A SPECIAL MEMORY @ THE LARK!

        Back in the mid to late 1990's my mom and step-dad had a paper boy that they came to really like. His family was not necessarily poor, but, not necessarily on top of the world. He was a go- getter and always seemed to be trying to figure ways to make a little extra cash.

       One Saturday in the fall and after being stood up at the last minute for the big Iowa State- Hawkeye football game, I asked him if he would like to go to Iowa City with me to the game. What was kind of neat was that he was not all that interested in the game, but, was more fascinated by the Iowa State Band which sat real close to us in the south end-zone.

        After the game, we headed for the Lark to eat in Tiffin just west of Iowa City. He had never been out to eat in a "fancy" restaurant and I'm sure didn't know what to expect. His first comment was about how dark it was in there. Next, it did take him some time to decide what to get to eat. Lastly, he asked me how he was to decide what fork to use and so forth. I simply said just start from the outside for the utensils and work in. If in doubt, not to worry about it and just go for it. But, just remember no elbows on the table and napkin on the lap!

      Since he had mentioned that someday he wanted to be a doctor, I said this type of training would be important when he became a member of some Country Club. I ran into him a few years later when he was out of high-school and he was working at the Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center in some capacity. I never knew, but, I bet he did make it as a Doctor!