Still Perpetuating the Name

When the genius and I married, I knew that the family name ended with him if we didn’t have a boy. And the same was true for Jim IV; he was the last male to carry on the surname. So when Jim and Laurie were married, of course we hoped that at some point a boy would arrive.

When they told us they were expecting, we were very excited. And we were sure that with all the modern medical innovations, they would find out the sex of the baby as soon as they could. But noooo, they were of the opinion that it was best to wait until the birth to learn. So we patiently (?) waited for several more months.

When the baby did arrive, we were thrilled to learn the last name would be carried on, but were really surprised that they had decided to name him James Rufus . . . V. So now we have four Rufuses in the family today, counting the dog, and two others who have passed on.

It’s amazing that we would be so excited about handing a name life “Rufus” on down through the generations, but the dynastic experience is still very much alive in the South, at least in our family.