INSPIRING TEXT

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

A word of appreciation to James H.K. Norton for his Commentary Page piece titled Mayhew, Tear Down This Wall. He inspired us with the quest for liberty that characterized some of our early Vineyard citizens, connecting their proud story to our challenging times.

Jerome Davidson

Chilmark and

Great Neck, N.Y.

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PRAISE FOR FIREFIGHTERS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Saving Graces

From Gazette editions of February, 1911:

Capt. Samuel Jackson, of Cuttyhunk, a brother of Capts. Levi and Robert Jackson of this place, did gallant rescue work with his boat and crew, participating with another boat in the saving of 20 lives — a life saving crew whose boat had capsized and the crew of the Barkentine Stephen G. Hart, ashore on the ledge of Sow and Pigs.

New Beginnings in Menemsha

It has been seven long months since the investigation into the Menemsha fire began by top federal and state experts, including the state fire marshal, the United States Coast Guard and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. And now the investigation has ended, not with a bang but something far more open-ended: The cause of the fire that destroyed the Coast Guard boathouse and forced the evacuation of the village of Menemsha last July cannot be precisely determined.

February Days

A spell of warm days has melted the snow. The grass, although looking like someone just recovering from the flu, dull yellow and bent over, is a welcome sight. So too is the sun, spending a bit more time with us now. The hens are beginning to lay more eggs thanks to the extended daylight. Young children are waking earlier too, stirred by the light.

The state of Massachusetts again leads the nation in methods to bring itself and eventually the nation out of the current recession. While the feds have been threatening to terminate unemployment benefits and meddle with the social security fund (please Washington, if you are going to borrow, then you need to return loans, with interest, like everyone else), Massachusetts has reaped enough of a tax surplus to start handing out free million-dollar fishing piers.

T he sterile smell hits me once I walk through the doors. The carpeted floor and hand sanitizer canister aren’t the only things that greet my family and me upon our entrance to the center. An old lady who sits everyday by the door welcomes us, repeating “Hi” to all the visitors, even though none of them are ever hers.