Vince Gaudio

@TuckerCarlson I’m very sorry to hear about the passing of your father. Though we all know that final day will come, it doesn’t make it any easier. He may be gone, but he is not forgotten. He lives on in you! God bless to all of you.

Obituary for my father. Richard Warner Carlson died at 84 on March 24, 2025 at home in Boca Grande, Florida after six weeks of illness. He refused all painkillers to the end and left this world with dignity and clarity, holding the hands of his children with his dogs at his feet. He was born February 10, 1941 at Massachusetts General Hospital to a 15-year-old Swedish-speaking girl and placed in the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston, where he developed rickets from malnutrition. His legs were bent for the rest of his life. After years in foster homes, he was placed with the Carlson family in Norwood, Mass. His adoptive father, a tannery manager, died when he was 12 and he stopped attending school regularly. At 17, he was jailed for car theft, thrown out of high school for the second time, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 1962, in search of adventure, he drove to California. He spent a year as a merchant seaman on the SS Washington Bear, transporting cargo to ports in the Orient, and then became a reporter. Over the next decade, he was a copy boy at the LA Times, a wire service reporter for UPI and an investigative reporter and anchor for ABC News, covering the upheaval of the period. He knew virtually every compelling figure of the time, including Jim Jones, Patty Hearst, Eric Hoffer, Jerry Garcia, as well as Mafia leaders and members of the Manson Family. In 1965, he was badly injured reporting from the Watts riots in Los Angeles. By 1975, he was married with two small boys, when his wife departed for Europe and didn’t return. He threw himself into raising his boys, whom he often brought with him on reporting trips. At home, he educated them during three-hour dinners on topics that ranged from the French Revolution to Bolshevik Russia, PG Wodehouse, the history of the American Indian and, always, the eternal and unchanging nature of people. He was a free thinker and a compulsive book reader, including at red lights. He left a library of thousands of books, most dog-eared and filled with marginalia. His reading and life experiences convinced him that God is real. He had an outlaw spirit tempered by decency. In 1979, he married the love of his life, Patricia Swanson. They were together for 44 years, all of them happy. She died sixteen months before he did and he mourned her every day. In 1985, he moved to Washington to work for the Reagan Administration. He spent five years as the director of the Voice of America, and then moved to the Seychelles as the US ambassador. In 1992, he became the CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and later ran a division of King World television. The last 25 years of his life were spent in work whose details were never completely clear to his family, but that was clearly interesting. He worked in dozens of countries and breakaway republics around the world, and was involved in countless intrigues. He knew a number of colorful national leaders, including Rafic Hariri of Lebanon, Aslan Abashidze of Adjara, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, and whomever runs Somaliland. He was a fundamentally nonjudgmental person who was impossible to shock, and he described them all with amused affection. He spoke to his sons every day and had lunch with them once a week for thirty years at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, always prefaced by a dice game. Throughout his life he fervently loved dogs. Richard W. Carlson is survived by his sons, Tucker and Buckley, his beloved daughter-in-law Susie, and five grandchildren. He was the toughest human being anyone in his family ever knew, and also the kindest and most loyal. RIP.

Field Day at Tioga School today- it was GREAT to see all the smiling faces. The Ss had a superb time. Thanks to all who made it possible- especially Mr. Fisher & Mr. Brauer!!! @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

Maybe it was the unseasonably warm February evening, but the turnout for Tioga’s Family Fun Night was wonderful. Ss & family members played Bozo Buckets, BINGO, and other games. A great time was had by all!! @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

The end result of our Shrinky Dink project. Some Ss made plant & animal cells, some made organisms to use for their food chains / food webs. It was a fun, educational experience for the Ss. @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

Phase 1 of the plant/animal cell project for Tioga Ss in Ms. Morley’s 5th grade class. After Ss trace, draw, color & label their cell on a Shrinky Dink, I will shrink down each cell sheet to approx 3” x 4”. More to follow . . . @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

What a fantastic turnout for Tioga McTeacher night!! It was great seeing all the Tioga Ss. Gracias to all families who participated (PTA & staff members too!) @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

For many of the Ss in Ms Nadolski’s 5th grade, this was their first experience using a microscope. They were examining plant cells. I overheard one student say, “I want to be a scientist.” @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

Great people, great food, great music, and great fun at the Fenton High School Kermés!! The festival was held at White Pines Golf Club. Fue una celebración del mes de la Herencia Hispana @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

What a great day for a quinceañera! One of my “ex-students” from #WAJ. ¡Felicidades Esme! (Quite a diverse group of attendees!) @BensenvilleD2 @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu @WAJohnsonSchool

@nmrobinson_ @LaMaestraFausto @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu Hi to you!!!

A BLAST from the past!! It was soooo good to see @LaMaestraFausto today. We dropped by Sunny Hill unannounced. I think she was shocked to see one of her ex-2nd grade students- who just graduated HS. Te extrañamos Ms Fausto @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

What a great day for a graduation! As these Fenton HS seniors complete one chapter of their lives, a new one begins. I had many of them as Ss in 3rd grade. They were the last class to attend the “old” Tioga before it was demolished @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

A FANTASTIC evening of music at the Blackhawk Middle School band concert last night; 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands, as well as the Jazz Band, were on the playbill. They all sounded GREAT! Thank you Mr. Winters & Ms. Morong!! @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

@KMcCluskey4 @BensenvilleD2 ¡Y los tacos estaban deliciosos!

Great afternoon at the Fenton Kermes event! Love the collaboration among D2, Fenton, the village and the park district on behalf of our community! Such a great place to be! 💙⁦@BensenvilleD2⁩

Whooo knows what owls eat?? 2nd grade bilingual Ss in Ms. Palacios’ class investigate owl pellets in an attempt to identify the bones of prey. “Ratoncitos” were the clear meal of choice for these “búhos” @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

@KMcCluskey4 @BensenvilleD2 Now that’s a good-looking team!!

What do you do when you’re so busy on Rock Your socks day that you can’t get a picture? You recreate it on Friday with the best team ever! This tradition is one that will stick! Enjoy Spring Break Everyone!! 💙⁦@BensenvilleD2⁩

The butterflies were aplenty as Tioga 3rd Ss participated in their 1st Math Flash Card Challenge. Long hours of practicing multiplication cards paid off as students went head to head. They were nervous- but loved the competition!! @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

How does salt affect the freezing pt of water? 2nd bilingual Ss, using the “método científico”, found out when they put 6 bottles of water, with varying degrees of salt, in the freezer. Only the “agua dulce” froze completely @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

What better way to enjoy a 55° March 1st than a field trip!! As part of their Communities Unit, 1st Ss from Tioga visit the police & fire dept, park district, as well as a local farm which dates back almost 200 years. They loved it!! @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu

What a GREAT time with families at Tioga Family Fun Night. BINGO was just one of the events families were able to participate in. Thanks to all who helped make it an enjoyable evening! @BensenvilleD2 @MrKerstenTIOGA @AmberSoikeEdu