All Bones Considered At Laurel Hill Cemetery
It has been said that truth is stranger than fiction. No one has proven that more than Dr. Joe Lex. In his monthly podcast installments of All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories, he painstakingly researches each Permanent Resident of this historic burial ground. From Baseball players who suffered from Tourette Syndrome to final moments on RMS Titanic, no stone is left unturned. Just as Harry Kalas was the voice of The Phillies, Dr. Joe Lex is the voice of Laurel Hill Cemetery. He presents his biographies through sets of very entertaining stories. If you ever have the chance to head down to Laurel Hill Cemetery, be sure to listen to All Bones Considered first. It will only enhance your appreciation of not only the grounds, but those who rest in eternal peace. I’ll prove it.
So Savanna and I have been doing weekly trips to Laurel Hill Cemetery working on a research project. If you have never been there, this is not just any old cemetery. It's historical with people buried there from all kinds of walks of life. Its more than that though. When it was designed, it was purposely designed to be a welcoming park that people would want to spend time in and do we ever. We can be there for hours driving around or strolling through the rolling hills finding someone who led a very interesting life. It is a sculpture garden, filled with monuments like you've never seen.
In preparation for our trips, I have been listing to this podcast called All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories. Retired Professor of Emergency Medicine and Volunteer Tour Guide, Dr. Joe Lex has put out a monthly podcast since March 2020. Each episode tells you about the people that are buried there. I have come to love it and listen to it for 10 hours each day, taking notes of the names of people Savanna and I may be interested in.
This has become our favorite Summer activity to do. The love of this place runs in the family too. My uncle, Rich Wilhelm is a volunteer tour guide there as well and works with Dr. Lex. We treat it like a scavenger hunt complete with my camera equipment, running around finding the names and photographing their headstones.
This week, we had just come from the grave of Thomas Jefferson's personal physician after hearing about his life from Dr. Lex's show. We stopped to talk to another father and daughter who were there exploring as well. I was giving them advice on hearing Dr. Lex's show, taking the names, how to find them on the app etc.
As we are talking another group of people came over to listen to what I was saying. When the man spoke I thought he sounded familiar but didn't say anything in case I was wrong. He then introduced himself. “I'm Joe Lex” I just about fell over. I never thought I would run into him by chance. I must admit that when I meet someone that I admire greatly, I tend to fan-out. This was no exception. He was so happy to hear how much of an influence his show has become in our interest of Laurel Hill. He was kind enough to indulge us with tales of the people there as well as guide us over to someone the that the other father-daughter team asked about. Dr. Lex stayed with us for about an hour just exchanging research stories with Savanna and I. It turns out that Savanna has researched someone Dr. Lex has not gotten to yet and he was so interested to hear what she found.
Everyone down at Laurel Hill have been so helpful with our research. I just had to take a moment to thank them all. Special thanks to Kat Bleiweiss. She works in the office and always takes time to show Savanna and I something new.
I do not usually tell my audience to check something out, but in this case, Laurel Hill Cemetery is something you have to experience for yourself. Start with the podcast, take some names with you and find them. When you go, tell them I sent you!
Until next time,
Thanks for reading and Enjoy Yourself!
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