This is where we live, on the world wide web. You'll find periodic updates and family news here.
This is me, hoping to do better than that going forward.
Cody is visiting us in Naples, FL before he heads to Spain next month for a semester in Barcelona.
John Bailey visited earlier this summer but is back in Blacksburg for his senior year at Virginia Tech.
And Mabel is still with us.
More to come, now that I think I can do this via my mobile phone
On Father’s Day I usually re-post my post from nine years ago, but I saw this on Facebook via my brother Tom Needham so I figured I’d share this instead. I’ll let him tell this story.
"They Patrol Outfield" - this was in one of the Chicago newspapers during the summer of 1956. My Dad is on the right. He was a rookie Chicago police officer and the Department had a baseball team that he played on. They played two games that summer against a U.S. Navy team (one at Wrigley and the other at Comiskey) and one of the Navy pitchers was Johnny Podres. He was the star of the World Series the year before, in 1955, when the Brooklyn Dodgers won their only championship. Then he had to go into the service for a year, that's how it was back then. I don't know if Dad was able to get a hit off Podres, this old newspaper clip didn't have a box score and of course Dad didn't talk much about it.
John P. Needham
Father’s Day, June 21st, 2020
Spring, TX
Taps, performed as a Memorial Day remembrance by two local young men, former members of the Klein Oak HS band. One is Luke Tebo from the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, the other is John Bailey Needham from VA Tech's Spirit of Tech Marching Virginians.
John P. Needham
Spring, TX
May 25, 2020 730PM
This young man turned 18 today and me and his mom and his brother could not be more proud of him.
Happy 18th Birthday Cody Ambrose Needham. May all your dreams come true.
John P. Needham
May 1, 2020
Spring, TX
Every year in December, the Klein Oak HS music department plays a holiday tour of local elementary schools. Yesterday the KOHS Wind Ensemble dressed up in Christmas clothes (or in some cases, pajamas) and played at several local schools and the school district head office. Since Cody is plays percussion in Wind Ensemble, here are some pictures of him. (Photo credits to Priscilla Shontz at Scatterlight Photography.)
You’ll see Cody playing slap-sticks during Sleigh Bells in a couple of the images above. Since it isn’t really Christmas without Sleigh Bells, here is a video of that song, from another school. For this performance, Cody hid in the audience and when the time came to play, he stood up and cracked the sticks together. You can see the band director, Mr. Clearwater, turn and look around and bust out laughing, as do the school children. Later in the song, after Cody had returned to his station in the band, Mr. Clearwater again told him to go out into the audience and play his parts. The kids all loved it. It was a nice wrap-up for this Christmas concert.
Last night was Senior Recognition Night for Klein Oak Band, a night when the band program, and the school, recognize the contributions of the band seniors, who have been in the program for four years. Among the honorees was Cody, our percussionist, who started in pit as a freshman, then joined drum line as a sophomore and played bass drum for the final three years of his marching career.
Cody is going on to a Division III college with no football program, nor a marching band, so this was his final recognition for his marching career. He has one more marching contest - the BOA San Antonio super-regional this coming Saturday, and has a handful of football games left: one more regular season game, then the playoffs, so his marching career is truly winding down.
It was also the final Klein Oak senior recognition night for me and Carolyn, alas. So our time as band parents is winding down too.
Both our sons had truly wonderful experiences as members of Klein Oak Band. We are profoundly grateful that they were both able to participate in this excellent program.
And, we’ve said this before, and it is just as true now: we are very, very proud of the young man that Cody Needham has become. Some additional photos:
John P. Needham
Sunday, October 27, 2019
3PM Central Time
Spring, TX
These are pretty cool, came to me via my little sister Megan Roach who got them as part of her search on ancestry.com. Semi-related fun fact: based on Megan’s submission to that site, our family includes some 3% European Jewish ancestry.
This first document is the passenger manifest from the S.S. Leviathan on which my paternal grandfather, John Needham (after whom I was named), sailed to America. He had listed his birthplace and hometown as Doohoma in County Mayo, Ireland, which I think was transcribed as Doohorne on the manifest. S.S. Leviathan left the port of Southampton in the United Kingdom on October 12, 1926. Another fun fact: the S.S. Leviathan was originally a German ship called Vaterland that was seized by the United States in 1917 and was renamed Leviathan. John Needham is listed near the bottom of this page of the passenger manifest and listed his Calling or Occupation as “Labourer.”
The next document is John Needham’s Petition for American citizenship, dated February 8, 1934. It was witnessed by John O’Farrell and John F. Donovan in Chicago, lists John Needham’s wife as Mary (nee O’Malley) of Stirling, Scotland. Mary O’Malley was born in Scotland when her father was stationed there in the British Army, but, I am told, was sent, when she was a baby, to Doohoma to be raised by relatives.
The application for citizenship also lists three sons born to the couple, John and Mary: Michael Needham (my uncle, currently living in Truckee, CA), John Needham (my Uncle Jack, also my godfather, RIP) and Patrick Needham (my father, RIP). This family would go on to add four more children: Phelim (RIP), Jerry (RIP), Kathleen and Ellen.
Finally, here is a 1940 United States census document which lists (top of the page) John Needham as head of household, Mary as his wife, and the first five children, all sons. This document is undated, but was filled out in Chicago’s 45th ward in Cook County. What’s amazing to me here is that census documents were, at that time, all filled out and counted manually.
My sister Meggie continues her searches, and if anything interesting comes up, and she wants me to share it, I’ll post it here.
John P. Needham
Spring, TX
October 21, 2019
Just some pictures of Cody and Kayla that we took at a local arboretum.
John P. Needham
October 12, 2019
7:30AM
Spring, TX
John P. Needham
Spring, TX
October 11, 2019
Yesterday, Cody and Carolyn and I had to take Rose the Hound on her final visit to the vet. She had gotten sick, and one malady led to another, eventually leading to pancreatitis and pneumonia.
I posted on social media that ol’ Rose was a good dog, but like many hounds, she was a willful, headstrong, even a stubborn family pet. We grew used to that, over time. She was also a voracious eater, and was a solid family pet, or family member, depending on who one asks. She was a good companion, and was an enthusiastic defender of our home, which was also her home.
So, now, for the first time in more than 20 years, we have no pets in our home. That’s an unusual situation, for us. It is one I don’t think will last for terribly long.
We won’t replace Rose, to be sure. But a good dog, even one that is willful, headstrong and stubborn, can be a good thing to have around. So we’ll likely be getting one for our home, before too much time passes.
We are proud of these two fine young men.
John P. Needham
May 26, 2019
8:20AM
Spring, TX
This young man is 17 years old today. It would be hard to express how proud Carolyn and I are of him. He works four days per week at a local sandwich shop, he gets great grades in school, he is a leader in Klein Oak Marching Band, he is kind, warm, gregarious, friendly. He is an excellent cook now and is (probably) destined for culinary school, and a life serving great meals to others.
Please join me in wishing Cody Ambrose Needham a very, very Happy Birthday.
(photo credit: Priscilla Shontz at Scatterlight Photos)
He has always had a big smile.
Happy Birthday Cody.
John P. Needham
Spring, TX
May 1, 2019
6:25AM
(Photo credit: Teri Needham Petrie)
Jack Needham passed away over the weekend. He was a father and grandfather and a great-grandfather, he was a son, a brother, an uncle and great-uncle, a U.S. veteran and a Chicago Police Captain.
He was my uncle, my dad’s brother. He was also my godfather. He was a flawed man, as we all are, but he overcame demons that others could not, and he lived a long life filled with a family who loved him and that he loved; a life filled with laughter, and with light.
I’ll miss him; many, many others will miss him too. I won’t be able to travel to Chicago this week for his wake and funeral, but I’ll say a prayer for Uncle Jack, who we always called UJ, and for his kids and grandkids and great-grandkids, for all those of us who called him “uncle” and for his brothers and sisters, and for his wife, my Aunt Agnes, this week. I hope you’ll do the same.
The obituary will be posted here later today.
John P. Needham
March 25, 2019
Spring, TX
This is, really, the beginning of the end of Bailey’s high-school mariachi experience. Yesterday he played in his last state-wide competition with his KOHS mariachi ensemble mates. A year ago Bailey and his bandmates became the first-even mariachi ensemble from the Klein Independent School District to qualify for the Texas State Mariachi Festival. When Bailey and his friends started the ensemble, the did so with it being an entirely student-run organization. They did not have school sponsorship; no band or orchestra director was involved. They started by raising money on their own, to pay for uniforms, to fund mariachi band trips.
When they qualified for state, a generous orchestra director got involved, helped them get to the next level. this little ensemble has come a LONG way since those heady days where it was an entirely student-run ensemble!
Yesterday the ensemble participated in what is Bailey’s find state competition as a member of Klein Oak Mariachi. The ensemble was spectacular. This is their performance.
John P. Needham
February 23, 2019 7:20PM
Spring, TX
So this young fella….
…turns 18 years old today.
Special thanks for his girlfriend Reina for arranging this lawn sign!
And here’s to the happiest of birthdays to this fine young man, John Bailey Needham.
John Needham
Spring, TX
January 12, 2019, 11:30AM
The 2018/2019 Klein Oak High School Mariachi Band kicked off their year on Monday, December 17th. This year’s version is a little larger than the one that, last year, became the 1st ever Klein ISD high-school mariachi ensemble to qualify for the Texas State Mariachi Festival in Edinburg, TX. This year’s mariachi ensemble kicked off with a small concert in the KOHS orchestra room. Below are the songs that they played. (Regrettably I don’t have the names of the pieces but I’ll add those once I learn them. I know the last song is La Bamba, though!)
John P. Needham
December 22, 2018
Naples, FL
Last night the Klein Oak Wind Ensemble performed their annual Winter Convert, along with KOHS Jazz Band, the new KOHS Woodwinds Octet, Klein Oak’s Symphonic I band and local a middle-school’s (Krimmel) band. This is always a super-fun event and last night was no exception. Below are the videos of Wond Ensemble. I also have videos of Jazz Band and Woodwinds Octet, so if any parents want to see those, just let me know and I’ll share them with you.
Wind Ensemble started with Dream of the Silent Night:
They continued with The Sussex Mummers Christmas Carol:
The ensemble closed with their traditional winter concert close: Sleigh Ride. Look for Cody whacking wood planks on this one, it is one of the most important parts of the whole piece, to be honest!
John P. Needham
December 13, 2018
Spring, TX
