Gracie's and Dad

Susan has, she tells me, undergone a sea change of late. She feels right at home working in the basement of Gracie's -- her desserts seem to be a smash, the people there have been supportive of her every step of the way. In the end it all came down to a matter of finding her own workflow, her own sense of place, her own "rhythm". (Rhythm: noun, a strong, repeated pattern of movement or sound.)

And so she has.

This coming Monday, when the restaurant is closed, Susie and Chef Joe Hafner will be doing a cooking demo of how to make savory and sweet tarts, followed by a dinner afterwards. I hope to get some photos to post online soon afterwards so stay tuned.

In the meantime the dessert menu continues to evolve as Susie tempts everyone around with her delicious creations. She is, as they say, in seventh heaven.

On a most somber note, the location of my dad's remains still remains unclear. Our lawyer attempted to call Dr. James Williams at Rush Medical College last Monday about the DNA testing and found himself talking to the "Risk Management Person" (RMP). The upshot of the conversation was that the college is adamantly opposed to testing. They say that through “polymorphic testing” they are convinced the body, which had lost its identification. No room for error. Nope. It’s 100% definitively Dad and that's that. The arrogance, uncaring attitude, complete and utter lack of communication and cooperation aside, once has to wonder why they are so obstinate about this. And at a teaching institution that is reportedly open to the free flow of ideas. Yeah right.

Anyway, this next week, we hope, to have clarification for certain about the testing issue.

Clearly things are taking an ugly turn and I suppose the hope in Chicago is that my brother and I will simply go away. Oh, and curiously the RMP told Jack, our lawyer in Vermont, that it was her understanding my brother and I were of different minds about this whole testing issue. An odd thing to say we thought, particularly since nothing could be further from the truth. But then I suspect we are getting further from the truth with each passing day. And we simply can’t help but wonder where we would be today had we not gotten the Decatur Herald Review involved back in January. It was their inquiries and those of Brintlinger’s Funeral Home that seemed to move someone to action. But what that action is now at issue.

Anyway, if you folks in Chicago are reading this please take note.

We are NOT going to simply fold our tents and go away. Rush Medical College and the Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois have treated our family with shocking insensitivity and, what's worse is the indifference they have shown to our father's memory. All this from an institution that purports to teach, teach mind you, the importance of caring and compassion to its students.

"Doctor heal thyself."