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Dear editor,
I’m writing this in response to the article listed under, “Opinions
& Observations” written by Jean Gray, publisher of the
Haxtun-Fleming Herald.
Though I totally agree with the passion, bravery and statements in
general that Jean shows in her writing against the uncaring board
members who decided to dump John Starkebaum (who was obviously loved
throughout your entire community) after twenty-five years of dedicated
service, there was one (and only one) sentence she wrote that I disagree
with wholeheartedly. It was the third last sentence of an article that
was otherwise flawlessly written in an effort to draw out the emotions
of her readers. The sentence was, “I doubt many people will want to
move here after they read it.”
Jean, let me tell you something:, you people live in a community that
those of us who are stuck in the eastern United States can only dream
about. The air you breathe isn’t so polluted that it causes sinus and
lung problems, your water isn’t so polluted with life-saving chemicals
and industrial waste that it causes cancer, and your crime rate is
practically non-existent as far as I can tell. However, all that barely
scratches the surface compared to the one thing that would appeal the
most to any big city dweller . . . the people themselves who reside
within your fine community. Though most towns and cities that I’ve
been through appear to have more than their fair share of morons who
only seem to care for themselves, the Haxtun and Holyoke areas—for the
most part—appear to have been spared.
My name is Carl R. Merritt, a writer who lives in Dayton, Ohio. Once
every few years, I’m able to break out of this living nightmare that a
few people laughingly refer to as a quiet city, and go out to the Haxtun
area to visit a family of friends. The very first thing I always notice
upon arriving in your county is how friendly the people are. For some
examples, if I’m out driving around on Highway 6 in my old pickup
truck, I know I’ll see people in cars and trucks waving “hello” to
me, if only with a flip of their wrist. If I go to the diner in Haxtun
for a cup of coffee, I’ll see old friends who have known each other
for their entire lives chewing the fat over a few doughnuts. Those same
people will greet me as I walk in the door with smiles on their faces,
and within ten minutes they’ll be treating me like an old lost friend.
During my last visit out there, the time when that freaky tornado
decided to touch down, I noticed the biggest concern that most people
had was how they could be of help to those who had lost everything.
Jean, you never see that degree of caring and a willingness to help
others from people who live in cities such as Dayton. That is something
you should always be proud of, Jean, regardless of the few board members
who appear to have no more of an intelligence quotient than that of an
artichoke. Someday, if God ever permits, I can break away from this city
of drug-induced crime, hatred and corruption, and settle down out there
for the sole purpose of relaxation. No town or city is ever totally
perfect, Jean, but the towns of Haxtun and Holyoke are about as close to
perfection as one can envision. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a
fact, and one that I hope you and all your readers never forget. And
someday, I hope everyone out there understands that the quality of an
area shouldn’t be judged by the number of people, but rather by the
quality of the people who reside within that community. In that regard,
despite the few board members who might soon be looking for new work,
the towns of Holyoke and Haxtun can not be beat.
Carl R. Merritt
Dayton, Ohio
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