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Columnist's visit to old friend at Maryland historic site leads to a revelation--he and his high school pals are actually growing up.
By ROB HEDELT SEEING A HIGH SCHOOL PAL at his place of business the other day, interacting with the public professionally, made me stop and think. Despite our best efforts to feel young forever, we're all growing up. Or at least becoming adults. Two things prompted me to make the short drive over the Potomac River bridge and into the farm fields and big, tree-filled subdivisions surrounding Port Tobacco, Md., one recent Friday morning. First, I was curious and happy to learn that my pal, Andrew Packett, was the acting supervisor of the Thomas Stone National Historic Site. Second, I knew very little about Stone or this site, administered through the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County. Packett, a former classmate and teammate at Rappahannock High School in Warsaw, gave me a warm welcome and began to give me a tour of the restored and rebuilt plantation known as Haberdeventure. I was impressed with his knowledge of Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Continental Congress and one of the drafters of the Articles of Confederation, a critical first step in the eventual creation of the U.S. Constitution. Even more impressive was the discussion my friend had with a black visitor who interrupted my tour to ask why there wasn't more information provided about the role of slaves on the plantation. "That's something that we're taking a look at, expanding information on that and on many other facets of life here," Packett said. "That's something many historic sites are re-examining these days." He then referred to several different histories that examined slavery on pre-Civil War plantations, and added that the perspective on the issue was one that historians have long struggled with. Hearing him discuss the issue with depth and perspective made me smile. Could this really be the same kid who bragged that he'd made it through history class one year without ever reading the book? The one who drove teachers crazy by making wisecracks whenever they turned to write on the chalkboard?
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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