JULY 17 - JULY 23, 1999
JULY 23, 1999
The wisdom of the Bradford Hotel
I turned off the news on WESB-AM and shook my head. "Can't Bob Hand get
anything right?" I asked Red Jacket.
"Maybe his boss told him he had to protect the other rich guys. Maybe that's what
he's doing."
I thought about it. Maybe Don Fredeen told Bob to take a conciliatory tone in his
coverage of how the Alliance tried to take over the Chamber of Commerce and dictate who
the Executive Director would be. By twisting the story a bit, even to the point of
misquoting the President, Dale Phillips, they could put a spin on the story that didn't
make it seem what it really was. That made sense.
As we got out of the pickup truck and crossed the street the old chief patted me on the
back. "Today was a great victory for you," he said.
"Really? How is that?" I asked.
"You beat them. You exposed the Alliance for what they really were. You made
them deal on the terms you wanted instead of them dictating like they always have."
"I don't follow you," I said as we entered the bar.
"When you started verifying the story by making phone calls, you shook up the
Alliance. No one was supposed to know what was going on until after it was done. You had
all the information and you were going to publish it.. That's why John Satterwhite walked
down stairs following your call to him and told Marty to write a story. You made them
expose themselves. When The Era ran their story they gave your story
verification. They had the news, you had the facts. When you publish the magazine,
everyone will know and they will see the Alliance for what it really is. All those guys
really look bad."
As we sat down at the bar I realized what Red Jacket had said was exactly the
truth. I had won and I won in a very curious way. I beat them without ever having my name
associated with the victory. I won by having them beat themselves with their arrogance and
their back door tactics. In the end they beat themselves.
Dave was sitting at the bar and the chief asked what was happening.
"Nothing much," he said. "Greg and Dianne are over there in the
corner, fighting, as usual. Old Wes and his buddies are carrying on about John Kennedy not
really being dead. I came over here to get away from the stupidity."
I was interested so I asked what he was talking about. Welfare Wes was glad to
oblige.
"He ain't dead," Toothless Tim said before Wes could explain. "Wes
has it all figured out and he's 150% right! I agree with him."
"Fine," I said, wanting to hear from Wes. It didn't take long..
"It's a hoax! All these celebrities are dying. Who believes that? I don't!
They are staging their deaths and going off to some island to live. They get plastic
surgery and they come back when the want and can do as they please. It's what happened to
Elvis and Jim Morrison.!"
I had to think about that. Old Wes had a real interesting theory. After all, no one
had seen their bodies except for Ted Kennedy. Who would believe anything he had to say?
"Yea," Wes went on to say. "There's probably some island in the
Pacific near the one Marlon Brando owns. That's where they all are. They live out there in
the Pacific. They fly in and out of Tahiti. Some investigative reporter should go stake
out that airport. He would discover a whole lot."
Then it made sense to me. That's where Jim Buck has been. I held up on reporting
that he was missing. No one at The Era would comment. They wouldn't say whether
he was on vacation or on assignment. I thought he might have gone off following some of
his new friends that he made with the Rainbow People. But maybe Wes had something. Maybe
he was on the trail of the alleged Dead Kennedys. That would surely win a Pulitzer
Prize - every writer's dream!
George will be jealous, I thought. But it made sense to me sending Jim instead of
George. It made sense not sending me, either. Both George and I are getting on in years
and maybe not always in the best of health. What this story needed was youth and vitality.
Jim was the man for the job.
About that time John Satterwhite came in. He looked at me and gave me that strange
smile of his.
"You had to do it, didn't you? You just couldn't leave well enough alone.
You've set the Alliance back a whole year now."
"That's their own fault," I said. "The real question is where is Jim
Buck? Is he on vacation or is he on assignment? Wes here thinks he's tracking down Dead
Kennedys. Is there any truth to that."
"Like I told you on the phone the other day, I don't want to be quoted. Let's
just leave it at that."
At that point, Red Jacket and I finished up at the bar and moved along. As usual,
comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
JULY 22, 1999
FLASH!!!
FLASH!!!!
FLASH!!!!!
Since publishing this story, Ron Orris now states that he has no desire to leave Wal
Mart to become the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. He has also shared with
a source of The Mountain Laurel Review, that he has no reason to believe that
anything will change in Bradfrod, regardless of who the Executive Director might be.
Now the question lingers. Who will the Alliance force on the Chamber next? What
executive at Zippo has a frustrated wife at home who needs a job? Will he or she emerge
from Pitt? Tune in sports fans. The story is just beginning.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Because of the flurry of activity while I was verifying
this story, The Bradford Era ran a similar story this morning without the detail and
direct quotes included here. Their coverage only serves to verify this story as factual.
The end of Candy Bush?
What would you do if you were the President of a local Chamber of Commerce
Organization and out of the blue you were approached by two very important businessmen,
who, under the auspices of representing a local "alliance" of large and
influential business, told you they wanted you to fire your Executive Director?
Also, what if you were satisfied with the performance of that person and had absolutely
no inkling that anyone else on the Chamber or its governing board were dissatisfied with
that person? Would you be tempted to win favor with these very important persons and give
them what they wanted, or, would you hold on to your principles? Would you stand up to the
might of money and power and social approval?
And, what would happen if you became aware of other members of this particular
"alliance" engaging in arm twisting and threats against members of the Governing
Board of your Chamber of Commerce? What if you believed that corporate executives who were
members of the "alliance" threatened the President of a bank with the loss of
business, particularly "direct deposits of employees wages" in that bank, unless
his employee, a member of the Chamber Board voted to get rid of the director? What would
you do?
What if you also heard that a local attorney who is a candidate for an influential
office in the local judiciary had made a similar call to a board member who had a cleaning
service. What if you believed that the board member was threatened by saying that he would
lose contracts in three major businesses in town unless he saw it the way the
"alliance" wanted him to see it? Knowing that the particular board member was
scared and even considered resigning his seat, what could you do?
Then, in an effort to sugar coat a very distasteful and maybe even illegal action, what
if these influential people wanted you to drain the treasury of the chamber to pay the
director a severance payment in order to insure her silence. How would you react to
something like that?
What questions might you ask if that happened to you?
Would you ask, as President of the local chamber, who do you really represent? Are
you supposed to represent only members of the chamber, or are you supposed to represent
the community as a whole? If you are representing the community as a whole, why would the
wishes of a special interest group, an "alliance," carry more weight than anyone
else?
This all has the sounds and makings of a modern day Morality Play. It’s the big
guy against the little guy, the haves against the have nots. It’s the interests of
big business against the mom and pop operation. It’s the rich kids, who have their
positions not because of what they know, or what they’ve done; but only because who
they are against the rest of us who were not so fortunate to be born into wealthy and
powerful families.
It’s kind of like a David Poyer novel about his mythical Hemlock County with the
big guys exerting their power and their wills over the rest of the people. And as far
fetched as it might sound, it is not a plot for a new Poyer novel. Unfortunately, it is
actually happening right here in McKean County and the City of Bradford, and the players
are very real and very well known.
Candy Bush, the Executive Director of the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, according
to the Bradford Area Alliance, has to go. They want her fired and replaced by Ron Orris.
Taking into the consideration all the pressure that is being brought to bear, it appears
that Candy’s tenure as director is coming to a close. One by one, each director, his
business or his employer, are made aware of the fact that Candy is not acceptable to the
Bradford Area Alliance. If they value continued economic activity, they had better dump
Candy.
It initially appeared that the action was to be taken by the Board of Directors on
Thursday, July 22nd. However, the President of the Chamber decided to postpone
the meeting until next month. In the meantime, the lobbying, arm twisting, and maybe even
the threatening of the eighteen member board continues.
Why?
In the past twelve months we have seen a similar event take place. That was the
removal of Charlie Dach as Director of the Tourism Association. Charlie it seemed, was no
longer acceptable to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, specifically President
Richard McDowell; and, Zippo Manufacturing, specifically Mike Shuler. Ultimately, Charlie
was replaced. Richard Esch, an up and coming power at UPB, became president of the
association. Linda Devlin, the wife of a Zippo executive, became the Director. In that
instance, The Bradford Area Alliance, became the white knight, promising money to offset
the additional expense of hiring Devlin. She was elevated to become a full time Executive
Director with a pay commensurate to the position, something that was never done for Dach.
Ironically, a similar event is happening with the Chamber of Commerce.
Ron Orris, the manager of Wal Mart in Olean and long time businessman in Bradford, is
the choice of the Alliance. While Candy is paid just over $20,000 and has satisfactorily
performed her duties in the eyes of the Board, the Alliance feels Ron should be paid in
the area of $50,000 and they are prepared to help pay for it, too. According to
Glesk, Orris is prepared to accept the position once Candy is eliminated, either by
resignation or outright firing.
Glesk, in a meeting with Dale Phillips, President of the Chamber of Commerce, said:
"Ron will hit the ground running. He is prepared to work twelve hours a day, seven
days a week and in one month we will see more activity than Candy has ever created."
What is their reasoning?
Mike Glesk, the director of the Alliance, stated: "It’s not that Candy is
a bad person. It’s just that this is over Candy’s head."
In the same conversation, the President of the Chamber said in opposition to that
statement: "I guess I would have to ask, to my knowledge she has been performing her
job as we asked her. Where is your information coming from that she’s not doing what
she should be doing?"
Answering that, it was said: "Well, I’ll give you two recent instances.
Dianne Galt left, partly because of her, because of Candy, because of lack of
cooperation."
When the director asked if that information came directly from the Main Street Manager
who left unexpectedly, he was told that the information in fact did. He went on to
elaborate that two specific candidates for the job have refused contract offers because of
Candy. According to him, Donna, a candidate from St. Mary’s came back and told him:
"Candy made it basically clear, you’re not going to make any progress here.
Everything goes through me."
Glesk openly admitted that when the Alliance last met, the main question was
"What to do about Candy?" According to him, Candy is a road block to economic
development and anyone wanting to locate in Bradford. Glesk claimed that any inquiry into
coming into Bradford, ended with the first call to the Chamber of Commerce and
Candy’s negative attitude. And, Candy has openly stated that this year will be the
last year for the Farmer’s Market, too, because, according to Glesk, Candy has said
that "....it’s too much trouble." Apparently, the Alliance likes buying
fresh produce in the parking lot of a bank on Saturday mornings.
So how much of this is true?
To blame Dianne Galt’s leaving on Candy Bush is absurd. Ray McMahon was taken
with her little girl attractiveness. She lit a spark in the old goat and had him eating
out of the palm of her hand. She sold him and Mayor Cavallaro a bill of goods, both on her
qualifications, and on her real intentions when she came here.
I find it odd that I am writing this article and taking the side of Candy Bush. In some
respects I might even agree with the Alliance. However, like Larry Stratton taught me in
the three plus years I’ve worked with him: "If it looks like Cow Dung, Smells
like Cow Dung, you don’t need to taste it just to find out that its Cow Dung. Chances
are that it is."And, what Mike Glesk, official spokesperson for the Fortune 500 of
Bradford, otherwise known as the Bradford Area Alliance, is putting forward is nothing
more than pure unadulterated Cow Dung!
Dianne Galt was good. She fooled Ray McMahon. She was never inclined to take up on his
advances because of the fact that she was a Lesbian. It didn’t take long for those
around town to notice how she found a "friend", and it also didn’t take
very long for people to realize that they were more than just "friends",
too.
She traveled to San Diego, ostensibly to attend a convention and get ideas to spiff
up Main Street. The fact of the matter is that while she traveled there on City money, she
went job hunting and found herself a new position. She also found a Culinary Arts School
that she told insiders she was going to pay to have her lover attend. As much as I might
like to blame Dianne’s sudden departure on Candy, nothing could be farther from the
truth.
At the same time, Candy is not exactly the brightest star in the sky, either. Just
before Christmas one year, Candy, the head of the local Chamber of Commerce, in
conjunction with PNC Back, organized a shopping trip to Mill Creek Mall in Erie. That
certainly makes a statement about the shopping on Main Street now, doesn’t it? And
there are other episodes in which she has blundered and miscued. But, will Ron Orris be
any better?
So what is it really all about?
Really, what it is all about is that Candy ran afoul of the Imperial Dick McDowell.
It goes way back and no one but McDowell himself knows the reason why. Maybe Candy did not
fall down before him and pay him the proper homage that he felt was due him. Pitt had to
go to her instead of the other way around. Anyone who knows anything soon realizes that
all the glory and honor is due to the great and powerful Pitt. And, Candy saying that
"Bradford supports Pitt; but Pitt doesn’t support Bradford," probably
didn’t help either. That became clearly apparent in the same conversation.
George Leonhardt, President of Bradford Regional Medical Center, pointed out that the
reason and the blame for why Pitt was no longer represented on the Chamber of Commerce
Board, was and is, Candy Bush.
There was a discussion about a position on the chamber board held by Mark Van Tilburg.
It seemed that when he tendered his resignation, Pitt, specifically Dick McDowell, did not
respond to Candy’s request for a new appointment. Ultimately, after many phone calls,
Glen Melvin, a photographer who owns his own business was appointed to fill the vacancy.
It seemed that it came down to Pitt not wanting to work with Candy.
The way it was put was: "Dick McDowell wanted to resign. He was so pissed about
what happened on this appointment. He didn’t care what happened to the Chamber,
whether it broke up or not."
And what happens to Candy?
During the conversation, Dale Phillips, President of the Chamber, had it put to him
simply regarding any liability for firing her. The repercussions, if any were clearly
discussed.
"Pennsylvania is a state in which you can dismiss someone without cause," he
was told. Other states are not, but you can here. You can call Candy in and say, and in
saying it to Candy, the last thing I would like to see done is you get together in a board
meeting and Candy isn’t in that meeting, and Candy is called in and you say the board
has voted 10 to 8, or 12 to 6, or something in that fashion to dismiss you. What I think
is if there is a feeling you want to move ahead in the direction a lot of people think you
should, I think what ought to be done is that someone meets with Candy and says we’re
going to provide you with some termination benefits, here’s a month’s pay,
nothing more said, because the more you say the more you are liable."
When the Mr. Phillips suggested bringing someone else in and moving Candy into second
position, that was unacceptable to the Alliance. They made it very clear that Candy had to
go.
And what is the alliance doing to accomplish this?
By now every single member of the Chamber of Commerce Board has been contacted.
Jeff Jackson of Hamlin Bank admits that Marty Digel was called by Mike Shuler. However,
he denies that any type of threat was made and he denies that Mr. Digel has told him to
support the position of the Bradford Area Alliance. "I was told to use my best
judgement," Mr. Jackson said.
Rich Bancroft of Servco also admits he was called by Chris Hauser. He denies that he
was threatened with the loss of business accounts and he says that no undue pressure was
exerted on him. Likewise, Chris Hauser denies threatening Bancroft in any way, shape, or
form.
On the same note, William Pantuso, manager of a local branch of Northwest Savings, was
called to Pitt to meet with Dick McDowell, who, besides being President of Pitt, is also a
past President of Northwest Savings and currently a member of the Board of Directors.
While a desire was expressed to replace Candy, it was stated that no threats were made.
Finally, unhappy with the time it was taking for Dale Phillips to come on board,
so to speak, George Leonhardt, President of Bradford Regional Medical Center, called Ray
McMahon, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Community Development, and
complained to him that Phillips was dragging his feet. Phillips was in turn called by Dave
Lunden, McMahon’s employee, and told of Leonhardt’s displeasure.
In the meantime, a two page letter from the Alliance to the Chamber of Commerce Board
of Directors was received in the mail on Tuesday, July 20th.
Listing a number of groups that they provide "financial and managerial
support," the letter goes on to explain why the Alliance was formed. "We see our
role as catalyst, supporter, and facilitator," it says. It also says that they, the
Alliance, "...believe the Chamber must play a much more significant leadership role
if the Bradford Area Renaissance is to unfold." That means, they say, "...the
success of the Chamber is heavily dependent on a strong dynamic leader"and
"...it is clear to the Alliance and to many others in the community, including many
members of the Chamber and your Board, that fresh leadership is required to achieve this
vision." To that end the Alliance says: "...we feel that Ms. Bush’s
resignation should be handled with gratitude, respect, and grace."
While the letter was not signed by any one person or group of persons, it carried the
names of twelve business and organizations, all members of the Alliance. A phone call to
at least one of the principals of the companies that appeared as giving support, while
asking not to be quoted, said that he did not necessarily support the concept or the
firing of Candy Bush. Another, while he said he had no comment, did state that the name of
his organization appeared without his knowledge and consent, thus leading me to believe
that he may not agree with the firing either.
Brenda Ruth of the Fisher Inn, claiming to speak for the Board, demanded that Candy
resign as recently as Tuesday, the same day the letter from the Alliance arrived. Is Ms.
Ruth attempting to get the business back from Bradford Regional Medical Center that
recently began going to the Mountain Laurel Inn?
So what will happen?
The Bradford Area Alliance promises money to many organizations. The obvious question
is where does this money come from? They never made good on their promise to help with the
salary of the new Airport Manager. Not a single cent ever appeared even though the same
Mike Glesk of the Bradford Area Alliance certainly represented that it would. How many
other hollow promises have they made?
Certainly Ron Orris would jump at the offer of $50,000 to head up the Chamber of
Commerce. I might even withdraw from the County Commissioners’ race if they offered
me an increase like that. Who wouldn’t? But, if I were Ron, I would want to know
exactly who would be paying my salary. Certainly, as the Chamber is now situated, they
would never be able to afford the doubling of the salary of the Executive Director. And, I
would seriously doubt that the Satterwhites, the Bromleys, the Shulers, the McDowells, or
even the Kessels of the Bradford Area Alliance are prepared to contribute very much from
their personal fortunes for the ability to say that they now own the Chamber of
Commerce.
Maybe the Alliance has found a money tree or they finally have access to a few of Ray
McMahon’s slush funds. Any one of those may be true, but it would be very interesting
to take a close look at them. Under scrutiny, these "leaders" and "Captains
of Industry" may just show up as what they really are - very loud frogs in a little
puddle of water.
I question their need to be in control. The Chamber of Commerce, like the Tourism
Association, did its thing for many years. Like the Tourism Association, the board seemed
pretty satisfied with its Executive Director until these guys showed up. Are they really
that much smarter than the rest of us? Are they running perfect organizations that are
making enormous profits? Bradford Regional Medical Center isn’t, yet George Leonhardt
as President and Mike Shuler as Chairman of the Board of Directors both seem to think they
know what the town needs.
Like the Alliance, I am all for a Bradford Area Renaissance. Who will be the Executive
Director for that and how much will the Alliance want to contribute? The reality of it all
is that no single person will either make or break economic prosperity in this area. For
as many pluses we have, the negatives still remain. One of those negatives will always be
the wages the employers who make up the Alliance pay their employees. It’s easy to
point to cities and towns where prosperity reigns. Fortunately for them the top wage is
not a $12 an hour job at Zippo.
The gulf between us and them is vast. The distance between the Alliance and the people
of the area is just as great. We need to really think long and hard about getting rid of
Candy Bush just because they say things will be better if we do. Ron Orris, as great a guy
as he is, is not the answer. And, Mr. Shuler and Mr. McDowell don’t have it either.
This is about power and it is about control. Thirty years from now, no one will care, and
in all probability the same arguments and the same ideas will all be being repeated.
Comment at rdhedbud@penn.com.
JULY 21, 1999
Point of view at the Bradford Hotel
I was in town last night running down a story that I will probably break tomorrow
morning. My mind was spinning with all the information I had gathered. I had tapes of
conversations and copies of letters and statements that just absolutely astounded me. I
wanted to give all of this to Jim Buck but I got the impression that he was out of town
when I called. Wouldn't you just know it. When you need an investigative reporter,
none is anywhere to be found.
It was good to see Dave Sheffer. He's one of those regular guys. You always know where
you stand with him and I like that. After awhile you get tired of all the phonies.
Grant Nichols and John Satterwhite were involved in a serious discussion about the
disappearance of John Kennedy, his wife, and sister. I caught part of it and what I
heard made a whole lot of sense to me.
"I sure hope they find the bodies," Grant said. "Because if they
don't, this could turn into another Elvis thing. All the tabloids, maybe even The
Mountain Laurel Review, will run pieces saying that the whole thing was staged so the
two of them could disappear and live on a secluded island somewhere."
John was agreeing with him. "I'm sure Bud wouldn't hesitate to run a story
like that," he said "You know him. Anything that will cause a controversy is
right up his alley."
They hadn't seen me come in. I laughed quietly to myself and ordered the
bar, including the two of them, a drink. If they only knew what I was working on at that
very moment.
When they realized I was in the bar, they both said hello.
"Thanks for the drink," Grant said. John agreed and tanked me too.
"So," I said. "You two think I tend to print the sensational."
John laughed. "You overheard our conversation."
I said that I had.
"You have to admit," Grant said. "You don't go out of your way to
avoid those kinds of stories."
"Why should I?" I asked. "Isn't that our job? Shouldn't we give the
complete story?" I asked them.
Even before they could answer, I continued. "That's been the beauty of The
Mountain Laurel Review for the past six years," I said. "We don't have that
pressure from advertisers or school chums and social friends that we have to guard what we
write and what we say. If it's the truth and it is worthy, why not?"
"But you hurt people, Bud," John said.
"I hurt people's feelings," I admitted. "Your paper has hurt people and
their reputations. Look at Carolyn Gulnac and the way that was handled. Why aren't there
any stories that are saying that there is nothing on her? Why aren't there stories saying
that the School District was wrong all along? Why aren't you covering the fact that now
they want to call the whole thing off? Is it because your paper is tied to McDowell, Wick
& Daly and Fred Gallup is a partner and Chris Hauser is retained by the paper to read
over letters for libel? Why isn't the paper trying to make it right now that it is
over?"
I was being unfair to John and when I realized it, I apologized. It wasn't his
fault. He had to give his writers and editors a free hand to report what they believed was
honest. Who was I to be critical even if I disagreed with the way they went about it?
But at the same time, who were they to be critical of me, too. Weren't they as
guilty as I was and for exactly the same thing they accused me of doing? What was the
difference? Was it because they considered themselves a legitimate newspaper and
me and The Mountain Laurel Review as being less than that? Evidently, they did.
"Point of view!" I said aloud. That got Dave's attention.
"It's all point of view."
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"It's all about the perspective from which you view something," I
said..
"And what does that mean?" Dave wanted to know.
I looked at Grant and John and could see I hit a spot with them.
"The staff of The Era looks at something from one side - their point of
view; and I look at the same thing from another side - my point of view. We write about
the same thing, but with a different slant and a different purpose. They look to uphold
the old establishment. I don't. If the old establishment is wrong, I say so. Even when it
is blatantly wrong, they might report on it; but they never come right out and say it is
wrong. They don't step on anyone's toes unless they are insignificant in the grand scheme
of things.
John obviously didn't agree with me. Why would he? Grant on the other hand, while he
didn't necessarily totally agree, knew what I was saying and why.
I looked down at the beer I had ordered. I hadn't taken a sip of it and suddenly it
didn't even appeal to me. I came into the bar to rest my mind and consider the story I was
about to break. I wound up talking about the principles that were involved in the issue I
had investigated. It came down to a matter of right and wrong. This was going to be
one of those point of view things. It depended on which side of the story you were. Once
released, it will take on a life of its own. The Era will spin to its side and
the radio will be where it wants to be. Me, as usual, I'll be out there with my neck stuck
way out.
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
JULY 20, 1999
Bats, bats, and more bats; and not the Indiana kind!
When "Wild Bill" Nannen and I sit around and talk about bats, we do not mean
the kind of bats that come from Indiana. No. On the contrary, we are talking about the
Louisville bats.
More specifically, not the bug eaters. We are talking about the famed Louisville
Sluggers - the kind we used to swing as kids on back lots and in baseball games. The same
bats that we would tape back together when some ignoramus held it the wrong way and
cracked it. Back then, hitting a ball against the grain was a Cardinal Sin.
These are the same bats Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, and
Willie Mays used to swing. They were made right here in this neck of the woods with the
trees that grew on our hills.
Bill’s dad, Mr. William O. Nannen, Sr. owned and operated W.O. Nannen and Sons
Mills. He supplied bat billets for the Louisville Slugger Bats. Somehow, as important as
the commodity was that he was supplying at the time, it remains a little known piece of
area lore. For years he was the exclusive supplier of baseball bats and did it on a
handshake.
"My dad didn’t have much use for contracts," Bill said. "He
used to say to me: ‘Billy. We don’t have a contract. What’s the good of it.
Anyone who wants out will go. I tell them how much and they tell me how many. That’s
the way we do business..’ "
"We had three mills. They were in Galeton, Ellicottville, and Smethport. We made
millions of bats. We could produce six thousand of them a day. We did it for years and
then Hillerich and Bradsby Co., the finishers in Louisville, bought us out. That was in
1963.
"They bought everything. They wanted the whole operation.
"Besides bats, we made rough handles ready for finishing for hammers and shovels
besides the bats. We made wooden skis and bowling pins, too."
Bill spoke well of his parents.
"Dad liked Ellicottville. He lived there at 17 Washington Street and was mayor
of the town for two terms. Mom liked it there, too. I was born there and I came down to
run the Smethport plant for dad."
Bill was one of six children born and raised in Ellicottville. Some of his fondest
memories of his dad center around the baseball bats.
"Dad had bats from most of the famous baseball players of the times. It was always
an exciting day when a new bat arrived. Dad had them in his office. He could always call
the finisher and get an extra one for himself when one of the famous players made an
order. That was something very few people were able to do. When a player ordered his own
bats, no one dared ever have a duplicate. But whenever the people in Louisville explained
to the player that they sent one to dad, their supplier of raw wood as a courtesy, no one
ever refused.
" He had World Series Commemorative Bats, too. Many of them are in the Hall of
Fame now. Then there was his favorite."
Bill got a far away look when he described it. He remembered it with fondness.
"Chief Bender was a teenager on the Gowanda Indian Reservation. He wasn’t
a chief. Dad said he was a long legged wiry kid who loved baseball and could hit a ball a
mile. Dad used to supply the kids with bats and balls. He was that kind of guy.
"He came up the hard way and always had a helping hand for anyone who wanted it.
Bender some how got one of our billets (unfinished bats) and carved it out by hand. That
was his bat and when he made it to the Major Leagues playing for old Casey Stengel in a
Philly uniform, he gave the bat back to my dad as a keepsake.
"Dad kept that as one of his prized possessions. I think he liked it more than
the World Series bats or even the one he had from Ted Williams. It is in Salamanca now in
the Seneca Indian Museum. Chief Bender was one of Stengel’s All Time Greats in the
American League."
We have a rich history here when we talk about bats. Unfortunately, so much has
changed. Bats are made out of metal instead of wood now. And bats, the kind that eat bugs,
are able to close down a whole industry that provides the world with raw materials for
products.
But far beyond that, like the little mills owned by W.O. Nannen and Sons, what becomes
of the little loggers who feed their families when the kooks are able to stop timbering
for whole seasons? While few people want to see a species become extinct and disappear for
all time, what of people? What of our needs?
I don’t have an answer to that problem. I do know the men who feed their families
by cutting down trees. They are good people and that is all they know. They deserve better
than to have some college students take away their livelihood because someone
caught one bat in a snare net one summer. It all sounds too fishy to me. It sounds like
the people we pay to oversee our laws for us have gone bats!
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
JULY 19, 1999
The hummingbird trial
My phone rang all weekend. You would have thought that the media would have been
interested in what I had to say about the Federal Indictment of our State Senator Bill,
what's for lunch, Slocum. But no, all they wanted were comments about the legal
proceedings I was involved in on Friday regarding my hummingbirds.
I found it interesting that the editorial in the Saturday Era actually seemed
to be an apology to Senator Sludge. Reading it I couldn't help wonder if, because he's
been a good guy and promised to waste State tax dollars on the monstrosity and patently
unsafe structure known as Old City Hall, the anonymous editorialist wasn't saying he/she
(who am I kidding!) was sorry that all this was happening to such a fine fellow. The
un-signed editorialist further went on to more or less blame the whole mess on the
Democrats in Harrisburg and Slocum's opponent for the seat, Curt Bowley, for the whole
thing. After all, Attorney General Mike Fisher could find no evidence to link Slocum to
the "exceedence" as the King of Sludge so aptly put it.
Actually, Curt Bowley isn't smart enough, articulate enough, nor does he carry
anywhere near the clout or name recognition to even begin to orchestrate such a thing. If
credit should be given for the Feds going forward on the Republican cover-up of their
bought and paid for yes man, then the credit should go to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
for the story it broke last year following Fisher's white wash of the lengthy and
continuing purposeful pollution of the Brokenstraw Creek.
While The Era's "ghost editorialist" expounded on the wonderful
acts the man who has never passed up a free meal has performed, it failed to note that he
was accepting not one sliver of the blame. Keep in mind that the state had fined
Youngsville Borough $75,000 and taxes had to be increased to cover paying for what someone
certainly did. Also, while Slocum was the only person licensed to operate the facility,
wasn't it interesting that he was blaming poor Mr. Williams, an unlicensed underling.
However, the really interesting part of it all is The Era and our local media are
all accepting that as an explanation. Wow. Imagine if it was me saying that!
Keep in mind that while Slocum was running the water treatment plant in
Youngsville, he was in charge of a giant septic tank. We can put fancy names on it, but a
septic tank it was and is. Imagine if, for whatever reason, your fault, my fault, nobody's
fault, we decided to run our septic tanks out on the highway or the street in front of our
neighbors' homes. How long would we get away with it?
That's right. Not long. Why then should we excuse Slocum?
In the meantime, I did appear in Court on Friday, brought up on charges by the
Audubon Police for feeding hummingbirds an illegal mixture.Judge Cleland recused himself
and Senior Judge Robert Wolfe heard the case.Anthony J. "Killer" Krastek, Senior
Deputy Attorney General was prosecuting me, and I was defending myself without the benefit
of council.
As Judge Wolfe entered the court room, he noticed Red Jacket and Cornplanter in the
back of Court Room Number Two. Red Jacket was wearing a Buffalo Sabres ballcap and
Cornplanter had on a ceremonial head dress full of eagle feathers.
"You two men in the last row," Judge Wolfe said. "Kindly remove your
head coverings in my court room."
Cornplanter immediately obliged. The large head dress, not common to Iroquois
tribes, had actually been given to him by Chief Crazy Horse after the Little Big Horn.
Cornplanter wore it to formal gatherings, and since the last time he was in a Court House
was 1823, (the time he threatened to burn it down with the Judge and the County
Commissioners in it unless they canceled his tax assessment) he considered it a formal
affair. But he was obliging enough and Judge Wolfe, when he saw the production involved
with removing the head dress, might have thought better of it had he only known. So, when
Red Jacket took off the ball cap and an eagle feather popped up, Judge Wolfe said nothing.
He left the old Indian alone.
As the proceedings began I introduced a motion that the charges be dismissed.
Killer jumped to his feet to object.
Now Judge Wolfe is a neat kind of Judge. He isn't a sissy like Cleland who might
find you in contempt and send you to jail for the weekend. No. He says it like it is and
makes you feel like if you get out of line in his court room, he just might come down off
the bench and whip your butt. You have to like that in a Judge. And, I always suspected
Judge Wolfe had a .44 magnum under his robes, too.
"Sit down, Mr. Krastek," he said sternly. "What is the basis for you
motion, Mr. Beck?" he asked.
"Cause of action, Your Honor," I said. "The Commonwealth has no law
supporting their citation. No where has the State Legislature ever passed legislation
making it illegal to make a mixture of nectar for hummingbirds anything. In fact, Your
Honor," I pointed out. "The State Legislature is mute on the subject of
hummingbirds. They have never addressed this issue before. The courts have never addressed
this issue. And, I say that this is nothing more than another political prosecution of me
by the Attorney General and the Republican Party. For that reason, I move this matter be
dismissed with prejudice."
"Do you have law or case law, Mr. Krastek?" Judge Wolfe asked.
"Well, no, Your Honor," Killer said.
"What do you have to support your cause of action?"
"I have an executive decree signed by the Governor," he told the Judge.
He approached the bench and handed it over to Judge Wolfe, then he handed a copy to me.
After a few moments of thoughtful reading, Judge Wolfe looked up. "This is
nice," he said. "It's done very well. Everything is spelled correctly and the
grammar is perfect, too. I have always admired the Governor's letterhead, too. But, Mr.
Krastek, this is worthless in a court of law. Besides making some hummingbirds
hyperactive, which I can't find is a crime either, Mr. Beck has done nothing. However, you
on the other hand, have invaded his home and disrupted his life. What are you going to do
about that?"
Krastek said nothing.
"I suspected as much," Judge Wolfe said.
"Mr. Beck. I am granting your motion. Case dismissed. I will dictate the
appropriate order."
And with that, the hummingbird affair came to an end, or so it seems for now.
Your comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
JULY 17 & 18, 1999
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