01 May 2005

ATTENTION ON DECK - NOW HEAR THIS

06/05/05 08:23 PM

"NOW HERE THIS - NOW HEAR THIS

Reporting aboard for duty, Aaron J. Sykes, a local lad born in Oneida, New York and raised in Canastota, NY, a sculptor extraordinary, has just finished speaking to me by phone. This young man is the gentleman I have been anxiously waiting to hear from. This afternoon we had a nice chat, and we firmed up an appointment date forMay 16th, at 1000 hours.

We will meet at the Town of Lenox offices with our local officials, and 3 members of my committee. After our discussions we will proceed over to Clark Memorial Park and view the proposed site. He will offer his suggestions as to where the memorial will receive the most visibility from both Route 5 and Peterboro Street in the Village of Canastota. He informed me he will have a better perspective of his work load by the 16th, and that he is willing to do what he can to help us achieve our goal. Great news!!!

This will also give us another big shot in the arm for PR, as he is one of the sculptors who worked on the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D. C., and is presently in contact with the Air Force Academy in Boulder, Colorado concerning a memorial being built there.

You can view some of his artistic works on his web site: www.aaronsykes-sculpture.com

I awoke this a.m. at 0700 hours, and I haven't put my shoes on today. I was afraid to leave the house for fear he might give me a call, and I wouldn't be here to take it. My patience paid off at 1455 hours. I had just sat down and wrote the first sentence of an e-mail that I was writing to him when the phone rang.

The committee will be happy to hear the news. I am going to call those who I think should be there for this important first meeting.

In a very few minutes Frisco and I will be heading out for our usual Friday night fish dinner. I am so excited, I don't know if I will be able to eat.

We got over to the Diner, sat down and looked the menu over. We both decided to order the fish sandwich special. We had a choice of either french fries, or macaroni and cheese to go with it. Frisco ordered one and I ordered the other. In that we got the best of two worlds. We shared each other's side dish.

As I expected, I couldn't eat all of my meal. To excited about what transpired earlier this afternoon, We're home now, and I am awaiting a
phone call from Bob Clarke, the designer of our memorial. He will be glad to hear the good news. I called Farrell Miller shortly after I finished my conversation with the sculptor, and he was also pleased to hear the good news.

Everything happened at once today. Immediately after I hung up from our discussion, the phone rang again. This time it was a reporter from the Syracuse Post Standard. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, they are going to publish an article I wrote about the memorial in their Neighbors Magazine section of next Thursday edition. In my article I wrote, I mentioned the fact that we had received notification that we had been approved for a $25,000 grant from the State if New York.

I guess that kind of news got their attention. They wanted to know who notified us of this grant, and other pertinent information concerning our project. My article is still going to be published in the magazine section, but will also get the attention of the readers in the front page section of the paper.

They smell a story now that is newsworthy. We have a noted sculptor working with us, an approved grant from New York State, and the project has a different slant than most war memorials.

We are not only honoring those who paid the supreme sacrifice from this area, we are also honoring all those who served in our armed forces during World War II, that lived in the Canastota School District. The school district encompasses the entire Town of Lenox. At the present time, we have approximately 680 names that will be inscribed on this memorial. Included in that figure are the names of 28 young men that gave their lives in the defense of our nation. A Gold Star will be placed along side their names, signifying that they paid the Supreme Sacrifice.

Tom Brokaw couldn't have found a better title for his book, "The Greatest Generation". It is only fitting that those who served so valiantly in World War II should be so honored.

I began a fund raising project this evening when we went to Anne Marie's Family Diner. I brought over a gallon plastic jug, that she had given me yesterday. I placed a sign on it with a plea for help in achieving our goal. The sign included a photocopy of the proposed memorial. I even primed it with a few dollars to start the ball rolling.

I intend to place these jars in all local restaurants, and supermarkets in our area.

We are well on our way to being recognized throughout Madison County. People will respond if the cause is worthy, I have Faith!

Remember the TV show, "THE A TEAM"?? "I love it, when a plan comes together."

You bloggers out there, pass the word. Who knows from where it will come. The answer to our dream.

We will take it from where we get it!

I don't know if I can take much more excitement for tonight. I have had all I can stand, I can stands no more. Good night my good friends, God Bless, Pray for Peace, and please, Keep the Faith -- Sailor Jack

GET AN APPOINTMENT, STUPID

05/05/05 09:40 PM

Well, I tried. Reveille was early this morning. I had a good breakfast, went straight away to the Town Hall after eating, picked up the presentation photo of our Monument, and parked myself in the office of the School District"s Superintendent's office. I patiently waited for his secretary to report to work, and when she did she informed me that he would not be available today, as he was visiting all the classrooms in our three (3) schools.

Just my luck, the assistant superintendent was also tried up, and would not have time to spare with me.

"How about setting up an appointment with the "Super" for me?", I asked her.

"Certainly, sir" she answered. "When would you like it?"

"I'm easy, got more time, than I have money. But very little of each. You name the time, and date", I replied.

"Let's see, now, how, hmmm, how about May 12th, at 11:00 am?, she said.

"We got a date, I'll be here". And I bid her a fond adieu.

It's a good thing we have over a year to complete this task. At the speed we're moving it may take us longer,

We're on course, though, not to worry. We will break ground after Memorial Day.

I returned the presentation photo to the Town Hall, and told Lois, "I"ll be back, I'm like a bad penny, I keep showing up". With that I headed for my stroll around my favorite store, WAL MART. I moseyed along at my slow, but steady pace, and walked for an hour and forty-five minutes.

In my travels I came across some scrap books, and stopped to look them over. I recalled that I have quite a few news article that I had written, and they were laying around the house. I also thought that we should have some kind of public relation record on our Memorial Project. I found one scrapbook, that would fit my needs. It had 100 pages, with sheet protectors, and was 12"X12" square. "That should do the trick", I said to myself.

They don't come cheap, though. It cost me close to $40.00. But hell, it's only money. I can't take it with me when I leave this world.

I arrived back home at 1200 hours. I had been gone all morning long. I was going to take Frisco out to lunch, but she wasn't feeling well. Her stomach was upset. She gave me a cup of chicken noodle soup and a sandwich. All she had was a cup of the soup.

I sat down and started organizing my news articles by date, and decided that I am going to have to get another scrapbook to record our progress on the War Memorial. That will keep me busy, and out of mischief.

At 1400 hours I decided I had enough of that project. I sat down at the computer to play some solitary, It didn't last long as my eye lids kept closing and my head would drop down. Frisco mentioned that she wanted me to get some gas for the lawn mower. I told her I can't keep my eyes open and she ordered me to take my nap and get the gas after supper.

I took her advise, she knows best. The phone rang about 1640 hours and it was for me. The editor of the Syracuse Post Standard informed me that he had the article I had written concerning the Town of Lenox World War II Memorial. He said that he was going to publish it in next Thursday's edition and wanted to set up an appointment to have my picture taken. The photographer and I will meet at Clark Park, where the memorial will be built, and have the picture taken there. I took the liberty of inviting our Town Supervisor, "Rocky" DeVeronica, to be present for the photo shot.

Anybody want my autograph, as yet???

This will another shot in the arm. We need all the PR we can get.

After supper, I ran over and got the gas for the lawn mower. It's the very least I can do for Frisco. It takes her about 2 hours to mow the lawn. We don't have a riding mower anymore, so she must do it the old fashion way. It hurts me when I see her doing what I should be doing. I am not capable of that type of work anymore. She is younger than I am, and a lot tougher. She just came in and is ready to shower down and enjoy a movie. I guess we're going to watch "Michael". I think it's a story about an angel.

Tomorrow is the day I should receive a call from the sculptor I have been talking about of late. I'm on pins and needles, just hoping that things will begin to come our way. We are definitely making progress, but we need that professional help, that can only come from a man of this caliber.

Well my good friends, I am going to call it a night, and wish you all the very best in life. Keep the Faith -- Pray for Peace. -- Sailor Jack

HIGH HOPES

04/05/05 08:51 PM

A rather busy day today. I had a meeting scheduled this morning, and once again I `woke up early, and my confounded brain kicked into gear. Before I knew it I was out of bed, and playing with the computer.

Yesterday Frisco and I did our regular grocery shopping over at Wal Mart. I dropped her off, and went and got my weekly allotment of gasoline. i returned to Wal Mart and took my stroll around the store for an hour and half.

It was 1145 hours when we left the parking lot, and I decided then and there that I would treat my lovely bride to a luncheon date. We went over to the local dinner, and we each had a cup of soap and a sandwich. While we were there I asked Anne, the owner, if she had any gallon jars she could let me have. She came out with 2 of them and said, "Will these fit your needs?"

"Perfect." I said.

"What are you going to use them for?", she asked .

I brought up the subject about the War Memorial, and told her I would like about a dozen of them. "I want to place them in the local restaurants and grocery stores, if there was no objection from the owners, for customers to drop donations in", I told her.

"You can bring one in here, Jack, I'll be glad to help you." she replied. "I'll have some more in a few days, I told the cooks to save them for you."

How nice of her. When you ask for help, you get it.

I got to thinking about having the sketch of the memorial, that appears on my web page, reduced to 4"x 6" in size, and added the following to the top and bottom of it. The words are centered on the page.

TOWN OF LENOX
WORLD WAR II
MEMORIAL

OUR NATION'S
GREATEST GENERATION
HELP US HONOR THEM

In the space between, I placed the sketch of the Memorial. I am going to wrap, my art work around the outside of these gallon jars, so the patrons can see what they are donating to. Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, the size of the donation is immaterial, it all adds up to one large sum at the end of the day.

When my bride and I arrived home I excused myself and drove over to the superintendent's office of the School District. He was tied up in conference, but I did have the opportunity to speak to his office manager. I introduced myself, and explained my mission.

"I'm on a recruiting drive," I told her.

"Recruiting Drive?" she questioned.

"Yes, I want to recruit the entire student body, from the kindergarten kids up to, and including, the senior class."

I explained to her that, in my opinion, this would be an outstanding way for the children to get involved in a large scale community service effort. A great number of these student's fathers, grandfathers, and uncles served in the Second World War. I mentioned that on September 2 of this year our nation will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, and that the names their relatives will be forever memorialized on this beautiful memorial.

They have a whole year to organize any kind of a fund raiser they choose. Car Washes would donate their facilities to them for a Saturday Car Wash. They can form teams, and collect the deposit for bottles, and cans, throughout their neighborhoods. The kindergarten children can collect and save their pennies. All that I am asking is for the teachers to supervise the handling of the funds the children generate.

It would be a tremendous community service project for them. They will be honoring members of their families who fought and served in World War II.

She thought the idea was a good one and would pass it on to the Superintendent. She said that they are having a staff meeting Thursday, tomorrow night, and he would more than likely discuss it with his staff.

I am not taking any chances, I am going to his office in the morning, and sit until I get an audience with him.

I don't give up easy.

I received some good news this morning at the meeting I attended. The young sculptor I have been telling you about has promised to call me this Friday to set up a meeting. Lois, his Aunt, and our treasurer, told me he was at the Air Force Academy working on a memorial of some sort. He would be back Friday, and he will definitely contact me.

He made my day, we are very anxious to break ground on this project right after Memorial Day. We would like to have him drop in and get his perspective on where to place this memorial in Clark Park. Of course, we'll have other questions for him, and I'm hoping and praying that we will be able to contract with him for the job. I ask everyone to join me in my high hopes.

So, as you can see, there is never a dull moment in the life of Sailor Jack. I manage to keep myself busy, but there are times I feel that I may be annoying to people. If I am, I would appreciate them telling me, as that is the last thing in life that I want to be. A busy body - that annoys people.

That's all for tonight folks. Life is good, isn't it? Keep the Faith - Pray for Peace. -- Sailor Jack

THE BIG SPENDER

02/05/05 01:48 PM

It's hard to believe that May has arrived. Now that it is here, I'm looking forward to some nice warm weather. I hope that today is no example of what the rest of the month will be like. It's cold and damp. The weather man just predicted that the temperature would be 48 degrees tomorrow with a chance of showers. There may be some snow flurries in the higher elevations.

I gave Frisco a lift over to the Nazarene Church, this afternoon, where the Red Cross was conducting a Blood Drive. She gives blood regularly. I don't know if they will take my blood being that I am diabetic. My bride tells me that they won't accept your blood, if you have ever received a blood transfusion, or if you are diabetic. I meet both criteria for being turned away. I sat there anyway today, giving moral support to all the donors. It is a very kind gesture on their part, giving blood to those in dire deed of it.

Yesterday afternoon I held a meeting with the memorial committee. I brought them up to date on what was transpiring. They are all anxious to break ground on this project. We will accomplish the ground breaking immediately after Memorial Day.

One of the committee members found a copy of "Toot", the high school year book, for the class of '42. Listed in it were the names of classmates that were serving in the armed forces. He photocopied it for me, and I found 15 names that were missing from our list, that had to be recorded for engraving on the monument.

I stopped in this morning, after I finished up at the "Y" and my walk around Wal Mart, to see Lois Brown, our treasurer. I like to touch base with her to see if I am missing out on anything. I am a regular little busy body. She informed me that donations are still coming in, and that the meeting Wednesday morning with the Mayor and Town Supervisor has been rescheduled for 0900 hours.

I had her, and her sister, Nancy, read a "Letter to the Editor" that I plan on publishing in all the local papers. In the letter was the new criteria for having names added to the list of those who served. They were pleased to see that the school district boundaries are the guide lines that we're using, vise the Town boundary line. They were also pleased to see that individuals that lived within those boundaries prior to September 2, 1955, and have made this area their primary residence since that date, are also eligible to have their names listed.

They were pleased because now their father's name will be added to the monument. Their father was our local veterinary doctor for many, many years. Doc Henry has since passed away, but will forever be remembered in our community for his service.

So the list grows, donations are arriving every day, and with a great deal of pride, and confidence in our community, I predict that we will succeed!

Other than that, not much is really going on. I see my health provider the latter part of this month, and I am anxious to see if I have lost any weight. I may be just shifting it around. I know that my waist line is smaller, and I feel like I have more energy than before, but only time will tell if I am making headway on my weight. I sure hope so. If I'm not, it's not because I am not trying. I only eat what my darling puts on my plate.

Mother always told me, "Clean up your plate, there are children in the world starving!"

On my stroll this morning around Wal Mart I came across a display of American flags. Memorial Day is closing in on us, and a lot of people will be looking for new flags. I decided then and there, to purchase one. I surprised all the employees as I walked around proudly, with something in my cart.

The clerk in the shoe department said, "You mean to tell me you broke down and bought something?"

"The last of the Big Spenders," I replied. "I needed a new flag".

I even stopped at the Greeting Card, aisle and picked up a humorous "Get Well" card for my youngest son, Eric. The poor guy sure has his troubles lately. He lives in Toney, Alabama, near Huntsville. He has had trouble sleeping for a long while. He has been battling the VA as he believes his troubles has something to do with his service in the first war against Iraq. He was a member of the 101st Air Assault Division, the famous "Screaming Eagles. He battled the VA for a long time, and they finally increased his service connected disability to 40%.

He works for a company that contracts it's work from NASA. He has been with them 8 or 9 years, and just received a nice promotion for his work. At any rate, he had his 4 wisdom teeth extracted this past week, and he is in misery. His Mother and I thought we would cheer him up with a greeting card. Get Well, pal, we love you.

Well, this big spender is going to call it a night, and sit down and enjoy the company of my beautiful bride. Until tomorrow, God Bless, Pray for Peace, Keep the Faith. -- Sailor Jack