Hurricane, West Virginia

Honoring Our Public Servants ~ School Bus Drivers:  It is so hard for most school districts to find bus drivers, despite the fact that there the age cohort from which they are drawn is sizeable. Those that do sign up for the job seem to be particularly devoted to serving the public. Just imagine the responsibility. Just imagine the driving skills. Just imagine the chopped up schedule. Just imagine the requisite psychological armor. Just imagine the kids in the back of the bus (maybe you were one of them)! Valley View Memorial Park. [2017]

Grand Blanc, Michigan

National Capitals on American Soil ~ Berlin:  Unlike Madrid, Paris, and London, Berlin never got a chance to be a dominant world city. (Not that it didn't try!) In fact, Berlin's problem was that there was no Germany to compete with maritime Europe when global empire building was at its height. Berlin was the capital city of what county when London lost its thirteen colonies in North America? Prussia. How about when World War I took place? German Empire. How about after the Iron Curtain descended across Europe? East Germany. How about after the Iron Curtain disintegrated? Germany. It is a convoluted political history. If you want to learn something more about the city, consult Geographically Yours. Evergreen Cemetery. [2018]

Guymon, Oklahoma

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:  You can't get any further to the front of the line than having the name of the world's first man. Nevertheless, John Adams was our third president, not our first. Our first president had a name that put him close to the end of the line, but he overcame the obstacles and emerged as number one. Elmhurst Cemetery. [2017]

Andalusia, Alabama

Log Cabins Forever:  Hardly anybody today can claim to have been born in a log cabin, but everyone can lay claim to one in paradise. The log cabin has become a symbol of the frontier roots of American independence and self-sufficiency. The next frontier is the great beyond. Stone Lake Gardens. [2017]

Pine Grove, Pennsylvania

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ Z:  The letter Z is the 26th most frequently used letter in the English language: both last in letter order and last in letter usage. If your last name begins, with Z, you've had a lifetime of being last. But, remember: The first shall be last, and the last first. Jacobs Lutheran Church Cemetery. [2017]

Molino, Florida

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ Y:  The letter Y is the 18th most frequently used letter in the English language. Why? Nobody knows for sure. What we can say for sure is that this is a fine example of a family plot and the surname initial is used to mark the corners of the plot. Morgan Cemetery. [2017]

Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ X:  The letter X is the 24th most frequently used letter in the English language. Solve for X (as the mathematicians would say). City Cemetery. [2017]

Cortland, New York

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ W:  The letter W is the 15th most frequently used letter in the English language. It is actually a compound letter that got its own place in the alphabet. Its life began as a "double U." Now, it is shaped like a double V, which only adds to the confusion. Cortland Rural Cemetery. [2017]

Cynthiana, Kentucky

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ V:  The letter V is the 21st most frequently used letter in the English language. Geographers love it because it signals so many different surnames that begin with Van, which is then followed by the name of the place where the ancestors originated. In this case it means "from Hook," which at least narrows us down to the Dutch-speaking world. Battle Grove Cemetery. Yes, geographers are place-lovers. [2015]

Hagerstown, Maryland

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ U:  The letter U is the 13th most frequently used letter in the English language. As a stand-alone initial, however, it was the hardest to find on a headstone! But, sure enough, in a part of the country where German names prevailed, there was an uptick in U surnames. [2018]

Lewisburg, West Virginia

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ T:  The letter T is the 2nd most frequently used letter in the English language, and the most frequently used consonant. Maybe that is because it is so easy to say and maybe because it has no competitors (like C vs. S, C vs. K, Q vs. K, G vs. J, F vs. V, S vs. Z, X vs. Z, Y vs. E, Y vs. I, and there may be more). Calvary United Methodist Church Cemetery. [2016]

Guymon, Oklahoma

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ S:  The letter S is the 7th most frequently used letter in the English language. Here, it is presented as a cattle brand, one that now brands a couple of departed souls. Even if you are not a rancher, it might be fun to design a brand for your own headstone. Here are some guidelines. Elmhurst Cemetery. [2017]

Clovis, New Mexico

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ R:  The letter R is the 9th most frequently used letter in the English language. It is easy to pronounce in English, but rolling with it in another language is almost impossible. (How ethnocentric is that statement?!!) Better pray hard if you are trying to roll those Rs in Spanish, French, or Arabic. Perhaps the Virgin of the Americas can help. Mission Garden of Memories. [2016]

Sedalia, Missouri

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ Q:  The letter Q is the 25th most frequently used letter in the English language. And, it is the friendliest. Who is Q's best friend? You. Or, U. Rarely is Q seen without U. Related question: What is the loneliest letter? I. It is so often seen alone. Can we get Q and U together with I? Regardez! Here, on this tombstone, the Q and U have befriended I! Crown Hill Cemetery. [2015]

Las Vegas, New Mexico

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ P:  The letter P is the 19th most frequently used letter in the English language. Here's a P surrounded by petals, thus forming a flower. Like the wreath and halo, flowers are circles, reminders of life without end. Montefiore Cemetery. [2017]

Cape Charles, Virginia

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ O:  The letter O is the 4th most frequently used letter in the English language. It lends itself to transformation into a wreath: Neither the O nor the wreath have a beginning or and end. They both remind us of everlasting life. Lower Northampton Baptist Church Cemetery. [2016]

Marshall, Illinois

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ N:  The letter N is the 6th most frequently used letter in the English language. No dates are visible on this memorial, but what would you hypothesize? Clue 1: shape of memorial. Clue 2: Presence of surname initial. Clue 3: Gothic font. Marshall Cemetery. [2017]

Macon, Georgia

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ M:  The letter M is the 14th most frequently used letter in the English language. When you see a memorial shaped like this, with dates from the late 1800s, you expect to see a Gothic font? Pretty they may be, but generally unreadable. Riverside Cemetery. [2015]

Warrenton, North Carolina

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ L:  The letter L is the 11th most frequently used letter in the English language. That seems fitting since el is the first syllable in the word eleven. Here, that capital L looks very thorny, even barbed. Could it be an early example of a barbed-wire font? Providence United Methodist Church Cemetery at Afton. [2013]

Darien, Connecticut

Surname Initials as Identifying Logos ~ K:  The letter K is the 22nd most frequently used letter in the English language. Here's the K on a quilt-like garden flag, where it shares the summer with red-white-and-blue icons of nationhood. The color coordination is striking, right down to the carnations. Spring Grove Cemetery. [2018]