All Points North - Reader Mail

Welcome to reader mail! This is where we proudly display questions and comments from you, the readers. Feel free to e-mail us and comment on a story.

I stumbled across your story on Ed Shamy. I worked with Ed for about 18 months at the Carroll County (Md.) Times in the 1990s. Ed taught me more about journalism in those 18 months than I've learned during the rest of my 30-year career as a journalist. Ed's a terrific teacher. He has the passion that too many of the new-wave multimedia journalists do not have. I owe a lot to Ed.

Dave Ammenheuser
Assistant Managing Editor/Sports
The Press-Enterprise

I remember seeing Jackie Robinson play many times in Montreal. I was just a boy then, and knew little about the politics of race in America. All I knew is that Robinson was the best damn ballplayer I ever saw. The way he played cannot be described. You had to have seen him. Any baseball fan who did knows what I am talking about. He was, quite simply, the best.

Later in life, I learned the greater significance of his year with the Royals. And while it has made me admire Robinson even more for what he did, it also robbed me of my innocence when I was just a boy celebrating Jackie Robinson for what he was paid to do: play ball. It’s a shame that we have to know him for more than that. It’s a shame that the color barrier wasn’t broken long before his year in Montreal, and it’s a shame, in fact, that there was a color barrier at all. But since there was one, baseball couldn’t have picked a greater ambassador to break it than Jackie. He is, as he was then, my hero.

Thank you to Benjamin Pomerance for this work. Reading it was a trip down memory lane, as they say, for me. I’ve read a lot about baseball in my life, but this is some of the greatest baseball writing I have ever read. Thank you for sharing this story about Montreal with the world.

With thanks,

Elliott Renaud

Brossard, QC

Hi,

I used to live in Massena NY and now reside abroad in New Zealand. Being home in NY on a visit ghost stories has intrigued me. I remember growing up in a house on Center Street in Massena when a little girl. I was petrified of this house. In the 1960's I had a little dollhouse I kept on the floor of my bedroom and would awaken in the middle of the night by the sounds of the furniture moving around in it. My little record player that was also a radio would come on in the night and wake me up. I also had a table with shelves on it that was up against the wall behind my door and I used to keep all my dolls on it. Some mornings I would wake and find the dolls had been rearranged during the night.

We had old lights on the ceiling then and I remember tying every piece of belt or rope to that hanging chain and attaching it to my headboard so I could switch it on at any time when hearing noises. The most prominent thing I remember is when my sister, brother, and I were getting ready for school one morning. We were all upstairs hanging around the staircase chatting away when we distinctly heard a loud ghostly " oooooooo"...We all looked at each other to see if the other one had heard it and when we realized we all had, ran downstairs as fast as we could!

I probably could sit down and remember more incidents but in the end the point is that the house was and probably still is haunted. It has been over 40 years since those days but they still stand out as if it was yesterday!

Kindest Regards,

Debra Nicholson

42 St Andrews Drive

Bethlehem, Tauranga

New Zealand

I grew up there. My dad worked on the building of the lock system & power dams. As a youngster, I had a unique view from start to completion. The day before the water was first run, as a school trip, we were taken into the Eisenhower Lock. I saw many large ships, and was there for the grand opening, saw the Queen.

In response to Sandi Fairbanks'question, Have you ever visited Crescent Bay Marina? from the Summer 2008 issue:

I grew up spending summers camping in a cabin out on Saranac Lake, and Duso's was where we fueled up the boats, bought parts to keep the motors running or just went for an adventure to get a Mountain Dew from their soda machine. Our family knows the Duso family well as my grandfather began camping on the Saranac Lakes as part of his honeymoon, and he knew Harry, Don and Kim Duso. Very interesting to read your article, as I wasn't aware of some of the historical points you bring out; for instance, I had no idea that the boathouse sits at the mouth of a stream that feeds into the lake!

Thanks for the trip back through the years...
Chris Gorgas
Arundel, Maine

In response to Andrew Beam's question, Do you think the drinking age should be lowered to 18? from the Fall 2008 issue:

No, I believe time for maturity is valid in this case. I believe most education starts at home, but allowing an open excuse to buy it (alcohol) may put more peer pressure on the young adult. When a young person don't have the choice, they are less likely to investigate. I believe more pressure would be applied when they have enough to worry about already.

Wayne Wright
ISFSI Construction Manager

In response to Benjamin Pomerance's question, Have you ever met "Dew Drop" Morgan? from the Spring 2008 issue:

I did. And I also knew his sons. I was a student at Paul Smith's and SUNY Plattsburg in the mid- 70s. My mother was a native of Saranac Lake and met my father who, a native of County Lough, Ireland, had gone to Saranac for the cure. My mother was a Moody and my father was a great acquaintance of Dew Drop. A great generation that will be missed.

Duffy Brennan
Sparta, NJ

In response to Matt Rennell's question, Do you have any memories of the Land of Makebelieve? from the Summer 2006 issue:

Hi! I have many happy memories of the Land of Make Believe. As a child I lived in Elizabeth, N.J., so was close enough to have visited many times. I remember Jenny Jump, though the actual legend has faded. I also remember visiting different buildings including antique horse carriages. My favorite memories revolve around visiting Santa in the "North Pole", and getting the gift of a cookie cutter, most of which I still have. I used them many times to make cookies. The one thing I cherish most was the recipes that came with the cookie cutters. I don't know if it was just because I was a child, but the sugar cookies I made with the attached recipes were the best sugar cookies that I ever had. Thank you for the opportunity to share my memories of the park. I really wished I could have shared this experience with my daughter, it was not to be. Kids today are looking for a more sophisticated experience, but for me, The Land of Make Believe will always hold a special spot in my heart.

Lin Karpiscak

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I've been going through some old 8mm home movies and found (2) snippets of Land Of Make Believe from 1965 and 1973. I've loaded them on YouTube if you'd care to see them.
www.youtube.com/bobbyhollywood1
Thanks….

Bob Dowling
Broadcast Standards & Practices
New York, NY 10023

In response to Sara Race's question, What do you think they should do with this place? from the Summer 2004 issue:

I grew up in Grand Isle, VT. When I was a child my parents used to take us to Fort Blunder for picnics. They would let us explore and play all about the ruins. I remember we would have to open the gate in the pasture and drive to the fort. We, of course, always closed the gate behind us because we were locals who knew it was wrong to let somebody's cows out. Even driving to the fort was special as I would look at the swampy surrounding into what seemed like the past on our way to the moat and the main gate to the fort. Back then the fort was also a favorite hang out for area youth. They would go there for parties and drinking, etc. This also made the place seem a little more mysterious and dangerous to a young child. Yet, somehow it made it all the better. Being able to explore this site as a child and to be left to wonder about the people who built the structure and what it was like when it was whole was a fantastic gift for a child's imagination. I am so happy that my parents knew the magic and special significance of our part of the country and its history. I cannot think of a better way to spark a child's interest. There is no doubt that this experience has always driven me to want to learn, to explore, be active, and interested in history. As a child the trips to the fort lead me to trips to the library to learn more about Fort Blunder. As an adult, probably about eight years ago, I was still able to bring my step children by boat to Fort Blunder. We had a picnic, we explored and had a great time. The old fort was a little worse for wear after all these years but the magic was still there. I think it inspired my children just as it did me. The fort should have been bought by a public entity and some how preserved for many generations as a place to go be a kid get to explore dark mysterious places and spark interest in history. Thanks for the great web site and the opportunity to share some of my memories of Fort Blunder.

Gerry Blair
Vergennes, VT

In response to Ceilidh Clark's question, Have you ever skydived at the Malone Parachute Club? from the Fall 2008 issue:

Yes, I have!
It's kind of sad that the parachute club left the former Clinton
Country Airport, where Plattsburgh State students could go for
skydiving in 15 minutes by bike. I had been wondering where the club
would go. The new place is much farther, but I think more people
should try skydiving. It's so exciting, and also addictive.

Tats Kasama