Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa/Great-Grandpa Max!

Max Earl Follmer, born in Berwick Pennsylvania in 1923, was the first of two boys. He was an excellent student who also played oboe in the high school band, and a tenor sax in a dance band. His High School band was invted to play at the New York Word's Fair in 1939. He graduated from Gettysburg College and Dickinson School of Law.

Max served as a cryptographer in the US Army Signal Corps in WWII. He was stationed in England and France. He married Elaine Kreischer in 1950. They had three children: Jack, Jill, and Jan.
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Happy birthday, Dad! (Born on December 5, 1923, this VIP in our family just turned 84!) As you celebrate your birthday, we want you to know how much we love you! Thank you for always caring so deeply for each one of us, and now extending that love to a third generation! Your service to mom, and to all of us, is an example of true Christ-like living. You are our example and leader, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being YOU. There's no one else like you! Love, Jill

Addendum: The following is a tribute speech given by me at my dad's retirement cermony in 1985. He had served the government over 30 years, as an attorney with the Army Corps of Engineers. He eventually accepted a position in the office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington, DC, finally becoming Chief of Land Acquisistion. In this job, Max supervised all land acquisition for the Army, the Air Force, NASA, and many other government agencies.

"For over 30 years, the U.S. Government has known Max Follmer as a trusted employee and a capable leader. For thirty years, I have known him in a different role: the role of father. I venture to say, that as his daughter, I have seen my father in many ways that you have not.

"From the time I was a tiny girl, I viewed my dad as a guy who could fix anything. It didn't matter if it was a broken doll, a broken dishwasher, or a hopeless science fair project. Dad could handle it. (As Jan already stated, many a grade has been salvaged by Dad burning the midnight oil to help complete the seemingly impossible.) When I was five I wrote this little poem:

'My daddy is very good,

He always does what he should,

And even if he doesn't know how,

He does it as if he could.'

"I've seen him reupholster furniture, finish a basement, design cabinets, repair the car. Ah, yes the family car. As I contemplate the countless Saturdays he's spent, tools in hand, bent over the engine, covered with grease from head to toe, I wonder, ' Is it because it saved money? Or simply because it gave him so much pleasure to see a task completed?' Mom would probably say it was to get out of the yard work, which he never enjoyed. My favorite repairs are of the ingenious makeshift variety. the kind that make good use of the materials at hand. I've seen him repair a movie projector with an aluminum pie plate. In such instances my Dad displays his work proudly announcing his solution as 'crude but effective.' That's got to be one of my favorite typically Dad expressions.

"Those of you who view my father as a quiet man have never had the pleasure of watching him view a Redskins game. Nor have you heard him sing bass in a barbersop quartet, a church choir, or as a soloist. As one little boy once said, ' I didn't know that little man had such a big voice.' Dad's musical talents don't end with voice. As a former dance band player, he plays the oboe, the saxophone, and also the piano. My own interest in music, and the importance it has in my life and in the lives of my children, can be directly attributed to my father's example. When my children learn a piece on the piano, they can hardly wait to go play it for Grandpa.

"I have many mental images of growing up with my dad. Dad the camper, pitching a tent in the rain. (It always rained.) Dad, patiently bathing and trimming the unruly family pets, two small poodles. (Especially the time he accidentally nicked Timmy and thought he could repair him with a needle and white thread. It was all we could do to convince him that although he could fix anything, he should not play surgeon with the family dog.) One of my favorite images is Dad eating breadfast. No matter what you have for breakfast, two things are essential: a glass of orange juice and the funny pages. Dad and I have had many lively discussions about the fates of Rex Morgan, Judge Parker, and those beautiful girls in Apartment 3-G.

"As an elder in our church, I have seen my dad preach from the pulpit, administer church ordinances, visit the sick, and spend many quiet hours in the service of others. As the spiritual leader of our home, I have watched him daily call his family together for family prayer. His consistency and faith have been the great stabilizing factors in our lives.

"As grandchildren have arrived, I've watched a proud grandpa comfort even the fussiest baby with his seemingly magical touch. His children and grandchildren recognize him as the beloved Patriarch of the family. We honor and respect him this day, as we always have, and always will.

"Tenderness, patience, the ability to appreciate beauty and recognize truth. Temperance and loyalty. These are the real measurements of any man's strength." (Jill Farrell, 1985)