Every November, we celebrate the life — and memory

Every November, we celebrate the life — and memory — of our fallen farm manager. He would be 46. This 10th year since his death is being celebrated as the the Year of the Woman. Ranee would have loved it. He held this notion that wom£i\could master any skill or job normally consigned to men and set about proving it. Upon the slightest flicker disinterest from a woman observing some job he might be doing, he became a teacher—whether he was welding a gate, shoeing a horse, pulling a calf or operating equipment from backhoe to bulldozer. He sought to demystify skills thought then to be the preserve of men alone. And upon discovering that a petite woman half his size was a skilled farrier, he lost no time drafting her to teach him farrier skills. , These attitudes, unusual in today's rural America, were rarer still ten years ago. Nor did he much observe the prevailing social customs toward women of opening doors or farm gates or holding coats or chairs for physically able women. He didn't regard or treat women as helpless children; they were his peers. This year, two talented (and beautiful) young women have won the Spellman Award in this Year of the Woman, Their pages of accomplishments and honors in agriculture and leadership led the interview committee to predief a future secretary of agriculture at least from among them.

All life was devalued that day Ranee was slain. Remembering, the antidote to wrongdoing, heals, restores the truth and honors the victim. Memory: the powerful twin of time, fueled by events never to be forgotten and a man who made a difference. Ranee was a Viet Nam veteran. He hated that war, but he went and returned without a scratch. The Viet Nam Memorial celebrates its 10th year this week; Ranee was buried the day it was unveiled. Once more, we will place his picture and this tribute at The Wall—home to so much remembering and honoring and healing. Here at Points of View, we will plant a tree and a special rock that he excavated at his gravesite atop Hickerson Mountain. This magnificent spot with its stunning views has become a place where a visitor can rest awhile, remembering Ranee with his vibrant energy and the joy he found working on this mountain.