The Return of Ohio Man
If you felt a disturbance in the force, that may have been it.
I went to the BMV (that’s what they call it here, and have since 1925) yesterday to change over my license, title, and registration. The night before, I was unpacking some things and came across one of my first driver’s licenses, which expired in 2004.
I don’t know why I wore a YALE shirt. I didn’t want to go there, never applied there, and certainly, knew my grades were not good enough for that school. I think my mom (or a family friend) gave it to me to inspire me to go to a great school.
Back then, this was pre-REAL ID, which Congress passed in 2005, Governors could put their names on your driver’s license. How quaint. They can’t do that now, at least on the REAL-ID complaint ones. You still see the politicians putting their names on the stickers at gas pumps, which is not a thing in a lot of other states.
I debated getting another YALE shirt in an effort to be funny, and as it turns out, Ohio’s BMV database still has that photo from two decades ago. My deputy registrar told me some people do that: wear the same shirt for every license photo. I opted not to.
This time, I went with an ICEE shirt, sent to me as part of a gift pack for my girls by a reader who works for the ICEE Company.
One of our cars has Ohio plates now, but my CRV is awaiting it St. Ignatius license plates to be mailed from Columbus. Ohio doesn’t let multiples of a custom tag exist. So there can’t be a “GO CATS” for a University of Kentucky plate and an Ignatius license plate.
It makes sense, but also limits the choices considerably.
I suspect if I got this one the registrar might ask for it back. Maybe they haven’t watched The Good Place. But you see what I did there. I just said give me a random plate number.
Here’s what the $40 I paid extra goes to:
The registrar shall pay the contributions the registrar receives pursuant to section 4503.87 of the Revised Code to St. Ignatius high school located in the municipal corporation of Cleveland. The school shall use fifty per cent of the contributions it receives to provide tuition assistance to its students. The school shall use the remaining fifty per cent to pay the expenses it incurs in providing services to the school's students that assist in developing or maintaining the mental and emotional well-being of the students. The services provided may include bereavement counseling, instruction in defensive driving techniques, sensitivity training, and the counseling and education of students regarding bullying, dating violence, drug abuse, suicide prevention, and human trafficking. As a part of providing such services, the school may pay for members of the faculty of the school to receive training in providing those services. The school principal or, in the school principal's discretion, appropriate school counselors shall determine any charitable organizations that the school hires to provide those services. The school shall ensure that any such charitable organization is exempt from federal income taxation under subsection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The school shall not use the contributions it receives for any other purpose.
So, please enjoy my donation, classmate / Principal Anthony Fior ‘02 (SLU ‘06). Put it to good use. And Go Wildcats!