I returned to Tallahassee in the last week of March to help celebrate the 100^th birthday of Charlie Nam. Charlie was the director of the demography program at FSU when I arrived there to work on my Ph.D. in 1974. He was on my dissertation committee and was mentor to me and almost all of my fellow graduate students. Charlie was a veteran of WWII, Battle of the Bulge, and after completing his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina became the Branch Chief for the Population Division at the U.S. Census Bureau. He was hired by FSU to create and lead the Population Studies program.

I had not been in Tallahassee for 7 years, prior to COVID, and found the changes most interesting. Areas that had been vacant lots are now part of an extended campus. Old places have been refurbished. All together, Tallahassee and FSU make up a much more aesthetically pleasing community than was there when I arrived in 1974. I spent a good deal of time walking about and trying to get a “feel” for several neighborhoods. I think that being a student on that campus right now would be a great experience. FSU was ranked Number 11 among all public universities in the U.S. in Niche 2025.

I continue my project that involves photographing murals that appear on the outside walls of buildings. So far, I have several hundred photos including exciting images from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, New York City, including Brooklyn, and many other cities in the U.S. The first photo below is of the west facing wall of one of the buildings that comprise the Tallahassee train station. The other photo is of a structure just down the street from the first.

The celebration of Charlie’s century, which included dinner for a small group of people on Tuesday night and a larger get together, about 125 folks, on Wednesday afternoon was fun as well as a testament to his wide-ranging impact on those around him. Think about it. Just about every contemporary he had, including his wife, passed away years ago. Most of the 125 in attendance have met him in the last 25 years. Wow! They showed up. Of course, I gave Charlie a copy of my book, Repurposed, and took the opportunity to have photographed Charlie and me as well as my friends Bob and Dawn holding the book.