Tagee Bengston was my grandfather. He lived to be 100. I grew up listening to his accounts of childhood mischief, and stories of life on the campaign trail in the 1940s and 50s.
I had the notion to record my grandfather retelling these tales of his life, but the opportunity did not present itself. During my college years, Tagee remarried and access to him became [shall we say] difficult. I was living in a different state, and did not have many opportunities to force the issue.
Instead, I spent 4-1/2 hours on the front porch of my other grandfather’s house, getting him to tell his stories. Willmer Liddle was born in 1898. He drove a team of horses to high school, and lived well into the computer age. The amount of change he witnessed in his lifetime is astonishing. I was happy to come away with many of Willmer’s stories, and I always thought I’d get back around to Tagee. By the time I did, it was too late. Tagee was suffering from dimentia. It was a lost opportunity based on a lack of effort on my part.
So, Why the Funny Name?
This site is dedicated to the memory of Tagee Bengston, and all the questions I wish I would have asked Tagee. The moral of the story is, don’t wait until it’s too late. Get your elders talking. It might be awkward at first, but it soon turns into a day you’ll always remember. I managed it with one grandfather, but not both. Don’t wait – it’s too easy with computers and smart phones and iPads to record audio and even video. I reject all of your excuses!