Discussion with Guest Speaker John Tallmadge

Kimberly Ziccardi
Spring Grove Coloqium
Hunley, Marcha
27 August 2009

Guest Speaker Response

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion with John Tallmadge. Although I had to leave a little early due to a family emergency, the time I spent in the conversation was a pleasant one. I found him to be very down to earth and gave many great ideas and questions to further elaborate on the topic at hand. Even though I have not had the chance to read anything he has written, I also felt he was very intellectual and sensible. I especially liked how I never thought he spoke above me and was always interested and at the conversation at hand. I enjoyed the further discussion on cemeteries being for the living and a place where people can come and reflect on anything and everything. He was very well spoken and nice when trying to evoke thought with questions for us to answer regarding the current topic.

I also enjoyed the discussion about how cemeteries are at their core a business entity and this needs to not be forgotten. Everyone wants to make a profit and will try by means of manipulation. For example, getting people to purchase expensive lots or tombstones. I also found him very relatable especially when I spoke about my views on this. I appreciated when he coincided with my point of view regarding the overly expensive monuments being somewhat of a waste of money. My mind just wonders to the many more productive and beneficial things that money could have been allocated and invested into. Although I feel that people should have something to be remembered by, I believe that giving money to a charity in honor of their name is more impressive than a big stone statue. The lives this money would impact would have a lot more of a lasting impression. The name in which the money was given honoring would also be remembered and spoken about a great deal more than having it sculpted out of marble and sitting in a cemetery.

I particularly liked how everyone spoke and was engrossed in the conversation. Going around the table and each person bringing new ideas to the table to talk about lead into a very open and interesting discussion. Relating topics back to the novel we were required to read also helped the conversation be more enjoyable. I personally liked how the novel didn’t really mention much about religion and let the reader to come up with their own thoughts of what would happen next. Overall it was a great discussion and a great time.