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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 10, 2004 An open letter to Hilt on the community center Thanks to Bill Choy for writing a proper obituary for the Hilt Community Center. The Christmas gatherings held in the center were the finest of family gatherings. Strong memories remain of the children, the parents, the music and the plays. Fruit Growers supplied every child with a twenty-pound orange mesh bag filled with fruits, nuts, candy, popcorn balls, books and toys. The building was truly historic. I remember Sue Davenport playing the piano! In this building I reached many milestones in my life. Here I became a Boy Scout, a basketball player, a skate boarder, a union man, a fire fighter and a poker player. I checked out my first book from the library there. Thanks Tom, Russ and Andy for bringing this building back to life and allowing the local folks to play in your home. The pleasure of seeing children playing in the center over the past few years was just that, pure pleasure. I had the wonderful experience of playing basketball with Marley Pratt a few months before his passing. Also, there was Pat Trinca with whom I played against 40 years ago. Little Kirby, Garrett and Kenneth were to be the next generation of Community Center ball players and skate boarders. Thanks to you, Russ, Sandy, Billy and Kirby Sr., for the games. Thank you C. B. The efforts of the local fire department were admirable and successful in that nobody was injured. They contained the fire to the building saving the surrounding wildlands. Terry L, the rescue of the eight animals from inside the building was heroic. Terry, Tom loves his pets! The building was going to burn to the ground the moment it was struck by the power that controlled its destiny. No man could change the eventual outcome. The community center died with an awful sound. Many stories came from this building. I must share Norma Ellis's. She tells me that my father, as a child, was with her when she and Jim met in the center. I believe the year was 1940. Tom Shorey, thank you for salvaging the basketball hoops from the rubble. They will be used again! John Marin Hilt, Calif. Letter on WRC funding was far from appropriate Sean Nelson's July 24 letter to the editor in which he advocated closing SOU's Women's Resource Center in order to save funds was extremely offensive. His claim that the WRC "pushes an extremist feminist agenda" is ludicrous. The "extremists" he referred to are concerned women trying to educate students as well as the community about serious issues (i.e.; the recent date-rape drug epidemic; access to safe birth control; domestic violence; eating disorders; STD's, and so much more). The volunteers and staff at the WRC work incredibly hard to maintain a safe space for women to come to in times of crisis (or to access the resource library, etc.), while simultaneously working on projects to increase awareness on numerous issues to help both women and men. To top it off, the center was accused of harassing "prospective students" and giving SOU "bad press." This is a ridiculous claim at best. It sounds like Mr. Nelson may have a personal issue with someone at the WRC - or perhaps with women in general - that he is misdirecting at the WRC. Everyone has different opinions on how SOU funds should be distributed. The WRC is already a skin and bones program that receives little funding in comparison with other extracurricular programs at SOU. Eliminating the center to save money would not make a dent in SOU's budget, but it would remove an invaluable resource for the community. Lisa Johnson Ashland Book on election topics available at public libraries Copies of the book, "Choosing the President 2004, a Citizen's Guide to the Electoral Process," are now available at all Jackson County libraries. Published by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, this book also addresses the problems in Florida in the 2000 election, and HAVA, Help America Vote Act, which Congress passed to address those problems. The books were donated to the library by the two local chapters, the League of Women Voters of Ashland, and the League of Women Voters of Rogue Valley, headquartered in Medford. While geared to the upcoming election, this quick read also is an excellent reference for information on such continuing controversial subjects as the the Electoral College, and on more recent ones such as BCRA, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. Close out your summer reading by preparing for the November election! Ruth Walsh Ashland DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams