens and the scraggy highlands of Curden Bay, Scotland. Curden Bay was just down the road from the original “Elgin” and some forty miles north of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, the official birthplace of the game of golf. Since both were new to the club, they were both open to new relationships. They learned quickly that they were in safe company together. Both had learned at an early age how to behave and how to keep one’s mouth shut. As much as Willie and Dom got along with the members, they were workers and the members were, well, they were customers: people to be served. So a friendship that was born out of a desire for safety and security was quickly growing into one of mutual affection and trust. Dom, with his affinity for games, was introduced by Willie to the game of golf. With the change in Dom’s work schedule, they both had the early mornings free; free to get in all 2,936 yards of the original nine before most members were finished with breakfast. And Mondays were a particular treat because so few members played that they could practice for most of the day.


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Willie taught Dom the new Harry Vardon “overlap” grip. With Dom’s makeup, he quickly learned how to release his hands at impact: an easy carryover from bowling. And the Vardon grip kept him from releasing his hands too fast, which was the drawback of the then more popular interlocking grip, where the forefinger from the left hand “interlocked” with the little finger from the right. He taught Dom how to make a good “turn”; transfer his weight, and finish long and high. “Far and sure”. Willie would say: the old Scottish way of saying: “Be confident and trust your swing”. Although Willie was only 27, he already was seasoned in the game, having turned pro at the early age of 14. Willie was a “hitter” of the ball with a big loaded ‘hammer’ of a release at the moment of impact of the club head with the golf ball. Dom, on the other hand, was a “swinger” with such a smooth tempo that his length was a surprise. The secrets to Dom’s power were in his ripping turn from his strong thighs and the quick release of his hands. When his hands ”released” and turned over, there was unusual speed through the impact of the club head with the ball, producing right-to-left shots that flew a long way and then landed with topspin, running long and hot and usually down the fairway.


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Soon, Dom was using his tip money to buy a set of clubs from his club-making friend. Willie built him a driver, a brassie ( 2 wood) and a spoon ( 3 wood), a full set of cleeks ( 4 different irons), plus a mashie ( 5 iron), a jigger (chipper) , a niblick (wedge-like) and a putter. The shafts were made of the best hickory from Tennessee a balance of strength and “whip” for length and accuracy. “You say you got this hickory from Tennessee? Asked Dom. “Ahh …this is sweet Tennessee hickory all right, but it came to me by way of Scotland for the Scottish have the corner on the best from Tennessee.” “I’ve got a new name for you: ‘Sweet Willie’”. Thanks to Willie’s encouragement and Dom’s natural athleticism, Dom was hooked on golf. It utilized all that he had learned from other games: the focus and timing of releasing a bowling ball and the precision and purity of stroking the cue ball. They practiced and played most every day. Some days, they would just practice the short game. Willie would drop balls all around the greens and teach Dom how to play different shots from different lies. “Forty yards and in Dom; that’s where all the strokes lie.” Willie was always around par. Dom was breaking 80 with some regularity. His game was a project in process but ‘putting’ came naturally to Dom.


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Willie taught him how to read the greens, “Always look at what is happening around the cup Dom. It gives clues to the lay of the grain. Look for the ‘shine and the shade’; the water and the runoff; for yah can be easily deceived”. Dom had a putting knack all his own that was quite unique. Dom tended to look way out at a spot, so the ball would simply get in the way of his stroke. It was like he was trying to throw something into the hole. This came naturally from his bowling and pool where one looked out at a ball or a spot. So, for instance, with any straight putt, even as far out as 25 feet, Dom’s eyes were on the back of the cup and his hands were moving straight through. It was unorthodox, but it worked for Dom. The only drawback to the whole summer routine was Stella, or, more accurately, the absence of Stella. Dom missed her. With neither one having a car, it took some work to make the trip, but nonetheless, she would make it four times that summer and fall. By the third trip, she could leap off the train into Dom’s arms, and there would be a catch; embrace, and kiss … all in one coordinated move. It looked like it was rehearsed, but in reality, Stella’s heart was pounding so hard; she just flew through the air and trusted Dom to do the rest! And Dom’s adrenaline was zooming, so no problem! Dom could only get back to Milwaukee once that summer … “Hey Dom, I’m going to Ozaukee Country Club in Milwaukee in September to play in the Western Open.


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Steve Delby from Bartlett Hills and I are going to make the trip. Want to come with us?” “Stella!” Dom’s heart pounded and mind raced, “Sure!” The Western Open was a qualifier the first day: the 32 players with the lowest scores would qualify for match play. And then there were eighteen hole matches; win and go on … or go home. The course was set up so long and so tough that Willie qualified with a pair of 39”s. Dom was delighted at Willie’s success, and as a bonus, it meant that he could see Stella for at least one more day. Willie lost in his first match to J. H. Casey from Riverside, Illinois. Fall was closing in: grey days, cool nights, and healed carbuncles. The boils went away, but the scars never would: reminders of the danger of the time. Willie and Dom had forged a friendship that went deep into both of their hearts as well. Dom had given Willie an easy landing at Elgin. And Willie had given Dom the gift of golf: a gift that few men from such humble means would ever have the opportunity to have. The first snow came early … in late November … and golf had come to an end. Dom was anxious to get back to Milwaukee and Stella. With him leaving the next day, Willie asked Dom over to


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his home on the course for a special goodbye meal; a meal only a Scotsman could make.


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Willie’s Gift. When Dom arrived at Willie’s home, he noticed that Willie’s apron was a mess. Heavy meaty aromas filled the room. Dom peaked over Willie and surmised an adventure was in store. Having spent years in hotel service, Dom had a special nose for good food and an adventurous mind for new meals. “Willie, I think there are some new animal parts in here that I haven’t seen before!” “Hey, that’s cheatin’! Welcome to St Andrew’s “Burns Supper!”, exclaimed Willie. “Dom, this is the meal cooked there every January at St Andrews to mark Scotland’s great poet, Robert Burn’s birthday: These are ‘steaming haggis’. In here are sheep’s entrails, oatmeal, and my special spices, cooked in a sheep’s stomach pouch. It was Burn’s favorite meal”. They ate till they could eat no more. Then they settled in for a bit of scotch. Since it was Prohibition, Dom asked, “Where’d you get the scotch?” I told a member, not to be named, that yah were leaving tomorrow, and he was kind enough to get a spot for us from the cave.” “I thought so”, said Dom.


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The cave was a dugged out area in a slope near a ravine in the woods west of what would soon be the new 10th fairway. It was a good 50 feet by 30 feet with several pipes leading to the outside so that plenty of fresh air could move through. Its primary purpose was to act as a haven for an inner circle of members to settle up on their bets with a cocktail after a round of golf. Occasionally, some business, or maybe even a plot of some kind was hatched there. It was well-stocked with the best of scotch and bourbon. There may have been a “prohibition” here in the states, but there was high quality liquor available. And there were few obstacles that creativity and cash couldn’t overcome. Inside the cave was a big table, chairs and benches. It also had shelves and a locker. The liquor was kept neatly on the shelves. A lock secured the door to the cave and only the members of the inner circle had a key. Something was obviously on Willie’s mind. Dom found the scotch to be smooth as it blossomed in his mouth, and, after a few slow and savoring gulps, Dom leaned back with a warm glow to engage in conversation with his best friend. “With golf being started by shepherds, do yah know why only the well-to-do played golf in Scotland Dom?” No … why? “The feathery” “The what?” The ball. The ball was called a “feathery”. It was the standard since the 1600’s and it was too expensive for all


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but the wealthy. A good tradesman would only make three in a day. A feathery in today’s1928 dollars would cost about the same as the entire set of clubs I made for yah. Here’s what a feathery looks like. Willie tossed the ball to Dom. “It’s not very hard Willie”. “A new one was like a rock; hard enough to kill someone. Old Tom Morris, the former British Open champion and the longtime greens keeper at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, had spoken of two cases where it killed a man: although one was a schoolboy; the other was a grown man struck in the chest.” This feathery showed signs of having been waterlogged. It was a little soft but still round. There was some dry rot on one side where the once waxed threads were discolored. Some even looked older than others with a noticeable tear on one side. Its playable days were long gone, but its beauty still showed like a comfortable old shoe. “My family’s backyard was up agin’ the Seaside course at Curden Bay. Next to St Andrews, the Seaside course was considered by many to be the best course in Scotland. Fine granite was cut from the hills around us. M’ dahd was a mason contractor and he worked the granite like a painter paints the canvass. Among his many projects were special paths and walkways around the clubhouse at the Seaside course.


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He was so well-known that he was commissioned for a project at St. Andrews. Old Tom Morris had some ideas for the entrance and egress around the grand clubhouse, so, at his request, m’ dahd visited Old Tom. While there, they walked along some of the holes. M’ dahd was particularly interested in the colors: heather, nettles, brambles, chickweed. He took samples to bring back home so he could match them up with the granite colors. While cutting a piece of a thorny whin bush, he noticed something nestled in the gorse. It was this feathery! This was in 1901, the year I was born. So this feathery must have been lying there for 40 years, which was about the time when a new rubber ball, called the gutta percha, replaced the feathery as the ball of choice in Scotland. Old Tom, of course, told m’ dahd to keep it, but dahd asked Tom for an additional favor besides. Tom was more than happy to oblige with a short, hand-signed note confirming that the feathery had been found on the “Old Course”, the name for the original 18 holes at Saint Andrews.” Willie went on, “I was the youngest of nine children, and at an early age, I was enamored with golf. The fourth green and fifth tee box at The Seaside Course were practically in our backyard. From our fence, yah could see golfers approach and putt … and then tee off. Although I didn’t have access to the course, my friends and I played a commoner’s game, called ‘sillybodkins’, with cut


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down clubs and wine corks. We would drive nails in the corks to give them weight.” “How did you become a Pro by age 14?” asked Dom. “When I was twelve, I was old enough to be a caddy. I had enough schooling to read, write and add, but it was pretty clear that my family’s intentions were for me to follow with most of siblings in m’ dahd’s business, which by the way, was better than most of the lives of the people I knew. But my passion was this game. And now, as a caddy, I had some access to the course. Early Monday mornings, the course was there for us. By age fourteen, I was becoming a ‘crack, as “crack shot” caddies were called. But most cracks were not well-thought of, ages fourteen to ... well they seldom lived past their forties, and they were mostly surly with reputations for their whisky, cursing, and cheating. They were a deservedly unlikable lot. But they could play the game … the game I loved. My dahd was very concerned about me, so he helped me to get an apprenticeship at The Seaside Club. Quite a break it was. There I learned to make golf clubs while I worked for a dollar a week. But they housed me and fed me too; no complaints. I was fortunate to be learning my trade. After three years, I moved down the road to Sunningdale Golf Club, a course which the great golfer Bobby Jones once considered to be the best Golf Club in the world. I


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was one of thirteen club makers, not the greatest of distinctions, but nonetheless, working at my trade and my golf. At the same time, golf was getting popular here in the States. Thanks to the growth of industry, ranching, and farming, this great country has become a land of opportunity and new wealth. People have more time and want to play this great game of ours. And there was nothing more fitting for some Clubs than to have a golf pro from the birthplace of the game. Lucky for me! The rest is history Dom with not much else worthy of mention … with one exception: a family secret; a secret that I have decided to share with yah. I wouldn’t be tellin’ yah now except you have become a great and trusted friend; m’ dahd has died; I know it’s safe with yah; so I want to share a gift.” “I don’t know what to say, Willie, except that you too are a great friend, and you have my word that, whatever this is, your secret will stay safe with me. Willie went on, “While m’ dahd was digging the granite out of the hills, there was a stream nearby. And while taking a break and getting a drink from the stream, he noticed something glimmering in the shallow water. It turned out to be a diamond!” “A diamond!” blurted Dom.


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“Ya, and it was not the only one. Dahd came back with a screen to sift the sediment agin and agin. And he found some more! He would spend hours each Sunday sifting the sediment after attendin’ church services. All tolled, he uncovered eight of them. Wouldn’t yah know, me the youngest of nine? Every one of m’ brothers and sisters got a diamond, all but me. As m’ parting gift when leaving for America, dahd gave me this sealed envelope from Old Tom Morris and the feathery. He told me that the feathery was the ‘best of the diamonds’! I could see his point Dom. A note from the master, Old Tom Morris’s signature; confirming where it had been found.” “Willie, keep this in a safe place! This could be worth a lot of money!” “I will Dom. I’m keeping it with yah! I’ll keep the envelope; yah keep the ball. If either of us is ever in a dire financial spot, we can call upon each other for help”. “Willie, exclaimed Dom, I will always keep this safe and secure just for you! “Far and sure Dom; far and sure!”


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Milwaukee - 1929 With Domenic back in Milwaukee, two things of note were happening … Downtown, the Crown Jewel of Hotels was having its Grand Opening: the Schroeder Hotel, named after the local Insurance magnate and financier, Walter Schroeder. A grand hotel it was: over 400 rooms, marble foyer, high end restaurants, a grand ballroom appropriately named: the Crystal Ballroom with magnificent crystal chandeliers, and the wonder of the Schroeder, the mother pearl: the English Room. Dom moved over to the Schroeder, waiting on tables in the English Room and banquets in the Crystal Ballroom. The customers were the high rollers of Milwaukee and the tips were great. And the work didn’t start until early evening. The second item was an announcement in the local paper, The Milwaukee Journal, that, in the early summer of 1929, the Milwaukee County Park Commission was scheduling the opening of not only a brand new golf course, but a ‘grand’ new course at Brown Deer Park on the outskirts of Milwaukee.. Dom was looking forward to playing Brown Deer in the spring. He was also back into his “library” study program.


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His interest moved away from the ancient historians to eighteenth and nineteenth century authors: Sir William Ramsay, Simon Greenleaf, Sir William Blackstone, and many of the country’s Founding Fathers. He was on his quest … after a ‘diamond’ of his own. In the meantime, Hank Marino opened a bowling alley and pool hall right across the street from the Schroeder Hotel. And thanks to Dom and Hank, Stella was learning how to bowl from one of the greatest of all time. Willie Hoppe also moved his pool playing over to Marino’s, where Hank installed pool and billiard tables. It might be biting cold outside, but it was a short quick walk for Dom to take in some pool or bowling in between serving lunch and an evening banquet.


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Brown Deer Park Golf Course - Anytime How good of a golf course is Brown Deer? In its maiden year, the United States Golf Association (USGA), the ruling body of US golf and the sister to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, the ruling body of Scottish, Irish and British golf, picked Brown Deer Park to host the 1929 US Public Links championship, an honor that would be awarded to it two more times. Later, it would host the PGA tour stop, originally known as the “Greater Milwaukee Open”, and later called the “US Bank Championship”. Tiger Woods had his opening professional debut at Brown Deer Park in 1996, and he thrilled the fans with a hole in one. Probably the only other “municipal” golf courses in America with more distinction were La Jolla, California’s Torrey Pines, site of the 2008 US Open and New York’s Bethpage Black (The Black), site of the US Open in 2009. But then, even Torrey Pines and ‘The Black’ were lacking in some ways, particularly in ‘sweetness’ of the great Brown Deer. They were lacking in the same way as the dramatic Long Island, New York masterpiece, Shinnecock Hills was lacking. In 1888, the well-known Judge O’Brien commented that Shinnecock was no golf course! Why not? It had no apple trees! Brown Deer had apple trees and more. It was designed by golf course designer, George Hanson. George had already made his mark on the west side of Milwaukee with his earlier creation: Currie Park Golf Course. Currie was a


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golfer’s golf course: narrow fairways and, for most players, too many holes requiring “right-to-left” shots. If you couldn’t craft a shot from right-to-left, you couldn’t score well at Currie But Brown Deer towered over Currie. It was much longer, with holes moving right to left; left to right; many elevated, heavily bunkered and severely pitched greens with major contours and undulations; some stepping up as much as three feet. And, the Brown Deer back nine holes were especially sweet, thanks to the apple trees. George Hanson had done his homework; study that went beyond the design of the holes. John Reed, accepted by many as the father of American golf, designed the first 18 hole course in America and aptly named it after the Royal and Ancient course of Scotland, St Andrews Golf Club. Located on thirty four acres of apple trees overlooking the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York, the first clubhouse in America was a circular bench around an apple tree. Players hung their coats on the branches. The apple trees were so imposing that newcomers thought that the tree was an integral part of any golf course. Many of the early American courses followed suit. Such was the tradition at the great Brown Deer. When one got to the back nine, one was rewarded with sweet aromas as the apples ripened and fell to the ground. There was even a name for it: “ripe” time. At 6,575 yards, Brown Deer back then was a monster. Elgin Country Club, by comparison, was 5,980.


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(By the time Brown Deer was crafted for the year 2000 Pro’s, it was stretched out to over 6,800 yards; still one of the shorter courses on the tour. But it was considered to be a very long course when played with the golf technology of 1929). George Hanson had nothing in common with the likes of the great Golf Course Designer, Robert Trent Jones, who believed in comfortable starting holes to engage and draw one into the course. George designed Brown Deer so that its presence was immediately pressing down on you; bearing its weight on you, right away: no welcomings; no breaks; no mercy. Watch out or it is over before it’s begun. It was a philosophy taken from Old Tom Morris’s design at Prestwick. Tom opened with a monster 578 yard starting hole back when a well hit feathery went barely 200 yards. Six was a good score back then before there was such a golf word as “par”. As a point of interest, Young Tom Morris, Old Tom Morris’s son, and many time British Open Champion, had a score of ‘three’ on that hole in competition back in 1871. There are no “weak” holes at Brown Deer. Here is a taste of the stronger ones: The first hole was named ”High Hopes”, perhaps George Hanson’s idea of a practical joke, for it came at you so hard it could dishearten you early. It averaged the highest over par of all 18 holes and, according to the current Brown Deer Pro, this is still the case today.


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It still is a “no mercy” par 4: 460 yard dog leg right that plays much longer because the trees on the right come out so far and so long that it demanded a drive away to the left; leaving a long shot into an elevated, heavily bunkered, severely pitched, back-to-front green. If you bit off too much leg to the right, you were destined for a sure bogey or worse; a great way not to start the round. The second hole was almost as strong. Known as “Old Baldy”, one could easily lose some hair from the stress of the hole: 417 yards straight uphill, 40 yards of elevation. The second shot played a good two clubs longer than its yardage, something known only by someone who had played it before. Because of the pitch of the green, the best time to play the hole was right after a rain … enough rain to keep the lawn mowers off of the super-fast green. If you survived the first two holes, you could catch your breath, till number five. Many potential low rounds were blown up on the fifth hole. Known as the “Old Well”, it was an 8 or 9 iron par three to a big faced green. The problem was looking at you right away: too much face! Because of the incredible front-to-back pitch, too much of the green, too much of its face, was glaring at you with deep bunkers all the way around. With some good fortune, a high tee shot to the back of the long green could end up just off the front. If you were unlucky, a shot above the pin would stay there. Then a near missed putt would almost stop; look into the hole, and continue off the front of the green, resulting in a tough bogey or probable double bogey, without a bad shot.


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In 1993, the PGA Tour ordered the green be taken out and completely replaced if Brown Deer were to be a tour stop. Two-time US Open champion and forever Wisconsinite, Andy North, along with golf architect, Roger Packard, tamed the hole by flattening out the green. But such was not the case when it opened in 1929 and remained a “talked about” hole until it was forced to be changed. Eight was the “Bridle Path”. It bordered the path where the Robert Uihlein family, heirs of the Milwaukee Schlitz Beer Baron of the same name, exercised their Polo ponies. “Pony” was a misnomer, for these were huge horses, standing 16 to 18 hands high. And, if your ball wandered onto the path, you could find yourself in an unpleasant lie, compliments of the ponies. It was a strong 440 yard dog leg left. As a mirror to #1, if one bit off too much of the dogleg left, it was a sure bogey or worse. The green had a three foot step up that split it in half. Stopping on the wrong tier usually cost another stroke. This was another green that the PGA ordered flattened out, but this was not the case in 1929. Just in case one might be starting the back nine first, thanks to George Hanson, Brown Deer came at you hard again. Named “Deca”, it was 430 yards of narrow fairway to a heavily bunkered green that was narrower than most thought it should be. Eleven was another disarming par three with water left and right, an elevated 200 yard heavily bunkered green with


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undulations and contours that were close to impossible to read. A par would most often win and a bogey was considered by members to be okay. Before the re-seeding to bent grass and watered fairways in the early nineties, there was another name for the fairway: “hard pan”. Holes 13, 15 and 16 had the creek crossing at around 300 yards, and the creek could unexpectedly gobble up a well-hit lay up shot on a beautiful, dry August day. If you survived these first fourteen holes with a reasonably good score, then you could reap the rewards, for now (finally) came the birdie holes. Fifteen, a 500 yard par 5 dogleg that, when downwind, was reachable in two. It too was particularly sweet: with its apple trees again at the back of the green. This was followed with 335, 340 and 555 yard closing holes. It was not uncommon for the better players to finish two or three under par on these dramatic closing holes. Steve Stricker posted a 29 in the second round of the 2001 Greater Milwaukee Open, perhaps the most flawless nine holes ever played on the back nine at Brown Deer. Although these holes were stretched out some in modern times, the Pros loved the finishing holes because of the excitement and the potential scoring swings. Scott Hoke won here in 1997 with a closing eagle on the “risk-reward” eighteenth. Once spring came in 1929, Dom played the course early almost everyday. He learned where to be aggressive and


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when to be careful. The course required all that he had learned. With its length back then, if one tried to play too conservatively, a less than perfect “short game” would result in bogey after bogey. On the other hand, if one would get too aggressive at the wrong time, a big number would be on the card. This course had little in common with neither the finesse of Elgin Country Club; nor the target golf at Currie Park. Dom would post an occasional “thirty something” … but a score under 80 was not to be had that first summer. Then came October 29th. No one saw it coming. The stock market came crashing down and its reverberations traveled all the way to Milwaukee from New York.


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Depression and War. It took a few years before the Depression made its impact on Milwaukee. In 1930, one of the The Milwaukee Journal Editors all but bragged that the diverse local economy was “immune from the peaks and panics” suffered elsewhere. Then came 1931 and the hammer came down hard. Thousands of jobs disappeared overnight. And by 1933, the Milwaukee jobless rate was well over 40%. People stopped buying motorcycles and Stella was laid off from Harley. Dom helped her get a job at the Schroeder Hotel as a “Cigarette Girl”, hawking Phillip Morris’s. Tips were welcomed; “paws” were not. The “regulars” got the idea and always looked out for her. Dom and Stella worked for food and tips. Dom was better off than many. There was still some money in the English Room; enough to pay the rent and stay out of the food lines. In fact, there was enough food around at the Hotel that they scrounged most of their meals at work and saved much of their tip money for that “rainy day”. There was less bowling that winter, but, with Stella having time off too, Dom would set pins for her to keep the price down. “Greater love than this no one has Stella, than to lay down one’s life in the bowling pits for his fellow man … or in your case, woman” … “You just better duck out of the way …”


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In summer, at twenty cents a round, Dom cut back his golf to only a few times a week, but he tried to practice everyday; putting on the carpet and chipping in the back yard of his flat. Dom and Willie continued to exchange letters. Dom paid Willie a visit in August of 1931 when Willie had surgery at the local Sherman Hospital, but Willie bounced back and was ready to go the next spring. Willie married Alma, the bookkeeper from nearby St. Charles Country Club. A child was born, Willie Jr, the first of what would ultimately be four: Debra, Timothy and Danny, all of whom, according to Willie, had the luxury of growing up in what he considered “this beautiful country in their beautiful home on this beautiful course. Willie often wrote that he felt grateful and blessed. As the Great Depression cut deeper into the fabric of Milwaukeeans in the mid 1930’s, Stella and Dom came to the conclusion that things might remain like this for quite some time, but probably wouldn’t get much worse. Dom was also reaching some conclusions with respect to his “skepticizing”. He spoke one night, “I’m running out of excuses, Stella. I’m going to make some decisions soon that will greatly impact the rest of my life. The next day, Dom proposed, and Stella accepted. It was spring, 1936. Dom spent the next few years in the English Room at night and on Brown Deer during the day, beating most everyone


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around during the golf season. His nemesis was a chain smoking Brown Deer “crack” named Herman. Known by those close to him as “Hammie”, he was a gifted golfer who worked at his craft and, in between cigarettes (and a later losing bout with emphysema), lived and breathed golf for as long as he could remember. Every possible shot he hit was right-to-left. From Hammie’s perspective, the fairway and greens were bigger if the ball was moving in a predictable arc. He chose “right-to-left”. He contended that he became a ‘believer’ when he watched little 5’6”, 140 pound Paul Runyon win the 1935 US Open, hitting everything, including his putts, right-to-left. Hammie would start every shot at the safest right target. A bad shot would go safely straight, but the “usual” shot would find its arch and its mark. Hammie would go for a comfortable walk around Brown Deer oftentimes with a low 70’s round and, occasionally, a sub-70 round. Dom would lose six pounds trying to break 80. Occasionally he would do it. But just like Willie Hoppe, “Hammie” was in charge as long as “Hammie” was around. Dom continued to spend time at the libraries, studying the Founding Fathers and an English character named Sir William Blackstone. But it was different. He was reading with conviction now. It was like everything he read or studied fell into some predetermined slots, simply adding to his program … whatever it was. In 1939, when Hitler’s Panzer Divisions stormed through Poland. Dom became uncharacteristically vocal about the war in Europe, “Adolf Hitler has got it all wrong. He doesn’t


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understand some fundamentals. He’s looking through the wrong lenses”, strange sounding words from the humble orphan. The economy was still in bad shape in 1941. But that spring, Stella and Dom had scratched and scraped and saved enough in their “rainy day” fund for a down payment on their $7,000 house, close to Brown Deer Park. Then the second hammer dropped: the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. America mobilized for war and Domenic, like almost every able-bodied man, volunteered for military duty, only to find out at the induction center that the US Army was concerned about the bulge on his right temple; the gift from his uncle that had never gone away. “You’re kidding” was Dom’s reply. But the bulge was big enough to make it incompatible with the Army’s standard issued helmets. “Sorry” was the Army’s last word. Dom continued to work and practice golf, and his game continued to improve. He learned how to fade the ball from left-to-right with confidence, a tough shot to pull off for someone whose natural shot is shaped the other way. His handicap continued to improve as well. It was now breaking the score of 80 most of the time, with an occasional sub-par nine. He would, on rare occasion, beat Hammie.


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Dom continued to work on his game and studied the nuances of the course. He studied and mapped the contours of every green. He figured the best way to improve at this point was to sink more putts, so he mapped the undulations of every green. His studies at the library continued with the same fervor as well. Now he was reading Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Hitler’s Mein Kampf, Lenin, and Stalin. The common denominator was known only to him and to the one he shared his thoughts, his feelings, and most importantly to him, his beliefs: Stella. Then on May 29th, 1948, David was born: chubby and noisy.


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Brown Deer Park, Springtime, 1961 Domenic was 40 when his son, David, was born, so he was 53 when David started playing Brown Deer in 1961. Eighteen holes cost 35 cents for a junior and was now $1.10 for Dom. David, like his father, developed an early appetite for the game. And both had the time. Dom had been promoted to Banquet Manager, and he would grind hard at the hotel for three seasons: forty days without a day off was the norm from Thanksgiving through the New Year. But banquets slowed to a crawl in the summer; close to perfect for one who liked to play golf. “What’s your goal today son?’ “96. Its time I break 100. I’ve worked out what I expect on each hole, and it comes to 96. And that allows for a 5 on the “Old Well”. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t break 100 today. It’s like you said Dad: “a little less of ‘Young Tommy Morris’ and a little more of ‘Old Tom’: ‘far and sure’. If I can just think my way around a little better, I should break 100”. “You remember what Jack Nicholas said when he played with Ben Hogan last year when Arnie won the US Open at Cherry Hills?”” “Yea, Ben told Jack that, if Jack knew how to manage his game, he would have won by ten strokes.” said Dave. “You can learn from that” …


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“I know” … There was something unique about Brown Deer. But the uniqueness was not in the course; it was in the process: it was seven in the morning, and, like everyone else, it was “first come: first serve”, so they signed up and then they had the usual wait: a usual two and a half hour wait. With only a putting green and no driving range, there was plenty of time to talk. And that was not the end of it. The second hole, “Old Baldy” has a creek running across about 140 yards from the tee; just far enough so that half of the golfers would dump it in. This resulted in another hour wait at the second tee. The parks’ workers put picnic tables in the trees by the second tee because the wait was so long. Many golfers would play cards, but David and Dom would talk. By age 13, Domenic noticed that David had inherited something else. He was interested in the really big questions in life, like, “Is there a God? Is there such a thing as “truth”? Dom had been studying these same questions all of his life. It was why he went to the library for all this time. Dom had also mastered conversation. There was a formula to the discussions. One of them would ask a big


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question. Dom would give David just enough to chew on and then tell him, “Go look it up”. “Dad, do you think God exists?” “Not only does God exist but we know a lot about what He’s done and why” “How can you be you so sure?” “When I first left home, I asked the same kinds of questions, and I didn’t know whether, for instance, the Bible I was reading was just a bunch of stories or what.” “So what did you do?” “I asked the big questions and then went looking for answers. But my idea of an acceptable answer is still the same then as now: it’s “evidence”. I was looking for evidence. I went looking for the evidence at the only place I could think of: the library. The librarians introduced me to the archives. My favorite librarian, Mrs. Springer, told me that my questions took them to the ‘bowels’ of the building. She gave me ancient books to read; I had a special place to sit; some times she had to send away for them; no more than three books at a time, and don’t bother asking to take them out of the building. When I read everything I could find, I went and visited the Jesuits over at


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Marquette University Law School. It turns out that the library at this Catholic University had more ancient “non-biblical” writings than the main library had.’ “So what?” asked David. “I figured that, if God were real, and especially, if the God of the Bible were real and did what was written in the Scriptures, then there should be some ‘evidence’; there should be some others besides the Bible authors that wrote about Him too”. “What did you find?” asked David. I found a total of seventeen ‘non-biblical’ writers at the time and shortly after Jesus’ life on this earth, who wrote about Jesus as a real live, historical person: Suetonius and Tacitus were both Roman historians. Pliny The Younger was a leader of the Roman Empire. Lampridius, Enapius, Dio Cassius, Ameritas, Lucian, Aristedes, Annianus, Zozimos, Epicus, and Galenus are just some of the other writers who come to mind. Some, it turns out, wrote entire works about Jesus. Celsus was particularly interesting. He was quite cynical. Read his stuff sometime. Tacitus wrote an account of what the Roman Governor at the time, Pontius Pilate, had written about Jesus. Flavius Josephus was particularly impactful. He was a Jewish historian born in AD 37, a few years after Jesus’ death. As an adult, there were still eye


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witnesses around and he interviewed many of them. He wrote things like, after Pilate had condemned Him to death on a cross, some of those who loved him kept on talking about him because He appeared to them alive again on the third day after His death. That, to me, was some interesting stuff from a Jewish, non-Christian historian. Josephus got in a lot of hot water over this. The Jewish leaders wanted retractions. Josephus asked if they wanted the truth or not? They ran him out of town, but his writings stayed. Go look ‘em up. And son, I learned that there were people throughout history who were interested in ‘evidence’ to get to the truth and those were the people that impressed me the most. I was drawn to them. Evidence is an interesting thing David. When there is enough of it, you get to the truth of the matter, whether it be an accident, a crime, or an event.” In a court of law, it is how people go to prison or go free: by an understanding of the “evidence” … “So Dad, what about ‘faith’?” “We’ll get to that. But for now, it looks like they’re out of range. Who’s up?”


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David hit his drive out to the right side of the fairway: a good position for his second shot. With David getting a stroke a hole and two on the par fives, big bets were made: who would have to cut the grass; who got the couch for the Packer games; the game was on. This was a typical morning on the course: the first two holes were huge and so was the discussion. But, when it came to ‘the game’ of golf, Domenic was diligently committed to helping David learn what it meant to play ‘the game’. “David, once you have teed off, would you please leave your ball alone? I mean don’t make things better than they are. You can look at it all you want, but the only item that can touch the ball is the club head at the time it makes contact with the ball because you are swinging at it. Other than that, any time that your hand, your foot, or your club head touches the ball, it’s a stroke. So, other than hitting it, would you please not touch it until it’s on the green?” “What’s the big deal?” asked David. “You see, you get your chance to set up the absolutely ‘perfect’ lie on every hole at the start of the hole when you are on the tee. You get to do it again on the next tee. But in between the tee box and the green, the game is played by playing the ball where it stops until it gets back on the green. Then you can mark it; pick it up; clean it off; fix the ball marks on the green; get things about as ‘perfect’ as you want; put it back down where it was, and try again.


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That, son, is the game of golf. If you’re moving the ball around after the tee shot and improving your lie before it’s on the green, I have another name for it: it’s practice. There’s nothing wrong with practicing, but it is not the same as playing the game. “Dad, if that’s the case, why not call it cheating?” “Profound thinking, David. I think you are learning ‘the game’”.


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Two days later … Second tee “Dad, what about ‘faith’? How does ‘faith’ fit into this”? “I’ll give you my version, but it’s in the Scriptures. You can go look it up. Faith is the belief that the history, teachings, and predictions of the Scriptures are the truth revealed by God through those He chose to do the writings. If God’s revealed word is in fact the truth, then there is a reason for the hope we have in those things He revealed; things we cannot see and cannot reason on our own. But I found that faith is not just based on thin air; it is rooted in ‘evidence’. Thus, faith, although a major step, is a small step. You see, even though Jesus told one of His associates, known as Thomas, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and believe’, I was right in there with Thomas, known today as ‘Doubting Thomas’. It is clear that the Jesus of the Bible wanted Doubting Thomas to see the evidence about an issue with the understanding that then he would believe. He offered Thomas this evidence. He asked Thomas to put his fingers in His death wounds. So there is nothing wrong with wanting evidence. I think that I would have wanted to see this evidence too, just like Thomas. When you think about someone who was whipped, beaten, speared, killed, and then left stone cold dead for a couple of days, I think it would have taken a first


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hand observation for me to know that He was alive again and out of the grave! So, I am right in there with Thomas. In these Holy Scriptures, another big character, Peter, said that people were supposed to ‘be ready always to give an answer to every man who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you”. “So to give an answer is not to say, ‘I believe this, that, or the other, because any one can say the opposite: ‘Well I don’t believe that; I think that’s a bunch of bull; I believe otherwise’. Without evidence to support one’s position, what anyone believes has just as much weight as what someone else believes, and the big questions go unresolved: ‘Is there ‘truth’ and, if so, what is it?” One person I read about in the Gospels made some incredible claims on this topic: Jesus said ‘I am the truth’. David, what kind of a claim is that? He didn’t say, ‘I speak the truth’; He said I am the truth, and if you believe in the truth (Him), the truth (He) will set you free! So, what became important to me was not, ‘What do I believe’. It became, ‘What is the truth’ because if there is truth, I either know it or I don’t. And if it has been presented to me, I either accept it or I don’t. And there are consequences to what we accept or not accept.


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Another way to view this is, ‘If there is truth, I either know it, or, if I believe otherwise, I am wrong. If I sincerely believe otherwise, I am nonetheless, sincerely wrong. For example, when I read about ancient Rome, I learned there were some interesting practices. According to their tradition of ‘paterfamilias’, the birth of a Roman child was not considered to be a ‘biological’ fact. A baby was ‘received’, and only if it were the will of the family. A Roman ‘took’ a child, and if the family did not want to raise the child, the child was abandoned. This was so common that there were special walls where newborns were taken to be exposed to die. Even when they were ‘taken’, the father could still at any time, kill them or sell them. Now, the question I was asking was, ‘ Is there right and wrong, good and evil, or is everything relative under which anything goes, and this Roman thinking is just as valid as any other thinking? Religions, in particular, are good examples of this question because the major religions are in diametric opposition to each other. If there is ‘truth’, they can’t all be right. When I looked at Jesus compared with Buddhism, Hinduism, or Islam, they are in such direct opposition to each other that there are only two possible answers: they’re either all wrong or one is right and the rest are wrong. Jesus said that we are to ‘Love our neighbors’. In fact He said to ‘Love our enemies’. Some other religions say otherwise.


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Every single religion except Christianity, teaches what one must “do” to earn one’s way. With Christianity, Jesus said that He took care of this. In fact He said, ‘I am the way’. It’s one of those ‘oddball’ answers again. He didn’t say ‘I know the way’. What kind of an answer is “I am?” The Gospels and other writings of the Bible say that Jesus is God and the ‘Messiah’, the Savior of the world. Other religions say otherwise, that Jesus was a great prophet, but not God. One thing is for sure: they can’t both be right if there is ‘truth’. I’m talking about ‘absolute’ truth, not your truth versus my truth! So I chose to look for ‘evidence’, no matter what the outcome. And, out of this, only one question is framed: Is there absolute truth?’ If the answer is ‘yes’, then there is a second question derived from the first, ‘What is it”? My starting point was to pursue the ‘evidence’ associated with the Bible I was taught to read everyday. Are these simply stories from antiquity or are they the ‘truth’? What I had learned already was, regarding the evidence of Bible and non-Bible writers, Jesus was ‘historically’ real. That was beyond being challenged.” “Okay, but Dad, what about the truth and accuracy of the Bible?” “Okay, do you know what makes the Bible unique?”


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“What?” The first half, called the Old Testament, is largely a book of history, predictions, and promises; the religious name for predictions is “prophesy” because God supposedly picked real people, Jewish people, His ‘chosen’ people, to be ‘prophets’, and supposedly caused them to ‘see’ future events. So, I figured that what is revealed in this book is not to be believed if the prophesies are false. On the other hand, if the prophesies are true, then the revelations, the histories, mysteries and promises, are trustworthy as well, for no human being has been able to accurately forecast future events. Secondly, of the many other books out there that claim to be sacred Scripture, I couldn’t find any specific prophecies in any of them; not in Lao-tzu, Confucius, Buddha; not in the Koran. In other words, I couldn’t find any ‘evidence’ upon which to base their claims as nothing more than … well … ‘claims’. On the other hand, the Bible is loaded with many clear, specific, and therefore, measurable predictions. So, if these are in fact true, then there is cause to accept that the rest is also true. There are over 2,000 of these prophesies in the Old Testament; over 1,500 of them are about the nations within


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one thousand miles of Israel so there is much evidence to look for. Well, except for the ones that have not yet come to pass, do you know the batting average is for truth of the prophesies David? “Most of them?” asked David. All of the prophesies came true. The batting average? 1000! That’s quite a roll isn’t it? Quite frankly, it’s an impossible roll. The only way all of these can be correct is if there is a supernatural ‘predictor’ involved. Over 300 of the prophesies are about Jesus. And many are very specific. Just some of these are: the time of His birth; the place; His betrayal for a specific amount of money; this ‘blood’ money then used to buy a burial field; His body bruised and pierced but no bones broken; His death on a cross; His burial in a rich man’s grave, and, of course, the incredible feat of coming back to life after being killed. Now, when one considers that the very latest of these predictions was written down over 400 years before Jesus was born and that these predictions in their entirety were translated into Greek 150 years before He walked the earth, you’ve got something to work with here. I can show you 300 some texts, and 400 some` details predicted about Jesus, all of which came to pass. Some of the other predictions about nations were so ridiculous that one could never have thought they would


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have come true. But they did. Here is an example: the writer Ezekiel said, ‘There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt’. Now this was 2,500 years ago. Until very recently, Egypt had been ruled continuously by Princes, but not one was an Egyptian. Even skeptics have called this ‘absurd’. Absurd it is: Absurdly true”. “But Dad, what does this prophesy have to do with proving anything?” “Well, this particular prophesy, like many others, is only there to show that God was revealing future events through His prophets because there was no way that one could make these kinds of accurate predictions on one’s own. It’s kind of like God’s ‘watermark’ on the Bible canvass; God’s way of saying ‘These words are all mine: take heed; pay attention’.” And, when one considers that He gave us the law in here, it is the basis for knowing the ‘truth”. “Dad, do you mean the ten commandments?” “Good for you! That’s the idea: without them and without understanding them as ‘truth’, we can all make up our own rules to live by as we go. Many people do; that is the issue at hand David! If there is absolute truth, then these are some of the ‘absolutes: good and evil; right and wrong! Here are some more very specific prophecies … Let’s look at the city of Tyre on the eastern Mediterranean coast. When Tyre was one of the crown jewels, the


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prophet Ezekiel said it would end up being covered with nets. Well, Tyre was destroyed and today it is under water, the surface of which is covered with fisherman’s nets! Consider two other well-known cities: Samaria and Jerusalem. The prophets said that that Samaria’s walls would be cast down and it would be made into a vineyard. Well, if you would go there today, it is exactly what you would find: broken walls and vineyards! To any reasonable person, these are outrageous predictions on their face! How could they ever come to pass? It is as if someone influential would say that the time will come when the city of Milwaukee will be underwater and covered with nets! As for Jerusalem, after the walls were knocked down and the Jews were literally carried away, the prophets said the great wall would be rebuilt and the people would be brought back. Well, the wall was indeed rebuilt and you know what?” “What?” In the year of your birth, 1948, one of the most remarkable events of the 20th Century happened”. “What’s that?”


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“A new Israel was carved out of the Middle East: a home again for the Jews: in Jerusalem; nothing short of Biblical in its proportions.’ Babylon not being rebuilt is another one. Read what happened the very next day after Alexander the Great went against the prophesy that said Babylon would never be rebuilt. It made the hair on the back of my neck all stand on end. “Go look it up. I guarantee it will make your hair stand up too” … “So all of the prophesies have come to pass except those that have not yet come to pass. Some of those seem very unlikely, but, on the other hand, many others had seemed unlikely too. Jesus’ words are that ‘every jot and tittle’ will hold true “. “What is one that seems unlikely to you now Dad?” “Well, take Iran for instance. According to the prophet, what is now Iran will ally with what is now the USSR. Well, with Sheik Pahlavi moving Iran toward the West and the USSR being a Communist country, this is about as likely to happen as the Pope deciding not to say Mass on Christmas Eve as far as I’m concerned. We’ll have to wait and see”. In the meantime, most of the prophesies are so clear and so specific that any twelve year old can look them up. And


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you’re thirteen, so you’re without excuse. And I can tell you David, academics, vocations, and avocations are much more richly appreciated if one learns to get beyond the commentaries and editorials and go look things up.” said Dom to his somewhat ambivalent-looking son. “Well, coming from you, I’m not sure that carries much weight. After all, you only got through the tenth grade, so what would you know about ‘academics’?” Dom’s jaw dropped. His eyes got steely, like an eagle honing in on his prey. He approached David and got very close to David’s face, and, with a cold, harsh glare, he said, ‘You’re dead wrong! Don’t you ever say that again! I only made it through the ninth!” David let out a howl as the words he heard dropped into his core somewhere … somewhere where words had never landed before … and the two of them broke out in completely ‘out of control’ howling bellows of laughter! Others around stared at the two, except for the guy who was just about to tee off; he was glaring at them. “Sorry”, was all Dom could muster as both he and David struggled to quiet their bodies, catch their breath; wipe their tears … still chuckling; still slightly uncontrolled. When they got to the tee, Domenic, a little tight from the waiting time and the recent events, dumped his drive off the second tee right into the creek. He walked up to the creek; dropped a ball, and ripped it up the fairway on his way to an easy double bogey.


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David shot a score of 98, breaking 100 for the very first time. This would be a memorable day. He would never go over 100 again and would never forget his father’s warmth and humor. But for now, having lost the match, Domenic looked forward to cutting the grass when they got home.


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Four days later at the second hole … “But Dad, the New Testament is not filled with prophesies. So it may or may not be the truth”. “Well, there are prophesies in there David. Jesus spent some time in Mathew’s book, for instance, talking about the ‘end days’ which are yet to come to pass. I encourage you to take the time to read them; very interesting reading. But that aside, one answer I gave already. There are over 300 predictions (prophesies) about Jesus which are fulfilled in the New Testament, the most recent prophesy of which was written 150 years before His birth. Many of those that were fulfilled were written over 700 years before this. So His fulfillment of all of these predictions speaks to the truth of what is written about what He said and did. But more than that, there are many writers of the New Testament who were eye witnesses to what was written down. Besides the four Gospels, there are other writings by Paul, Luke, Peter, John, James: 27 writings in all. Peter, James and John were some of Jesus’ closest companions; eye witnesses to the events they wrote about. And Luke, for instance, who was very well-educated: a Physician, and who, by the way, was not an eye witness, said that every word he wrote was corroborated by the sources that he interviewed.


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So we find that all these writings by different authors, some of whom did not have access to each other at the time of the writings, are in accord with one another. The only variations are that, it is obvious that some writers had seen more or heard more eye witness accounts about certain events than others. And that is how evidence works’: corroboration of facts coming from many different sources. Then there are the early Greek copies of these writings, all of which say the same thing. Some of these copies are so old that they are within decades of the originals which were authenticated to have been written in the very first century. Jesus’ associates started the early churches right after Jesus left. As an aside, they all put their lives on the line and many died cruel deaths. Paul’s letters in the Bible were written to the early churches only about 10 to 15 years after Jesus physically left. The last writings, from Jesus’ associate, John, were written no more than 58 years after Jesus left. So, in summary, all of the writings were written before the end of the 1st Century after He left.” “But Dad, the New Testament has been translated so many times into so many languages, who knows what was really said?” “Ponder this David: 5,250!” “Huh?”


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“The way things are with ancient writings is that the originals have crumbled away and are gone. So, what is of value in terms of evidence, is how close to the original texts are the earliest copies that we have. And how many copies there are. So, although you’re technically right: the originals have crumbled away, there are these early copies. At last count, there are some 5,250 copies of the original Greek texts, some large blocks of which go all the way back to the first century. Many more copies are from the second and third centuries after Jesus left. And they all say the same thing. It is hard to manipulate changes as you go when, during the first, second and third centuries after Jesus walked the earth, 5,250 copies all say the same thing! By comparison, the earliest manuscript of Homer’s The Odyssey is over 1,800 years from the original; Caesar and his Gaelic Wars: 900 years, and Plato: over 1,200 years after the original manuscripts were written. And we don’t question the veracity of these writings. Now, there are minor variations in copied text in all ancient writings. Humans copied these and humans make errors. Today they would call them ‘typo’s’. Here is an example of what I mean. In Mathew’s writings, he writes that Jesus says “It is easier for a camel to go through the ‘eye of a needle’ than for a rich man to get into heaven. Well, this is a rather puzzling expression. And the word for ‘camel’ is spelled almost the same as the word for ‘rope’. So, maybe it was meant to be translated ‘easier for a rope’. On the other hand, fortifications at that time had


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windows in the walls. These were called ‘the eye of the needle’ and they were too small for a camel to go through. So maybe this is what was meant. But the point is, ‘Does it matter?’ ‘Has it changed the point’? Does it change the ‘substance’ of the question’? “Dad, I would think not.” “The Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered when your sister was born in 1947, had a nearly complete ancient text of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, and the writings were so incredibly consistent with the translations today that it put to rest most any speculation about the unchanging character of these early writings. By the way, the writings were put into Greek early because Greek is the most precise of languages. One could speculate that one of the primary reasons God allowed the domination over most of the known world by the Greeks was for this reason: to give the precision to the writings regarding His Word. For instance, we have one word for ‘love’; the Greeks have six. So there are different words for a father’s love, as compared to the love of a man and a woman. Many different words for love were used to convey precise terms. I’ll give you one example: Jesus’ ‘love’ at the time of His death was called: ‘agape’, which means ‘sacrificial love’. If you would know the Greek language, you could read these copies for yourself. You just may want to do that David. There are millions of people who read Greek and read these texts every day. And honest skeptics have tried


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to poke holes in the Scriptures for hundreds of years with no success.” “Dad, how do we know they are that old?” “Good question David. And here again, there are all kinds of tools used by ‘forensic’ experts: the material that the writings are on; how it is woven; the make up of the ink; the writing tools used; the formation of the letters; the punctuation. All of these things separately give clues, but again, the sum of all of these items working together change clues into evidence. With my ‘show me’ bent David, after reviewing the available evidence for many years, I find, like Simon Greenleaf, Flavius Josephus, Sir William Ramsay, and many others, that the ‘evidence’ for the ‘truth’ of the Scriptures is so overwhelming that one has to have a biased predisposition to not believe in order to simply blow it off with no historical evidence to the contrary. You know, in this great country, everyone has a right to an opinion, but one’s opinion, to be taken seriously, needs to be backed up with something; some ‘evidence to support one’s position.” “But Dad, I heard there are a lot more Gospels than just the four in the Bible.” “You are correct David. All told, there are around a dozen. But there are reasons why they are not in the Bible.” “Like what?” asked David.


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“Well, the biggest reason is that they were written much later, the earliest being late in the second century, long after the eye witnesses, and the children of the eye witnesses, had died. Forensic reviews have validated the timeframes. They are called ‘pseudo gospels’, pseudo meaning ‘false’. It was not uncommon back then to take the name of a famous person and ‘ghost write’ a text. But there is more to this story David, for, as much as there was written about Jesus, there are many parts missing as well. For instance, we know little of his childhood. So there were some writers that imaginatively filled in some parts; quite interesting stuff; some even humorous. I can’t tell you how I reacted when I read how Jesus allegedly injured and killed people while in His youth and just learning how to use his ‘godly’ powers. He was knocking people over like you wouldn’t believe, especially if they mistreated him. When reading these writings, it made me wish I had had some of those powers when I was growing up. I could have had some fun with my uncle … ha! Besides their late time frames, some of texts are just way out there. And now that you are getting an idea of how the evidence works, well, when, for instance, in the gospel of Thomas, the writer has Jesus saying that a woman needs to become like a man if she wants to be saved, it really doesn’t fit well with what we know of Jesus attitudes about how women are to be viewed and treated, and, of course,


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they are not in harmony with the rest of the writings in the Bible”. “That’s actually in the gospel of Thomas?’ “Go look it up. So, you see, the evidence for all of the New Testament writings is far greater than for any other work of antiquity. Compared to the writings of Aristotle, Homer, Chaucer, Plato ,the Bible’s texts are much more credible. For instance, in the writings of Cattalos, a Roman author, there are a total of 5 copies of those that are over a thousand years later. And you know what? That’s enough and that’s good enough! Based on what? For that, we need to look at the ‘rules of evidence’. And the great ‘guru’ of the rules is one of my favorite ‘truth-seekers’: Simon Greenleaf. But, for now, you’re up” Dom and Dave both hit similar shots; smart five irons short and right of the green, leaving easy uphill approaches. A chip shot past the pin would be a mistake, leaving a quick, almost unstoppable downhill putt. Both chipped the smart short shot. Dom chipped to four feet. Dave chipped to three. Dom rammed his into the back of the cup. David, on almost the same line, picked up his mark and walked away.


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Dom didn’t move. David looked back and saw his Dad frozen in place on the green. He walked back to the green and set his ball down close to where it originally was marked. David spoke first, “Dad, I thought you were giving me this putt.” “I think you might be mixing up ‘giving’ and ‘taking’ as well as ‘match play’ and ‘medal’ play. Since we are shooting for total score, known as the ‘medal’, everything needs to be putted and counted.” “But Dad, I will make this putt.” “I believe you will too son; putt it in”. David pulled the stroke slightly and the ball rolled end over end towards the left edge; it caught part of the hole; swirled around to the back; and then to the right; the line traveled so far looked like a horseshoe. The ball was approaching a complete stop and appeared to be staring back at him as it hung there on the edge for what seemed like way too long; perched on the lip for a moment more, and then dropped in. David gulped hard. “Nice putt.” said Dom. “You’re learning the real game”.


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The Next Time Out … Dom reflected on his experiences with Simon Greenleaf and shared them with David. “I first bumped into Simon Greenleaf at Marquette University. Well, I didn’t actually bump into Simon Greenleaf. In fact Simon had been dead for many years. What I bumped into was a Jesuit priest named Father John Kelly, Professor, Marquette University School of Law.” Domenic explained to David how he went to the chapel at Marquette on Sundays before work. The English Room had “The” Sunday Brunch” in Milwaukee … and Dom worked the brunch. But beforehand was the chapel Mass. One day, the altar boy(s) didn’t show up and Domenic stepped in. To Father Kelly’s surprise, Domenic knew the Latin responses from when he was a young ‘altar boy’ back home. “Suscipiot Dominus sacrificium; de manibus tuis ad laudem et glorium nomine sui. Ad uteletatem quoque nostrum; totsius que ecclesie sui sancti.” “My pronunciation may have been off, but it was close enough to make a friend”. Professor Kelly taught a course in “evidentiary law” at Marquette. With his ear, I was asking questions regarding ‘evidence’, so Father Kelly pointed me to Simon Greenleaf, the Head Professor of Law at Harvard University for almost fifty years through the turn of the twentieth century. The


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London Times editorialized that his understanding of the law was greater than all of the judges of Europe combined! I read later that the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court said that Greenleaf’s testimony was the most compelling in the world. And Simon Greenleaf is considered to this day to be the best expert on ‘evidence’ that the world has ever heard or seen. His primary teaching principal was to never make up one’s mind about an important matter of import without first reviewing and evaluating all of the evidence”. Simon Greenleaf was born and reared Jewish. He did not believe in Jesus’ resurrection after being dead. One day in his class, the subject of religion came up. This was not the least unusual. The law is based on ethics and ethics is rooted in religion. Well, the subject of Christ’s resurrection came up. After he dismissed it, one of Greenleaf’s students asked him if he had considered the evidence. The question was like a bomb that went off in Greenleaf’s brain. Simon Greenleaf was embarrassed that he had not. So he did. He spent years looking at the evidence. He examined every thread of evidence that he could find on Jesus Christ and his proclaimed resurrection. I read what he did, what he evaluated, and what he wrote. You can go look ‘em up.


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I’ll just tell you his conclusion. He said that if the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection from the dead were presented to any unbiased jury in the world, they would conclude that Jesus of Nazareth did indeed rise from the grave after being dead. Greenleaf the Jew, the guru of ‘evidentiary law”’, then became a Christian. He later said that Christianity didn’t demand any more evidence than is readily available to any other branch of science, so it won’t convince those who are bullheaded, just those who are serious about their inquiry. What is important to know David when reviewing ancient documents are what the rules of ‘evidence’ are. According to the evidentiary guru, Simon Greenleaf, an ancient document that has been cared for properly and shows no signs of tampering or forgery, is presumed by law to be ‘genuine’ and it is the responsibility and burden of anyone suggesting otherwise to prove otherwise. So, in the case of Jesus, there is much to review. So one reviews, looking for corroboration or conflict; accord or contention. “You see David, in a courtroom, lawyers will sometimes ask questions which seem to have no bearing directly on the issue at hand. They are attempting to establish, in all kinds of corroborative ways, whether the witness is telling the truth, for it is impossible to establish a lie in the midst of a well-known ‘local’ happening. As the details are


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uncovered and confirmed or denied, the incident is also confirmed or denied. I watched a prosecuting attorney in action when I was twelve years old. There was a trial in Iron Mountain and my friend’s father was the Prosecutor. He asked so many questions; he asked the same thing from a slightly different angle. The judge stopped him at one point and asked where this was going, and the Prosecutor asked for some leeway because it would come together soon. Sure enough, he caught this guy lying; tripped him up right on the stand! I learned back then; the truth comes out in a well-known ‘local’ happening.” Simon Greenleaf’s evaluations and conclusions were not an isolated case. There was Sir William Ramsay, a wealthy and highly educated Ph.D. from Oxford. He was a dedicated atheist. His autobiography reminded me in many ways of Paul when he was Saul: he was a zealot who spent his whole adult life reviewing archaeological finds. His only mission? To disprove the Bible. He followed Luke’s account around in the book of Acts, and he ended up writing a book about the incredible accuracy of Luke’s work. He not only failed as an atheist; the poor guy became a rather loud Christian! There are many others: William Albright, Doctor Hugo Winckler, Sir Flinders Petrie: examples of time after time where improbable Biblical stories were investigated archeologically, and turned out to be true. You can go look ‘em up” …


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So, you see, way back then, like now, there were many ideas and ideologies, but there was no one at that time that was in any way confronting or debunking the specific observations and words that were being written at the time by these early writers. Should we now say we don’t believe what was then known to be true? We can only take that position if we have evidence of otherwise. I have no problem with evidence. It’s what I look for. But without evidence, I offer that beliefs have no value, for they are simply conjecture and empty ideology staring in the face of the evidence. I put no credence when evidence offered is blown off, and then no evidence is offered to controvert what there was. For instance, someone saying ‘I don’t believe in the Bible; it’s just a bunch of made up stories’. It reminds me of the story of a person who pulls a knife on another person and demands his money. The person attacked pulls out a loaded forty-five and tells the other to drop the knife or he’ll blow his head off. But the guy with the knife says he’s not scared because he doesn’t believe the gun is loaded. Well, I guess the guy with the loaded gun is in big trouble. After all, his attacker doesn’t believe his gun is loaded! I looked at the other major religions and found philosophies that I liked, like ‘being one with the earth’;


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‘achieving nirvana’; ‘reincarnation’, but the evidence goes wanting. Here is an example of how this plays out: one religious writer claimed to know his version of the truth was the truth because of a black mole that he had on his back. Well I have a brown mole under my arm and a big bulge here over my eye that kept me from joining the army. But that is not evidence; it is only simply an unsubstantiated ‘claim’ that is not the least bit credible when compared to the overwhelming evidence in the Bible.” It was David’s turn on the tee. He missed his drive and caught a bad lie in the rough. The good news is that he stayed short of the creek. He then proceeded to take his eight iron and slash at it, only to watch it splash in the creek a few feet ahead. “Dad, David laughing asked, “could I have that shot over?” Dom, laughing, said, “Sure, we’ll change from ‘playing the game’ to ‘practicing’. “Good point Dad … Let’s play on.”


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Brown Deer Park - The 4th of July, 1961 “Dad, there’s a two hour wait; it’s hardly worth waiting … What d’ya think?” “I think William Blackstone would be scratching his head today “. “You’ve mentioned him before, who is this guy Dad?” “On today, the 4th of July, in 1776, fifty six men signed a document which, for some, was their death warrant. But for this nation, it was its birth certificate. And in that document, known as The Declaration of Independence, there were many of the words from Sir William Blackstone’s work. Blackstone was an English Judge and Law Professor who penned a four volume set of Commentaries On The Laws Of England, known in short as Blackstone’s Commentaries. This, David, belongs to one of my dear friends, Father Kelly, retired Professor Emeritus from the Marquette School of Law. I asked him if I could borrow his first volume of Blackstone to share this with you.” “Wow … how old is this Dad?” “Around 1772.” “In the Declaration, it was stated that certain truths are self-evident: that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,


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among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Now son, I thought I knew what these words meant. But it turns out these are legal terms, and they had distinctly different meanings back then. The Declaration also references ‘the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God’. Those were also legal terms from Blackstone.” “What do they mean?” “Well, the first thing The Declaration’s words mean is what the Founders stated was ‘self-evident’, in other words, the ‘evidence’ is understood by all: that these inalienable rights come from God, not from the government. That is an important distinction because it is the government’s responsibility to uphold these ‘rights’ of the people and it cannot take them away. As for the legal terms, ‘the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God’ are clearly-defined terms in Blackstone. You’re going to like this one David. Look here … it says that we men are dependent upon our maker and should in all points conform to His will. This will of our maker is called ‘The Law of Nature’. “You’re kidding!”, said David. “Let’s read on. It says that this Law is dictated by God Himself and that it is superior in one’s obligation to any


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other law, and that it is binding everywhere in the world, in every country and all of the time. No human laws are valid if they are not in accord with God’s law. “Get out of here!” “Of Nature’s God’ is also clearly defined. It says that every one of us has a corrupted sense of reason and that our understanding is often ill-conceived. So God has intervened and given us the laws, and they can only be found in the Bible. Dom and Dave continued to read on that upon these two pillars rest all human laws, and no new laws are to be made that are contrary to these. David’s eyes were lit up! Dom said, “Although I think we all understand the term ‘Life’, it says in Blackstone that it is a right that is part of every person and it begins in the womb. “Let’s read on about the second right. It says that ‘liberty’ is the power we have to do what we want, without any constraints, provided what we want is not contrary to the Laws of Nature. And the last one, Pursuit of Happiness is defined also here in Blackstone. It says in so many words that God has so weaved together the laws of eternal justice with the happiness of each of us that we cannot be happy without being in accord with His will and, if we are in accord, we can’t help but be happy.


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What are your thoughts on this David?” “I think it says that, as long as we follow God’s will, we can pursue whatever we want in this country with no constraint from the government and we will be happy doing it because our will is in accord with God’s.” “Great!” “Well Dad, how can we be so sure that the Founding Fathers meant what was written here in Blackstone?” “Good question son. As I mentioned, this edition from Father Kelly is one of the first printed in this country. And it was the convention back then to have people of stature who owned the book to be listed in the back of the book. Look here: 14 of the original 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence are listed in here. The leader of the drafting of The Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, owned his own copy and referenced it often. In fact, Jefferson once commented that American lawyers used Blackstone with the same reverence and respect that the Muslims have for the Koran.” “You’re kidding” “Go look it up”. “The three other drafters of The Declaration: Roger Livingston, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and all had their own copies. James Madison endorsed Blackstone.


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Edmund Burke, John Marshall, Joseph Story, and James Wilson all referenced Blackstone in their writings. In I think it was 1799, the Supreme Court Justice at the time, his name was James Iredell, stated that for the past thirty years, Blackstone has been the handbook of almost every student of law in the United States.” He also mentioned that Blackstone was used as the basis for much of the thoughts and language in the Bill of Rights. So you see, there was no contention over this final language. The evidence shows that the Founding Fathers knew what they were penning here.” “But Dad, they didn’t all follow The Declaration’s principals! It is a well-known fact that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both had slaves.” “You are correct son; our Nation was formed by men; flawed men just like you and me, but The Declaration document they crafted was close to flawless, and it has set the standard upon which to judge; to reform, and to hope. The closer we stay loyal to this document, the greater our Nation will be.”


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Later the next week … waiting to tee off… “Dad, I like to think about these ‘big’ questions as do you. But does it really matter?” “David, our beliefs determine what and how we think: how we shape our world view. What we say and do comes out of our beliefs, and those things, in turn, determine the impact we have on others, which is either helpful or harmful; good or evil, right or wrong, little or much. When you look at the impact of those in positions of leadership and those with influence within a culture, you find that a society always behaves according to its primary, shared belief system. Think about those who have wielded great political power: Hitler, Lenin, Mao, Stalin, Eisenhower, Washington, Lincoln, to name just a few. Look at the differences in their decisions, which were made based on their beliefs and shaped their “world view’. For instance, the ‘survival of the fittest’, the idea of superiority of the Aryan race, was the catalyst for war and the millions killed in the Jewish death camps of Germany. And untold tens of millions were killed in the ‘cleansing’ campaigns of Stalin and Mao Tse Tung. Compare that with the bent of leadership and shared belief systems in this great country of ours. For example, when we won the Revolutionary War against Great Britain, the Treaty of Paris begins, ‘‘In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity, Amen’”. “Get out of here” …


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“The evidence shows that biblical concepts were taken very seriously at the start of our Republic. Take, for instance, the concept of ‘elect’. We ‘elect’ our representatives. Do you know that the word ‘elect’ is a biblical term? The ‘elect’ are those who are saved; they are among the ‘elect’. So the idea in an ‘election’ is to vote for those who are among the ‘elect’; those who are ‘saved’”. “You have got to be kidding! I know, I know … I should go look it up!” “And who challenges the motives and goodwill of the great leadership of Eisenhower, Washington, and Lincoln, all of whom publicly and privately implored the will of God in the construct of their leadership decisions. “ I see … said David … So once you understood what you believed, what happened after that? “It freed me up”.” ”What do you mean it ‘freed you up?” asked David. Domenic stopped for a few moments. David thought he was searching for the right words. But Domenic was struggling with more than the words … After a few more moments, Dom collected himself and looked up, struggled to clear his throat, and said, “David, remember ‘Doubting Thomas?’ Do you know what happened once he accepted the evidence? He fell to his feet and said … and I don’t know if he whispered it or cried it out … ‘My Lord and My God’! What he then did ‘freed


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him up’: he gave Jesus his heart! He made a move from intellectually accepting the evidence to taking Jesus deep into his heart. There’s a big difference David. And, the same thing happened to me!” The tears were running down Dom’s cheeks. He raised up his hand; brushed them away, and continued, When I finally could not refute the evidence that God is real and that His revealed Words are the truth, absolute truth, then His Words started jumping off the pages and penetrating right through my brain and into my heart. It changed my life and I have not been the same person since. It was 1936 when this happened. Up to that time, I was still studying this whole thing, but I was also very guarded. I guarded my words; my emotions; my conclusions; most of all; my commitments. Stella would try to break through, but, it was not until Jesus broke through, that I was ready to give my heart to Stella too. After ten years of courting, we married. And I thank God everyday that Stella stuck around. She saw something I didn’t see. So, it is just like Jesus says, by His words we are ‘freed up’ … ‘freed up’ to do what Blackstone talked about: to do ‘good’ things.” “That is really something Dad. Does this mean that, if we do enough good things, we don’t have to worry about being saved or rewarded when we die?” “David, Scripture teaches us that we don’t do good things in order to be saved; we do good things because we are saved. That’s why ‘Christ’ is translated ‘Savior’. If we could


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save ourselves, we wouldn’t need a savior. So, you see we have nothing to be proud of or to boast about. We do good things out of gratitude. This is pretty simple David. I love Stella, so I do good works for her: things she wants me to do; taking out the garbage; disciplining you, or buying her some unexpected flowers. I don’t do these so that she will love me; she already does! I do it out of gratitude! I do it to show my love! Now, if you want to know more about this particular promise from God, it is all over the place in the New Testament. I can give you about five different spots in the Bible to go look it up right off the top of my head.” “Is that why you talk about this so often to others?” “Of course! If you found something out that was of benefit to others; let’s say you learned about a particular bread that was so enriched that one piece was all that you needed to eat to go full bore all day, would you not share the good news with those you love?” “Of course!” Well, Jesus says He is the ‘bread of life’ and He also says we are to love everyone. He has given us orders to share this good news with as many people as we can. So, now that He has told us what He wants, do we love Him and want to do His will … or not?” “Point made Dad”


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As far as being ‘freed up’, I’ll give you another example of just how ‘transforming’ this ‘freedom’ can be from someone who came from so little; let’s take money! As you know, Stella and I are frugal. So, when it comes to money, we are careful and cautious. But the God of the Bible says to put Him first, and the way He says to do that is to give Him the first ten per cent; I mean right off the top. And He makes some promises in the Bible to those who trust Him to do that. In so many words: ‘Trust Me and you will be rewarded’. It is the only place in the whole Bible where He asks us to actually ‘test’ Him. So, when I gave Him my heart, I took His words to heart, and I put my money where my heart is.” “Well, said David, with the way we are taxed in this country, one would say that it is impossible to give ten per cent of one’s gross wages back to God. There’s not enough left.” David, although it is no one else’s business, your Mom and I do it. And we have always had enough. Neither Stella nor I have ever worried otherwise. We simply watch our appetites for material things. Now there is nothing wrong with owning material things at all, but, if you always want to have enough, put God first and tithe. But we could use more Dad. Of course; always. They once asked the great oil magnate and one of the wealthiest men in the world, J. Paul Getty, how much was enough. His answer? ‘Just a little more.’”


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“I’ll have to think about that Dad. “ “It’s your turn to tee off”… David, after an acceptable bogey on the first hole, drove too far right, into the trees, chipped out, and, after missing the green, chipped close and made the putt. “Good bogey David” Bogey, bogey was not a bad start at Brown Deer; the birdie holes were ahead. Dom, who also had started with a bogey, followed with a par, and then rattled off par … eagle … birdie … birdie … bogie … par … par … 33 on the front. He kept it together on the back with three early bogeys and a birdie at sixteen for a 38. Domenic was still one of the local ones to beat at Brown Deer. He enjoyed all of the unofficial match play. And, with the exception of his nemesis, Hammie, Dom prevailed most of the time.


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Summertime 1966 Domenic safely held the feathery from Willie Robertson. He carried it in a pocket inside his leather golf bag. To Dom, it was like he had Willie with him whenever he played. And today, with David and Dom having scheduled a tee time, with the usual long wait at the first tee, Dom was reflecting on the recent developments between him and his life-long friend. In the many letters shared between Dom and Willie, they both mentioned Old Tom Morris’s keepsake from time to time. Willie had done well and was in no need of the feathery back. Dom likewise was just fine too. In Dom’s most recent letter to Willie, he suggested giving the feathery back because he felt the ball and Old Tom’s letter should get back together again. Willie wrote “absolutely not’! The feathery was a gift to Dom for the friendship he had given to Willie when Willie had needed it most.


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So, Willie posed a new idea. And Dom accepted it. They decided on a new pact as their symbol of the friendship that had been forged so long ago and had stood them both so well throughout their lives: they would “will” their part to the other so the survivor would have the whole package together again. Dom stopped his reflecting and said to his son, “David, there’s a picture I’ve been meaning to give you. It’s a keepsake that I thought you might like.” It was a snapshot of Domenic and Stella, nestled together on the ground with their golf clubs; Stella fitting into Dom’s arms like two pieces of a puzzle … “Wow! Dad, I didn’t know Mom ever played!” “Very seldom David. But, in 1938, Willie came to visit, and we all went out to Brown Deer Park together. Willie gave her some pointers and then he took this picture of Stella and me.” It was so meaningful to David that he committed to having it enlarged and then covered with a clear coat of something so he could carry it in is golf bag whenever and wherever he played. At age 58, Dom couldn’t keep up with David anymore. Dom’s drives maxed out around 220 yards, so some of the par 4’s were really par 5’s , unless Dom occasionally one-putted for what he called a “senior par”. At the same time, David was developing a reputation as a long ball hitter.


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They played together less often because David loved to compete and to battle with his friends. Dom liked playing with his friends too. But today they would enjoy the day and play. ” Boy is it slow, what in the world is going on Dad?” “I don’t know; there’s a big backup here on four. When they got to the fourth tee, there were three groups ahead of them waiting to tee off. It turned out that the US Public Links Championship was to be played at Brown Deer later in the week, the first time since 1929, and many of the players came in early to get in a practice round and map out the course. The fourth hole was the slowest on the course because the green on this par 5 could reached on the second shot for many of these players. So they would hit their drives out about 285 yards and then have to wait for the players on the green to finish up and leave. To slow things even more, it was a highly contoured and elevated green, so many took time to study it. Others missed the green and had to hit shots from sand traps that surrounded it. “Dad, why don’t they wave the group behind them up, like we always do on the par three’s. It just seems to be the courteous thing to do. And then they can keep an eye on where the balls would land as well.” “Makes sense to me son, but we don’t always do what makes sense.”


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Dom and Dave found a cool spot under a tree and a new conversation began: “There was a recent court decision that said that a verbal prayer offered in a public school is unconstitutional even if that prayer is both voluntary and denominationally neutral.” “Well Dad, the Constitution requires a ‘separation of church and state’. Everyone knows that.” “Is that right David? Can you show me where in the Constitution, it requires a ‘separation of church and state? You will have a tough time finding something that’s not there. Remember David, unsubstantiated claims have no useful value. What counts is the evidence.” Then Dom said emphatically, “What the Constitution does have to say, along with what the Founding Fathers wrote down about what they finally decided to pen into the Constitution are the ‘evidence’ about what was intended here.” “What does all of this say Dad?” “The Constitution speaks to this issue in the First Amendment. And it is short and sweet: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. It’s pretty darn simple: it says what it says: it says what ‘Congress’ cannot do. That is all that it says. Now, as far as ‘intent’, you already know that the first and fundamental rule of ‘truth’ is to look at the ‘evidence. So here are just a few things off the top about what the


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Founding Fathers had to say about this clause, and, by the way, this is only the tip of the written iceberg David. You can go look this one up and find a lot more that is written about this issue at the time. Here are what some of the more influential Founding Fathers wrote. James Madison wrote that no national religion is to be established.James Mason, considered by many to be the Father of the Bill of Rights, penned that no particular sect or society of Christians ought to be favored or established by law in preference to any others. Henry Abbot said that many wish to know what religion shall be established, but although he believed that a majority were Presbyterians. He was against any exclusive establishment.’ So David, the idea was to promote Christianity as part of the government, but to not favor any particular denomination or, as they called it at the time, any particular ‘establishment’. The House and Senate also later confirmed this support. Both the House and Senate affirmed that the establishment of religion, which was referred to as the Anglican Church of England, intended that this Amendment is to prohibit the establishment of a religion, such as the English Church. I think it was Justice Story who best said that the objective was to exclude all rivalry among what he called the Christian sects.


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“Well Dad, based on this, I am not welcome if I am a Jew or a Muslim. That’s not fair!”. “On the contrary, Christianity, by its very nature, insists that we love everyone. That is why all are welcome here in America. All are welcome in a society with Christian-based traditions, and I might add, only in those with Christian-based traditions.” “That’s pretty strong!” “Well David, for instance, how many Christian Churches do you think there are in … say … Saudi Arabia” “I don’t know … how many?” “There are none”… said Dom … and then continued … “On the other hand, how many Muslim mosques do you think there are in the United States?” “How many?” “Over a thousand! That’s over twenty for every state in the union … and don’t get me started on the number of Jewish temples!” Dom said laughingly. David was chuckling too, saying, “I get it … I think … “So what about this notion of ‘separation of church and state”?


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“Well David, it was first referenced in a court decision the year your sister was born in1947: Everson v. Board of Education. And it has been referenced over and over and over in the wrong way ever since. Thomas Jefferson, who was President at the time, responded to a letter from the leader of the Danbury Baptist Church. The leader was concerned about the possibility of there being a national church established, like in England, which everyone knew would not be the Baptist denomination. Thomas Jefferson assured him that there was a ‘wall of separation’ that prohibited the US government from setting up an established religion. You can read the letter and Jefferson’s reply. To me, it was an unfortunate metaphor, for a wall is a ‘two-way’ separation, whereas, the establishment clause is only ‘one way’; it protects the people from Congress; more like a stop sign that protects pedestrians. Jefferson, by the way, also served as the President of the Washington DC school board. He included both the Bible and the Watts Hymnal as primary books for the schools. So there was no wall between government support of religion and religious underpinnings in American life. On the contrary, it was encouraged. Noah Webster, Samuel Adams, and Benjamin Rush echoed these principals. Rush wrote that the only foundation for useful education in a republic was to be


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found in religion. Without this, he wrote that there would be no virtue and without virtue no liberty, and liberty was to him the mission and lifeblood of a republican government. An example of how widely this was understood and promoted can be shown by the book that was part of the first grade requirement in public schools throughout the nation for the first two hundred and forty years, The New England Primer. Ben Franklin required it in the public schools of Pennsylvania; Noah Webster in Connecticut; Sam Adams in Massachusetts. I think I would hear one of your favorite expressions if you would read how the ‘abc’s’ are taught in The New England Primer: It would be, ‘You’re kidding!” All told, there were thirty-eight states that adopted this little book as the primary reader for first graders. I have a copy of the book, and when we get home, it is time for me to give this book to you. Quite frankly, I wish that people, especially people your age, could have a copy of it. I’m going to see what can be done about that. Maybe there is some way to get this re-printed. So, for the Supreme Court in 1947 to have disregarded all of the evidence on what was originally intended was to disregard the ‘truth’, and replace it with an unsubstantiated


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claim. And you know by now how much validity there is in any unsubstantiated claim. Later on, the Chief Justice of the United States from right down the street in Shorewood, Wisconsin, William Rehnquist, wrote a brilliant dissenting opinion in a school prayer case, citing the history and intent of the Establishment Clause. He called the phrase ‘separation of church and state’ a ‘misleading metaphor’. He said that history would have to judge whether it was the fathers of this country in 1789, or a majority of the Court today, that have strayed from the meaning of the Establishment Clause. Around the turn of the nineteenth century, there was a ruling by the Supreme Court, Vidal vs Girard’s Executors, which, by the way, was in accord with all of its predecessors, that said that the teaching of Christianity could not be prohibited from and that moral principals must be taught in our public schools. So, this week, five of these nine unelected people made a ruling, not based on the evidence, but instead on their own ideologies. It is pretty evident to me that they started with the result that they wanted and then found a way to get there … rather than looking at the evidence. The result is that they have moved this country away from its original intent. I think this will be corrected over time. Can you imagine what our society would be like if children were not reinforced during the school day with spiritual reminders of how they should behave?


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Who’s up?” When they got home Dom posed a question, “Stella, the morning Milwaukee Sentinel has an editorial about some of the Supreme Court Justices. It says that, in order to stay current with the changing needs of the country, their stance is that the Constitution should be a ‘living and breathing’ document; one that adapts and changes with the times, rather than staying narrow and committed to the original construction”. So I was wondering what your thoughts are, ‘Do you think our stance should be that our marriage contract should, you know, perhaps it should be a ‘living and breathing’ document … you know, maybe we adapt it a little bit and build in some ‘flexibility’ for the changing mores of these times?” With a smile reminiscent of DaVinci’s Mona Lisa, Stella replied, “Dom, I have been listening very intently. What I have heard are words like ‘living’, ‘breathing’, ‘stance’. I’m thinking that you would have trouble with any of these if you decided to try to change the original intent of our marriage contract.” Then with a whimsical look, she added, “You would also want to get a new nine iron because you will have some trouble bending this one back to its ‘original intent.” “You’re holding back Stella; tell us how you really feel.” “Supper’s ready!”


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Summer 1973 For the third time the US Public Links was back at Brown Deer. Dave and Dom were out for an infrequent game, and for yet another time, they were caught in the slowness of the practice rounds again. “So Dad, tell me your thoughts on the recent Supreme Court decision, Roe vs Wade?” “I read the court decision and it said that “unborn” babies are not persons and therefore have no right to life. How do unborn people become “non persons’?” asked Dom, giving away his concern over the decision. “Wow Dad, the issues haven’t gotten any smaller as the years go by”. At age 25, you’re too old for me to answer one like this one for you. But we can wrestle with this very serious topic together. Just remember, the key is to put one’s emotions aside and look at the evidence, like, ‘When does life begin; what does Scripture have to say? And, since this specifically is a United States decision, what does Blackwood have to say? And how about the Declaration of Independence … any clues there? Why not spend some time looking at the evidence and then we’ll talk. But David was unusually wound up, “The other one I am really struggling with Dad is evolution. Everyone knows that we have evolved over time from a common ancestor … so how does one reconcile that with the creation account in the Bible?”


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“Great question David!” Domenic said laughing. “We’re going to have to get out here more often. But, in the meantime, I have the same answer; you just may want to spend some time looking at the evidence. But for now, it is time to tee off”. But Dad, this time the Bible would be a ‘circular’ argument. You can’t use the Bible to prove something that is meant to be proven within the context of natural science … especially when the conclusion is in diametric opposition to the Bible!”, said David emphatically. “Wow, such a mouthful when it’s time to tee off! We’re out of time. So here are a few brief comments to think about and study. First, I agree: these two are in diametric opposition to each other: if one is right; the other is wrong. Second, be careful about the use of ‘everyone’ because there are hundreds of scientists who are looking at the evidence in light of both the evolution and creation model and there are thousands more that are having difficulty rectifying the evidence in light of the evolution model alone. Third, the knife cuts both ways; by that I mean that a proposition cannot be framed with either model using the conclusion as an already accepted truth; that is a circular argument and it’s inappropriate in any serious investigation. The conclusion, ‘creation or evolution’, is to come out of the evidence, not out of itself. So, as usual, look at the evidence, and not the conclusion one wants, and then see where the evidence takes you.


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This is a serious endeavor son, and since I am suggesting that you to take on a project and not just look something up, if you want, I would invest the time with you to help set things up for the study”. Dad, I would love if you would help me to do that … and I have other topics too … like … Domenic cut him off: “That’s great David! But for now, we are really out of time; it’s time to tee off ! And, just to help you get focused back on the game, let’s see what kind of stuff you’re made of: I’m offering to double the bet!” “I accept! And remember, lessons are extra!” David got focused and then ripped a low drive that bore through the stiff wind and still had some top spin as it scampered down the hard, dry fairway; a perfectly crafted shot given the terrain and the conditions of play. Dom leaned into his drive to keep it low as well, but he left the face open at impact, and the wind whipped his ball up into the air, higher than its normal flight, and dropped it down like a gentle rain drop. How pretty it looked and how short a distance it went. But nonetheless, because of his putting prowess, Dom knew it wasn’t over yet … if he could get to the green only one stroke behind, he would still have a chance …


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Later When they got home, Stella’s intensity cut through the air like a knife, “We got a phone call Dom: Willie died”. Dom cried. Stella’s arms surrounded him as she did what she could to console him. Her chest was soaking from his sobs. Dom went to the funeral. He made a new ‘feathery’; he wrapped some feathers in a leather pouch and tossed it into the hole as the earth was shoveled over Willie’s casket, a symbol of the lifelong friendship and trust they had shared together. “Save a place for me Willie”, whispered Dom. Old Tom Morris’s letter arrived two month’s later, along with written explanations about it being willed to Dom. Dom asked David to join him to open the envelope. “David I’d like to see this feathery stay in the family, and, it should rightly stay with you. Like the pact of Willie and me, it’s yours now. I’m sixty-five, and, if my journey through life were like a golf course, I’m on the back nine. So before we open this letter, I’d rather give this ball to you now with a lot of sentimental, but very little known monetary value. It may never be worth a lot, but then


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again, who knows? The right collector may be willing to pay a small fortune for a piece of golf history like this. So, it’s yours now, along with Old Tom’s note.” Dom had gotten the old feathery out of his bag. He hadn’t looked at it critically in years. He noticed it was still round and soft and clearly showed the dry rot on one side where it had laid on the ground for some 40 years. Dom held it very gently as some of the once waxed threads were barely holding things together. David opened the envelope that Dom had given him and carefully took out the note from Old Tom Morris. Sure enough, just as Willie had said, Old Tom’s note confirmed: “The feathery was found on the sixteenth hole under a whin bush and, as flat and worn as it is, it is a part of what had been played on the Old Course at St Andrews.” It was signed by Old Tom Morris, September 23rd, 1901. The only thing was, this feathery wasn’t flat at all; it was a little soft but very round. Dom inspected it critically again: some of the threads looked different because, well; some of them were different and, upon closer scrutiny, some were now noticeably older than others. Domenic got a scissors and carefully cut the newer threads where there was already a slight tear. Then carefully, gently, he pulled at what was some cotton inside. It was surrounding something hard like a stone. Dom ever so tenderly worked it out through the tear. It was a stone alright; one that would eventually be professionally cut and


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appraised as a “very fine quality”, traditional cut, six carat diamond! After what seemed like a long silence, David spoke first: “Dad, should we give it a name?” “Well, there’s a legacy here David; Me to you; Willie to me; Willie’s father to Willie. What do you think?” “The legacy goes back even farther Dad; to Old Tom Morris and the feathery”… ”The Saint Andrews’ Diamond!” Dom and Dave chimed in together! And then Dom, beaming at his son said, “Willie’s father was right: the feathery was the best diamond of them all!”


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November 16th, 2009 David awoke in the morning: warm, rested and refreshed. He had slept for twelve hours. As he recalled what he had dreamed, the visions blended together like a collage, and David was trying to sort out how much of what he had dreamed was imagined and how much was real. The first place he went to was his golf bag. Sure enough, there was the plastic-coated picture of Stella and Dom with their golf clubs, the two of them nestled together on the lawn at Brown Deer Park. Over the next weeks, months, and years, he would do what his father had suggested: he would look things up; check things out; look at the evidence. Everywhere he looked, he would find evidence to support what he had dreamed to be true: Hank Marino, Willie Hoppe, Walter Schroeder, Hammie ... And, oh how David knew and loved “Stella”, so he could vouch for that. Likewise, he would find no errors in the works of Celsus, Josephus, Greenleaf, Blackstone, Jefferson, Madison, Black, Rehnquist, and the rest. It would all be there; and all be true. He would drill down particularly deep into the prophesies. The more he would investigate, the more the evidence would support what he had dreamed and recalled. He too would find no evidentiary excuse for not acknowledging the truth of God’s revelations in the Bible. The evidence would


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be beyond dispute: His words beyond reproach; and, like Domenic, these unchanging words would penetrate David’s heart and change his life too. There were, however, some foggy recollections and missing items, subtle reminders of the blow to David’s head on the 18th hole just three weeks ago. Where was the “feathery”? And the six-carat diamond? And where was Old Tom Morris’s letter? Did those episodes really occur? As he worked to clear his mind, David’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the noisy entrance of his son, “Domenic the Younger”: Domenic Luke! “Hey Dad, I have a surprise for you. I just got done with a series of lessons from your golf Pro friend, Byron. He thinks I’m ready to tackle Brown Deer”. “Dom, are you sure you want play Brown Deer?” “I am Dad. I would love to play Brown Deer with you”. “Well, we better hurry up. You know, like my father once said, if my journey through life were on the golf course, I’m definitely on the back nine.” “I checked out the website,” said Domenic Luke, “We can sign up for a tee time on-line.”

“Well Dom, if you could please humor me, let’s just go out there and sign up. They always leave some spots open for ‘walk-ons”. “But Dad, we could end up having a long wait!” said Domenic Luke emphatically. To which David responded with a warm and glowing smile, “I know”.

The End


Afterward Some noteworthy items… First, there were some changes in the golf course that Domenic and David played in this story in the 1960’s as compared to the original course. On the original Brown Deer Golf Course, the second and third holes were reversed. The change was made to the existing layout some time after 1941. The “changed” course was a constant to simplify the story. Second, this short story addresses some questions that are meaningful to the thoughtful; the questioner; the doubter, or the serious skeptic. Of particular significance is the undisputable fact that, since the Huns invaded Europe and hurled the known civilized world into 800 years of the Dark Ages; through the Middle Ages; the Renaissance; the Industrial Revolutions; the Modern, Post-modern, and current Age of Technology, the original words of the 39 books of the Old and the 27 books of the New Testament have remained unchanged. If one does not read the original Greek but wishes to read these documents, the New International Version (NIV) is as close as English can get. A special thanks to two authors: Dr. D. James Kennedy, Why I Believe and Dr. David Barton, Original Intent: The Courts, The Constitution and Religion. Their works provided much of the intelligence contained within this story. Blackstone’s Commentaries can be read in their entirety on line at www.blackstonecommentaries.com. For a copy of the original New England Primer, contact Dave Serena at [email protected]. May these writings give you pause, encouragement, and hope.


in the name of the father and of the son the pursuit of truth -...

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