If love and agreement are manifest in a single family, that family will advance, become illumined and spiritual; but if enmity and hatred exist within it destruction and dispersion are inevitable.

I was born in Washington, D.C., the son of John (called Jack) and Etta MacCord. I moved to Springfield, Virginia, in 2001. 

The MacCord side decided a couple of years ago to have regular family reunions, instead of gathering for funerals. In 1995 we had our first reunion in over 40 years in the suburbs of Washington. Over 175 family members were invited and 105 came. In June of 1997 100 came! Including two cousins I hadn't seen in over 35 years! My father was one of nine. I was raised primarily in the Prince George's County, Maryland, suburbs of Washington. In 1962, because of my mother's ill health we moved to New Mexico and I wound up graduating from high school in Albuquerque. 

In 1995 I met, on-line, through a Bahá'í singles group, a lady attending a graduate program at Cornell University. We exchanged e-mail primarily through the group. In the summer of 1995 the lady moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a Ph.D there. In January 1996 I responded to a thread on homes and homestyles by mentioning that I had lived in Hawaii. She responded to me by telling me that she had lived in Hawaii as well and asking me when I had been there. I replied "in June 1970." She had left Hawaii the same month to get married on the mainland. We soon were exchanging e-mail at least once a day and sometimes more often. In April or May we began talking on the phone. On 13 July 1996 we actually met for the first time (we had already exchanged photos) and the circle was complete. After half a megabyte of e-mail and enriching the coffers of more than one long distance service, in August 1996 I asked Simonetta Rodriguez to "grow old with me, the best is yet to come." 

Lucky  me, she agreed and we were married at the Chapel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday, August 30th 1996. A photo album is required to complete the scene. After remarriage I now have four children (all but one out of high school) -- Ken (my son), Kiele (Sim's oldest), Roxanne (my youngest), and Kelana (Sim's youngest) -- one sister (also well out of high school) -- Leslie -- and one granddaughter (I became a grandfather for the first time at 8:48pm, 1 October 1996) -- Rebecca. Like any good grandfather I'm always ready to show off pictures of Rebecca. 

John@simjon.com

Last changed 5 January 2001