As a final chapter to my recent trip to Spain, I just want to tell you about the Tomb of Christopher Columbus.  How fitting it was to have been able to visit it.  You know for over 20 years I have  been actively involved in the Christopher Columbus story.  Many of you will remember that I served on The National Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation after having been appointed chairman by President William Clinton.  I was also was appointed to the West Virginia Christopher Columbus Quincentennary Commission by Governor Caperton and served as Co Chair of that group.  I have discovered that there are many stories about Columbus and some I believe and some I do not. 

 

While in Seville we visited the Seville Cathedral and there in the Main Entrance as you enter the Chapel is the Tomb of Columbus.  We were told by our guide that his remains came to Spain from South America and that they have verified this to be his final resting place by DNA testing.  The remains of his son, Hernando Columbus, are entombed there and a test was done to verify that indeed the remains they received were those of Christopher Columbus. The tomb is bronze and is is on the shoulders of four men.  The Cathedral was built in 1181 and is the most extensive gothic cathedral all over the world. I felt most privileged to have been able to add this visit to my Columbus repertoire.

 

I am looking forward to attending the Spring Gala of the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival this coming Saturday.  I am so proud of the fact that my granddaughter Holli will be serving on the Court. This makes my efforts come full circle.  I hope that all of you will be attending and I look forward to being able to see you there. Holli is the daughter of my son Marty Queen and Linda Oliveto Queen.  Holli will be graduating from Bridgeport High School this spring.  She attends Fairmont State University and is employed by Dr. Brad Franz and as a waitress at the FOP Restaurant.    We are very proud of her.

 

I want to take a moment here to say thank you to all of you who sent words of encouragement and prayers to the Queen family this past week.  You will never know how much it meant to all of us. When a family faces difficult times it is always good to know that there are friends who stand beside you. Many years ago I was sent a plaque that said "Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do."  So once again we stuck together, picked ourselves up and are moving forward.  With the help of God we will get through this. Thanks again.

 

I hope you all had a blessed Easter and that you were able to be with your family and friends.  My table was blessed with that wonderful Easter Bread from the Greenbrier that my friend, Tini, taught her daughters to make.  I was able to enjoy lunch with my granddaughter, Miranda who was in from college and who brought with her her roommate from New Mexico. I had a great visit with Bev Miller from Shinnston.  As we get older, it is so nice to spend time with our grandchildren and their friends.

 

These are things that I love doing but never seem to get around to often enough.

 

Thank you to all of those friends and supporters who were able to attend my son Michael's campaign reception this past week.  I met so many people that I did not know. It is always nice to meet new friends from Lewis, Gilmer, Braxton and Clay counties.  There are still a lot of people out there for me to get to know.

 

Happy Birthday to all of you April birthday babies and espeically to my good friends, Veronica Oliverio Moorman and Phylis Fernandez Ricilli.  My wish for these special friends is for many more years in good health.

 

Keep in touch with me and until next week "Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine."