So many birthdays to celebrate
I’d like to begin by acknowledging several very important birthdays. This week marks the birthdays of two of our own, Clint Kellum our Chief Deputy and Ross Culverwell our Chief Credit Officer. Both are tremendous contributors to IBank’s success.
On Tuesday, we will wish Jimmy Carter a happy 100th birthday, the first American president to ever reach that milestone. I spoke about “the finest man” to ever occupy the oval office at our board meeting a year ago when he celebrated 99. Now, after more than 19 months in hospice care and going into his 2nd century, he continues to amaze us with a will and spirit that know no bounds.
Happy birthday also to Sequoia National Park. With over 400,000 acres and containing both the largest tree on Earth – General Sherman, and the highest peak in the contiguous U.S. – Mount Whitney, it was established on this day in 1890 and designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1976. Prior to being incorporated by the National Park Service, Sequoia was administered by the segregated Buffalo Troops of the U. S. Cavalry, an assignment given to black soldiers that were not allowed into combat units.
And lastly, happy birthday to the Bill of Rights. On this day in 1789, Congress passed the first twelve amendments to the Constitution of the United States authored primarily by James Madison, protecting specific rights and personal freedoms.
While Madison proposed unsuccessfully that the amendments would be incorporated into the main body of the Constitution, the Anti-Federalists were pleased by the corrective provisions to their objections to the Constitution altogether. Nevertheless, Articles 3-12 were later ratified as supplemental additions via Amendments 1-10. Article 2, relating to Congressional compensation, was later ratified as the 27th Amendment in 1992 – the last Amendment to date. Article 1, relating to the numbers to be represented by each Representative, is still pending before the states.
235 years later, it remains amazing how dearly we hold to these 10 original Amendments in our every day lives, and also how contested they remain after centuries of judicial determinations.
