There are times that my family’s long connection with the institution where I work is complicated, but more often than not it is a benefit.

Sometimes it is funny. Sometimes it is bittersweet. Sometimes, it’s just nice.

This morning my boss said, “I need someone to start a ‘Centennial’ box.”

I volunteered.

So, sitting on my desk, looking for a place to live for a couple of years as we prepare for the University’s Centennial, is an old magazine with my grandfather on the cover. The photo is totally 80s. The issue was actually published a few months after I was born. But right now, it’s sitting on my desk, and my grandfather is there. And it’s just nice.