Friday, April 12, 2013

K IS FOR KATHY(S)


by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

A few years ago, my doctor sent me to get x-rays. There were only two other women in the radiology waiting room. After I filled out my paperwork, I was told someone would call for me shortly. When a tech stepped out and called “Kathy,” all three of us in the waiting room stood. She had to use my last name (which few people know how to pronounce) to narrow it down.

“It must be Kathy Day here,” I told the tech.

She laughed. “I’m Kathy, too,” she said.

It was not an uncommon occurrence for me. Most of my high school classes had a half dozen Kathys. In Latin class, we were seated alphabetically by last name, which put Kathy Cannon, Kathy Carr, and Kathy Clark in a row. We three had an agreement. If the teacher looked our way and called on “Kathy,” anyone who knew the correct answer would shout it out, sparing those who might not have studied as hard.

When I went to Chautauqua in 2011, Kathy Erskine, Kathi Appelt, and Kathleen Hayes were on the faculty. In line for supper the second day, I stood behind an attendee named Kathy and in front of another one. We laughed about the coincidence.
The sisterhood of a name.
As I mingled with other participants, I found even more of us. Of 80-something female attendees and those faculty members mentioned, a full dozen were named Kathy, Katherine, or Kathleen. There were different spellings, but we felt a sisterhood.
Kathy, etc.
For a time when I was a kid, I yearned for a less common name. Then I learned I was named for my dad’s little sister, who died at Age 2. That made the name feel like an honor, and I embraced it.

And did you hear the name of this year’s Newbery winner? Katherine Applegate. Another Kathy.

12 comments:

  1. There were six people on my freshman dorm floor named Karen. Another hugely popular name! Even my best friend is Karen. It was confusing when we roomed together and got phone calls!

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    1. Isn't it funny how names work out like that? But they have their time frames. I doubt you'd find any Karens or Kathys among newborns today. Thanks for your comment.

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  2. Of all the Kathys I know, you're one of my faves.

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    1. Thank you for that, Ann. You made my day! You're one of my favorite & most loyal commenter.

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  3. How lovely to see your name as an honour in the way, I enjoyed reading this

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    1. Thanks. And thanks for letting us know you enjoyed it.

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  4. That is too funny! And now that I think about it, I have known a lot of Kathy's over the years. It's a good name :D

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    1. Thanks. And yes, we are many. I hope we all do justice to the name.

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  5. What a great feeling it must be to be named for someone.

    Before I was married, my doctor's office used to always pull the wrong chart when I went for an appointment. The first time I went in after I changed my name - they pulled the wrong chart for my new name.

    Scary. (I see a different doctor now, by the way!)

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    1. Wow! That would be scary. Hope there are no problems with the new one. Thanks for your comment.

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  6. Kathy, my absolute favorite part of this post is how you describe the little agreement you had with your Kathy-classmates. That is adorable! Did that really happen? What a great idea for a "K" post. This was one of the most enjoyable reads of my entire "K" day!

    See you tomorrow!

    Dana at Waiter, drink please!

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    1. Thanks, Dana. Always good to hear from you. And yes, Latin class usually found Kathy Carr answering any question lobbed into the C row because she was really good at Latin. If Kathy Clark or I knew the answer, we'd jump on it fast to let her know we could handle at least that one.

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