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The Power of a Picture
Connor Murphy (of Houston, Texas) didn't know he was going to provide the missing link between a father and son when he organized over 30 volunteers to photograph the Calvary Hills Cemetery for his Eagle Scout project. His main goal was to "get all the information from the cemetery out," Connor told me, "so that if anybody needed it, it could be accessed."
Little did he know that someone DID need it. That someone was Joshua McNaughton.
Josh never knew his father; in fact, he was told that his father was murdered. And that's about all he knew until a few weeks ago.
Actually, he's only been able to piece together just a few bits of information throughout the years. No one on Josh's mother's side of the family would ever talk about his father, and he never knew any of his father's family because of it.
Josh was born in Michigan, so he knew his parents were together there for at least some amount of time. His mother did say that his father was a "migrant worker" and that meant his father and family moved around a lot. He was told his father worked on farms and other places in Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, and even helped moved the Texas pipeline at one point.
When he was only 8 years old, his mom told Josh that his dad had been murdered. What the circumstances were of that murder, his mother wouldn't say.
"I don't even know if that was true," Josh admitted, "because of the fact that she always tries to hide information from me about my father's family and about him. She didn't like telling me that."
Josh wasn't sure what to think until a few years later (at age 16) when he was spending time with his grandmother. She was drunk and accidentally let it slip that his father had, in fact, passed away. This wasn't the first time Josh heard this, but somehow this time, was different. He was older this time and was able to fully grasp what that meant: he would never know his father.
Shortly after that, Josh moved out and has lived on his own all around the United States (and even in Mexico for a little while) until two months ago when he got married and moved to South Dakota. He has two stepsons with his first child—a baby girl—on the way.
The past few years and especially since he's married now, he has felt the desire to get more information about his dad, but he's never been able to find a single record of him.
In fact, he was about ready to just give up. But then one day, "for some reason I told myself to try looking again," Josh said. So he Googled his father's name and one image taken during Connor's Eagle project popped up. The name and dates matched what Josh was looking for. He had found his father!
"It meant the world to me when I saw the headstone and realized that it was my dad," Josh said. "I'm not one to cry, [but] my eyes watered up knowing it was something that I thought I'd never find. It just touched my heart and I would like to thank [Connor], who made it possible."
When Connor found out what his Eagle project had done for Josh, he said, "Wow, maybe I was meant to do that cemetery." His original plan was to photograph a cemetery that was closer to where he lived, but it fell through so he chose Calvary Hills.
Perhaps it was meant to be.
Now, thanks to Connor, Josh has a starting point in finding his lost father's family. He plans to take a trip to Texas as soon as he can. He wants to find out anything he can about his father's life and see if he can find any living relatives.
"I want them to know they have family too!" Josh says. "Whether it's a great-niece, or a grandkid, they have them. We're out here!"
Josh will continue his search for his paternal family, but would love any help he can get. When Josh contacted the funeral director in Texas, she was unable to give Josh any help because it's been so long since his father's death. So if you are related or know of anyone who could be related to Bret Alan VanDreumel, please comment below or contact Josh at mcnaughton36@hotmail.com.
You just never know how powerful a picture can be or what it might mean for someone. For Josh, it means that he can start getting to know the father he never had.
UPDATE: To find out if Josh found his family, read the rest of the story and full follow-up story HERE:
Tags	#Calvary Hills	#cemetery	#Eagle Scout Project	#purpose	#records	#service	#stories	#Texas	#Van Dreumel	#Why we do it
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An accumulation of issues in Europe is set to keep the continent at a standstill in 2016, Karl-Ludwig Kley, Charmain and CEO of German science and technology company Merck, told CNBC in Davos on Thursday.
"There are too many problems accumulating in Europe at the moment," Kley said.
"They are covered by low interest rates, by the large available money which the ECB floats into the market, the low oil price (which) is good for the economies," he added.
"There are many positive signs, which prevent politicians from doing structural measures which are needed."
Kley also highlighted the refugee crisis that is currently gripping the continent, commenting that it "overshadows" everything else.
"I'm a bit skeptical whether politics will get its act together in 2016, and set the right incentives for (the) economy," he added.
While Europe was facing a tough year ahead, Kley struck a positive tone regarding his own sector.
"I think the sun is shining over the health care and life science sector and also over our materials business, because it's highly high tech and specialized," he said.
"So, in general terms, I believe that those industries focusing on high tech and specialties will do well in 2016 despite all the turmoils we see in the financial markets and… politics."
Kley stated that the U.S. remained the key market for all pharmaceutical industries.
The world's oldest chemical and pharmaceutical company, Merck was founded in 1668. In 2014, the company – which employs around 50,000 people – reported sales of €11.3 billion.


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https://apnews.com/9f05cb9b1fb5a07d105b84b541613f2f
Bills have work to do in offseason after playoff collapse
By JOHN WAWROWJanuary 7, 2020 GMT
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott takes questions during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers lost 17-10. (AP Photo/Don Wright)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The lingering disappointment following an AFC wild-card playoff collapse at Houston won't deter Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott from having confidence in his team's young foundation.
That doesn't mean the Bills don't have work to do.
Stressing a desire to keep the developing core of the team intact, and placing faith in the overall growth displayed by second-year quarterback Josh Allen, McDermott said this is no time to rest on the modest accomplishments of Buffalo's first 10-win season in 20 years and its second playoff appearance in three seasons.
"Now it's about where we go from here, and I'm excited about what's ahead of us," McDermott said during an end-of-season news conference Tuesday, three days after Buffalo squandered a 16-0 second-half lead in a 22-19 overtime loss to the Texans.
"As much as we can carry over the foundation that we've built is important to our future success, there's also an understanding of every year being a new year," he added. "So that's where the urgency has to come in. We can't sit back ... and say, 'Hey, this is where we are. We're good.'"
There's not much good the Bills can feel about themselves following a loss in which their defense allowed the Texans to score 22 points on four of their final six drives, and Buffalo failed to score 20 points for the 10th time this season.
General manager Brandon Beane isn't planning to stand pat. Following McDermott to the podium, Beane said he's committed to adding talent by spending a portion of the nearly $90 million in salary-cap space Buffalo is projected to have available once the free-agency period opens in mid-March.
Though Beane doesn't expect the Bills to be as busy as they were last offseason, when they signed 20 free agents, he does intend to address various needs that became apparent throughout this year.
The Bills had difficulty generating turnovers and their defensive front was suspect at times despite allowing the third fewest yards in the NFL this season. Buffalo's offense still lacks a deep receiving threat and could use a running back to complement Devin Singletary after finishing 24th in the NFL in yards gained.
"You lose the first round of the playoffs, that doesn't say to me that the Bills are one player away from being exactly where they need to be," Beane said.
The Bills are more advanced from the team that stumbled through a 17-year playoff drought before McDermott and Beane arrived in 2017.
And yet, this is still a team that has lost six consecutive playoff games, dating to December 1995; hasn't had a coach last four full years since Hall of Famer Marv Levy retired following the 1997 season; and has lacked a franchise quarterback since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired after '96.
It's no surprise, then, that much of the end-of-season session focused on Allen, whose season-long inconsistencies were on display in his playoff debut.
Allen followed a strong first half against the Texans by melting down over the final two quarters and overtime with a series of miscues. He lost one fumble and nearly another with an ill-timed lateral. He appeared to panic in being called for an intentional grounding penalty while trying to avoid a sack in the final two minutes on third-and-13 from Houston's 28. On the following play, he was sacked for a 19-yard loss.
McDermortt and Beane defended Allen by saying he has the character and resolve to learn from his mistakes.
"I think it all comes back to, for Josh, trying to do too much. That's been something we've talked about, something he has to continue to handle as he moves forward and as he continues to grow," McDermott said.
"And I'm confident he'll do that," he added. "I think that's the next step for Josh, is that awareness, that maturity, however you want to phrase it. It's the understanding that I don't have to do it all myself."
Beane said he'd rather see Allen make mistakes when trying to force plays than be timid.
"I don't think there's a hump Josh can't get over," Beane said. "I have no doubt he'll learn from it. I'm as convinced today as ever that Josh can be a better version of himself next year."
NOTES: The Bills signed P/PK Kaare Vedvik to a reserve/future contract. From Norway, Vedvik is on his fourth team after Baltimore traded him to Minnesota in August. He was then cut by the Vikings and signed by the New York Jets. Vedvik was then cut by the Jets after missing a field-goal attempt and a point-after in a season-opening 17-16 loss to Buffalo. ... McDermott doesn't anticipate making changes to his staff. ... DE Jerry Hughes announced on social media that he played with torn ligaments in his wrist. The injury was never noted on the Bills' injury report this season. "He was on the injury report, but not in relation to the wrist," McDermott said, noting several occasions in which Hughes was listed as having a rest day and another time for a groin injury.

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