109. Bush Grebo Photo

1972 Bush Grebo Naming Ceremony
(near Joproken, Liberia). (photographer unknown)

February, 2010.

The photograph above is, I believe, the only surviving photo documenting Starship's (Thomas F. Wold's) "Earthprobe" a quarter of a century ago.

It was discovered by brother Joe in his collection of family photos which survived his flooded house in Michigan in 2009.

The same photo was published as a pen and ink drawing in the original paper publication of "Earthprobe" in 1976 and was included in this Internet blog on page 108.

In the foreground, the native mother holds baby "Tom". I stand behind the mother and baby. The other white man is missionary brother Joe (Joseph Conrad Wold).

I was known by the nickname of "Starship" by friends in those days.

The little boy on the far right holds up a pet turtle to be included in the photo.

About the baby boy named after me, Brother Joe said in a recent letter: "Who knows if he lived through the war. (The Civil war in Liberia which cause so many deaths.) If he did he would be about 39 years old. Probably a grandfather. Waiting for his grandson to be born , hoping a mysterious stranger with a beard walks into town on the day he is born so he can have good luck like his grandfather did--Hey, surviving the war is the best of luck!

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