Opinion
From the Vineyard Gazette edition of Dec. 1954:
And now comes Christmas! Heralded by the stringing of colored lights and standards along the village streets, the dressing of the store windows, and the appearance of the bundles of Christmas trees outside of the grocery stores, the “gladdest season of the year” is at hand.
A year ago I was in Cuba. I have been reminded of my visit by a picture a fellow traveler has just sent showing me readying to puff a Cuban cigar. One puff was enough for me, but I defied U.S. Customs officials and buried another in the depths of my suitcase to bring into the country for a cigar-loving friend.
I sampled my cigar on a tobacco farm where the group I was traveling with stopped.
The following letter was sent to the Chilmark board of health for its Dec. 5 meeting on the Zoia development project: I am sorry I cannot attend the board of health meeting today but I underwent knee replacement surgery last week and am confined to home and still in significant pain. In addition to the two letter requests before you for consideration, sent by our attorney, Diane Tillotson, please accept this personal request.
To the person who vandalized the information station at the Caroline Tuthill Preserve: What kind of person are you? The conservation groups work hard to raise money to preserve our Island’s beauty. Don’t you appreciate that?
Upon returning to our home on Aero avenue this past Tuesday, I was startled to see that a small, single-engine plane had crashed on our front lawn. It was white with a five-foot wing span and no military or commercial markings. We have no idea where it came from.
As co-chairmen of the Red Stocking Fund of Martha’s Vineyard, we are distressed to learn of the recent sale of WMVY. Greg Orcutt and the entire staff at WMVY have been stalwart supporters of Red Stocking’s efforts to provide food and clothing to Vineyard children and their families. For over a decade, the radio station has been a willing and able sponsor of both the annual chowder contest and of the chili fest. These are two of our three major fundraisers each year and account for almost half of our over $75,000 budget. WMVY has assured us that this year’s fundraisers will happen as planned. However, there is no guarantee beyond this year. This fact will present Red Stocking with a real challenge in the future to continue providing the level of service that our children need. This is one example of WMVY’s being truly an integral part of Island life. Unfortunately, a hole has now been torn in the fabric of the Vineyard community.