It’s graduation season for the Class of 2024. In our extended family, that means congratulating students of all ages for completing college, high school, elementary school and even kindergarten.
But with so many relatives living so far away, it’s impossible to see the smiles of these young graduates in person.
So that’s why it felt like a real treat yesterday to be invited to a backyard celebration for Gabrielle Akimoff, the daughter of a longtime friend.
I’ve known her dad, Tim, for about 20 years since he was a journalism student at the University of Oregon and I was the newsroom recruiter at The Oregonian. He came to work in our newsroom as an intern and since then has become an award-winning social media practitioner as a public affairs specialist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
He was a founding member of the Voices of August group that wrote personal essays, often moving and surprising, for 13 years for my Rough and Rede blog. And that is how I came to meet Gabrielle.
She was just 9 years old when she, too, wrote an essay for VOA in 2015, becoming our youngest-ever contributor.
“I was born in Salem, Oregon in 2006,” it began. “I don’t remember much about that time, because I was 18 months old when we moved to Montana because of my dad’s work. He’s a journalist.”
The piece was titled “Hiking across America,” and you can read it right here: https://georgerede.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/hiking-around-america/
Suffice to say Gabrielle has grown into a young lady in the nine years since. She graduated from Sprague High School in Salem and plans to attend Chemeketa Community College in the fall as a general studies major. Smart move to go in all options on the table.
I not only got to chat with Gabbers, as she’s known to her family, but I also got to meet Tim’s parents, Al and Carol, and his mother-in-law Nancy — plus exchange hugs with proud mama Cheryl. Such a wonderful group of people.
The quiet neighborhood where the Akimoffs live at the far end of south Salem didn’t exist when Lori and I lived in Oregon’s capital city from the late ’70s to the mid-80s. The home was easy to spot, though, with a Ukrainian flag waving in the mid-afternoon, a nod to the family’s heritage on Grandpa Al’s side.
These are exciting and challenging times for the Class of 2024. I wish Gabrielle and her peers the best as they explore life.
Rough and Rede II 
George,
I’m so happy you could join us for Gabber’s celebration yesterday. When I saw you at the door, I was two things simultaneously, slightly surprised and reassured. I say reassured, because it struck me in the moment of surprise that of course George is here. This is the kind of guy he is. Gabbers and I are both just tickled that you came all the way down for a visit.
Tim
I offer this from experience – long term friendships that evolve into near-family relationships are the best kind of connections to have. As Tim said in his comment, “Of course George is here”. The naturalness of this observation says it all. Happy you could make it!
Thanks, AlRod. Tim and Cheryl are great people.