Letters to the Editor 11-25-1998
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Wawasee Thanks - Thanksgiving
Wawasee Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:I would like to thank the members of the Amy Vanlaningham Society from Wawasee High School for their fight against racism in our community.
In addition, I want to thank our administration and staff from the Wawasee School Corp. It was truly a blessing to attend the walks and the convention on Nov. 14, and the community church service on Nov. 18, during Wawasee Cares Week. I was overwhelmed and had to fight tears many times as I listened to our young people and our community leaders talk about the problems they have encountered and continue to face on a day-to-day basis. It's hard to describe in a few words how proud I am and the appreciation I feel for these young citizens. You hear so much about the bad people of our society and the"terrible teenagers." We don't hear much about the wonderful people who have set a shining example that we should all be proud to follow. These kids are taking a stand for what they believe in, when it would be much easier to look the other way. Amy Vanlaningham would have been proud of what these students are doing and would have been right there with them, fighting racism and prejudice. It is my hope that we can live by their example.
Deborah K. Snyder, Syracuse
Thanksgiving
Editor, Times-Union:The first Thanksgiving observance in America was entirely religious and without feasting. The ceremony was held Dec. 14, 1619, by a group of English settlers at the Berkeley Plantation, near what is now Charles City, Va. In 1621, the first Thanksgiving in New England was observed when Gov. William Bradford arranged a harvest festival to give thanks to God for the progress the colony had made with an abundance of crops, after the New England colonists had suffered starvation that first winter they had settled in America.
In 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation, naming Nov. 26, a day of national Thanksgiving. After that, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November 1863 as "a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father." Then, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Thanksgiving one week earlier; but, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday in November would be observed as Thanksgiving Day.
I, arriving at nearly the octogenarian stage of life, can recall those wonderful Thanksgiving holidays that occurred in the late '20s, and early '30s. I particularly remember a cold, snowy Thanksgiving Day back in the late '20s, when I, at the age of 7, accompanied my uncles on a rabbit hunt. After they had splurged on turkey and pumpkin pie, with their loaded firearms, they and I trekked through the deep snow to the woods, where my uncles had themselves a snortin' good time seeking rabbit tracks in the snow while, with my short toddling gait, I was under considerable strain trying to keep up with them. I'll always remember that hunting "expedition," because, just before we started out, one of my uncles gave me a little change purse filled to the brim with nickels and dimes. Well, I took the purse with me on the rabbit hunt, and lost it; and while my uncles were happily, and enthusiastically, tracking down "Peter Cottontails," I indulged in my own little hunting expedition, hunting and hunting for that lost change purse. Sadly, I never did find the purse; therefore, that particular Thanksgiving turned out to be a heartrending disappointment to an unhappy little boy.
Then, there was that Thanksgiving in 1933, when my mother, sister, and I spent Thanksgiving Day on the farm with Uncle Charlie and Aunt Blanche, and their offspring, Janice and Clair. Of course, the depression was on, and Aunt Blanche didn't offer a great big, sumptuous repast; furthermore, the meal wasn't partaken from Dresden china, and the knives, forks and spoons weren't made of sterling silver; but, Aunt Blanche was a fine cook, and she set a nice table, laden with good, tasty food. I can't recall what Aunt Blanche served for dessert, but I do remember one special thing about that Thanksgiving of 1933. That night, my mother, sister, cousin Janice, and I all trekked into Warsaw to see Jean Harlow, the famous platinum blonde film star, in the movie, "The Blonde Bombshell"; and watching the alluring Jean Harlow on the screen was plenty of "dessert" for me!
Don Kaiser, Warsaw
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- Wawasee Thanks - Thanksgiving
Wawasee Thanks
Editor, Times-Union:I would like to thank the members of the Amy Vanlaningham Society from Wawasee High School for their fight against racism in our community.
In addition, I want to thank our administration and staff from the Wawasee School Corp. It was truly a blessing to attend the walks and the convention on Nov. 14, and the community church service on Nov. 18, during Wawasee Cares Week. I was overwhelmed and had to fight tears many times as I listened to our young people and our community leaders talk about the problems they have encountered and continue to face on a day-to-day basis. It's hard to describe in a few words how proud I am and the appreciation I feel for these young citizens. You hear so much about the bad people of our society and the"terrible teenagers." We don't hear much about the wonderful people who have set a shining example that we should all be proud to follow. These kids are taking a stand for what they believe in, when it would be much easier to look the other way. Amy Vanlaningham would have been proud of what these students are doing and would have been right there with them, fighting racism and prejudice. It is my hope that we can live by their example.
Deborah K. Snyder, Syracuse
Thanksgiving
Editor, Times-Union:The first Thanksgiving observance in America was entirely religious and without feasting. The ceremony was held Dec. 14, 1619, by a group of English settlers at the Berkeley Plantation, near what is now Charles City, Va. In 1621, the first Thanksgiving in New England was observed when Gov. William Bradford arranged a harvest festival to give thanks to God for the progress the colony had made with an abundance of crops, after the New England colonists had suffered starvation that first winter they had settled in America.
In 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation, naming Nov. 26, a day of national Thanksgiving. After that, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November 1863 as "a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father." Then, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Thanksgiving one week earlier; but, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday in November would be observed as Thanksgiving Day.
I, arriving at nearly the octogenarian stage of life, can recall those wonderful Thanksgiving holidays that occurred in the late '20s, and early '30s. I particularly remember a cold, snowy Thanksgiving Day back in the late '20s, when I, at the age of 7, accompanied my uncles on a rabbit hunt. After they had splurged on turkey and pumpkin pie, with their loaded firearms, they and I trekked through the deep snow to the woods, where my uncles had themselves a snortin' good time seeking rabbit tracks in the snow while, with my short toddling gait, I was under considerable strain trying to keep up with them. I'll always remember that hunting "expedition," because, just before we started out, one of my uncles gave me a little change purse filled to the brim with nickels and dimes. Well, I took the purse with me on the rabbit hunt, and lost it; and while my uncles were happily, and enthusiastically, tracking down "Peter Cottontails," I indulged in my own little hunting expedition, hunting and hunting for that lost change purse. Sadly, I never did find the purse; therefore, that particular Thanksgiving turned out to be a heartrending disappointment to an unhappy little boy.
Then, there was that Thanksgiving in 1933, when my mother, sister, and I spent Thanksgiving Day on the farm with Uncle Charlie and Aunt Blanche, and their offspring, Janice and Clair. Of course, the depression was on, and Aunt Blanche didn't offer a great big, sumptuous repast; furthermore, the meal wasn't partaken from Dresden china, and the knives, forks and spoons weren't made of sterling silver; but, Aunt Blanche was a fine cook, and she set a nice table, laden with good, tasty food. I can't recall what Aunt Blanche served for dessert, but I do remember one special thing about that Thanksgiving of 1933. That night, my mother, sister, cousin Janice, and I all trekked into Warsaw to see Jean Harlow, the famous platinum blonde film star, in the movie, "The Blonde Bombshell"; and watching the alluring Jean Harlow on the screen was plenty of "dessert" for me!
Don Kaiser, Warsaw
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