AMTRAK STORY ON A TRAIN

It was March 16, 2016, and I was taking the Amtrak to Philadelphia on Friday. I had a nice nap and realized that Philadelphia was the next stop. I got up quickly, grabbed my bag, and got ready for the next stop. Then I realized that the next stop was Wilmington, not Philadelphia. I held the next seat to stay out of the way.

 

I noticed an older person next to me had a Penn State on his carry-on bag. I told him I was a Penn State alumni. He told me that he was going to New York for the NCAA Wrestling Championship. I was a huge Penn State wrestling fan, and that I would watch the games on TV on Saturday.

 

 

He told me his name was Warren Hartenstine. He was a graduate in 1967 and played football. He told me that he played right guard for Joe Paterno’s coach.

 

I was a Phi Delta Theta fraternity graduating in 1977, and that we had a few football players on our fraternity. Warren told me that he was a Kappa Sigma, the IFC President, a member of Lion’s Paw Senior Honor Society, and a Skull & Bones Senior Honor Society member. He had some great stories to tell.

 

As I looked at his iPhone, I noticed that he was looking for a note for Jeff Fisher. I asked him if that was Jeff Fisher from Penn State. He said, “Jeff was a good friend.” I told him that Jeff was a fraternity brother of mine while I was at Penn State. I told him that I knew him well but saw him occasionally at Penn State games. We connected our information to our emails and added it on Facebook.

 

At this point, I needed to get off the train in Philadelphia and said goodbye.

 

Another funny coincidence.

Related articles

Two Degrees of Ed and Taylor Swift

All my life, I have always loved to talk. With Aphasia, I struggle to speak to others, and I rarely talk with new friends. But my six degrees of Ed Nunez make my brain go into overtime, and I want to explain the story to someone.   With all of the recent football about Kansas

Read More »

How to Tell a Story – Matt Bahr and Me

The other day, my wife wanted to see if you wanted to join a group of friends with a Happy Hour. She didn’t want to go, but I told her that you said to her that I didn’t like to go because of my aphasia and my ability to talk with others, but I realized

Read More »

Union MLS Cup

On November 5, the Philadelphia Union lost to Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) for the MLS Cup title.   It was a thrilling game.   At the end of the regulation game, after 90 minutes, it was 2 – 2.   In the overtime, with about 4 minutes to go, the LAFC goalie, Maxine Crépeau,

Read More »

Middlebury Field Hockey

You know by now that I love to watch Field Hockey. Mostly because of my friends.   Last weekend, I watched the NCAA Semi-finals against Penn State and North Carolina. Penn State lost. I was proud of the team this year.   On Sunday, the Championship was won by North Carolina, beating Northwestern.   On

Read More »

Quinnipiac? Seriously?

How many people go to Quinnipiac College? According to Google, there are about 6,800 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students. Penn State has about 40,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduates.   I was one of the Penn State undergraduates in 1977.   I have never been to see Quinnipiac College. However, there is a connection between Quinnipiac

Read More »

Professor Judi Wakhungu

Aphasia worries my ability to talk to others. I love to talk. When I do, I say three words, and I stop. I can’t figure out how to say the words. I know what I want to say, but the terms won’t work.   Sometimes it is much easier not to say anything. Then I

Read More »

Ed Núñez

In each story, I tried to learn something new to work on what I have trouble speaking. Many of these are fun to remember and learn how to write again.

My Aphasia

Wiz

Aphasia sucks, but it makes me fun every day.   My brain works fine. I see something, and I know what I saw, and the

Read More

Bruce Willis

Last week, my son told me that Bruce Willis had aphasia.   I have something in common. “Die Hard” was one of my favorite movies,

Read More

Small World

Union MLS Cup

On November 5, the Philadelphia Union lost to Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) for the MLS Cup title.   It was a thrilling game.  

Read More

Blogs

Merry Christmas 2021

It’s Christmas 2021. It has been 18 months since I had my stroke. My life has changed. Sometimes it isn’t easy, but my friends and

Read More

Hole-in-One

Early on Halloween, I had on a golfer costume. It turned into quite a trick for me.   I shot an Ace, a Hole-in-One. It

Read More
Scroll to Top