Al Fritsch

The Latchstring Is Out Al Fritsch

Kentucky pioneers would appreciate the title, "The Latchstring is Out." This expression refers to a leather string hanging out a log cabin doorhole, which welcomes strangers by allowing them to enter. When pulled in, the internal latch is locked and the door is closed to outsiders. How does one make the lessons of life a tool for helping others? This autobiography is not a boring day by day or a month by month accounting. Rather, it is a selected theme appropriate to the particular year of life, and related experiences from my (hopefully) accumulated wisdom to embellish that selected topic. The seasons of my life are arranged in early years, formal higher education and beginnings of work, major portion of public interest work, and reflections on these experiences in preparation for closure. Each of the 88 essays (until 2020) correspond to a year of my life; the title involves an issue highly associated with that particular year, which sets a particular tone, and attempts to show my growth in environmental consciousness.