Farewell to ‘UPS Dave’
To the editor:
I am writing this letter with a saddened heart for the loss that has befallen our town. I first met Dave Jackson while having my hair done in Salon 17 about seven years ago. Even as I sat in a brown plastic cape and foils in my hair he struck me as the kind of "UPS Guy" every small town should be lucky enough to have. He was kind, friendly, resourceful, and most importantly, happy.
When I opened a business of my own I came to know Dave as more than just a guy in a brown truck. He had a family, a new wife, a strong faith, children and a heart of gold. He also had a work ethic that T.O. could benefit from. Dave simply never complained. With a smile on his face he would carry ridiculously large packages up an entire flight of stairs, (which is where my store was located), or if there was no room at the store he would drop them off down the street at my home. Never once did Dave wince, moan, complain or even lose his patience. As a resident and a frequent on-line shopper Dave makes regular stops at our home. His deliveries are always accompanied with a friendly salutation and cheerful farewell, even when his oversized route has kept him on the job well past 8 p.m. My children love spotting "UPS Dave" as we drive around our town. You just know that when that brown truck steams towards you that you are about to receive a huge grin and a royal hand wave.
I, for one, feel humbled to have met such a decent, hard-working and kind man, in an era of "life in not fair." Even in a small town like Pennington, the chaos of life takes over and we often take for granted the kindness and generosity of others. Dave Jackson never broke stride as he delivered packages day after day for 22 years. He celebrated all that Pennington brought to his life.
I invite the citizens of Pennington and Hopewell to join in a community "Thank You" to Dave, on Friday, Jan. 13, at Wildflowers on the Pennington Circle, starting at 6:30 p.m. Stop by and raise a glass as we give Dave the send-off he so deserves.
Cathy Macmain-Cage
Pennington
Thank you for Reindeer Lane!
To the editor:
I want to thank Val Stuermer and all her Santa’s helpers on the Reindeer Lane event at the train station right before Christmas.
The most amazing moment on our Christmas morning was to see the faces of our children when they brought all our family members their little presents they each picked out on their own and wrapped without parental help. They were so proud of their choices.
Thank you to everyone that organized this event. I’m sure it was a lot of work. Just wanted to let you all know it made our Christmas morning.
Thanks!
Beth Judge
Hopewell
Back Timberlane parking
To the editor:
Before we begin, understand, the school district has been given a right to build certain structures and infrastructures and the township may review and advise, but not deny unless they create dangerous conditions to the public at large. In all cases, the township engineer has the sole responsibility of the safety and convenience of the public. In this case, you, the traveling public.
This letter is about street parking near "Back Timberlane (BT)." The Recreation Group wants the school district to allow them to park vehicles in designated areas on the streets around the BT fields. These streets are considered very dangerous by the township engineer. The intersections have oversized stop signs and rumble strips to alert the public of the possible dangers. In fact, the design of the road does not permit regular parking, only emergency parking. The streets have two driving lanes and 4-foot shoulders. The shoulders permit biking and walking because there are no sidewalks. Any vehicle parked there will encroach into the driving lanes by 2 feet or more, severely narrowing the driving lanes and creating a more dangerous condition than it already is.
Now, if we open the driver’s side door of the vehicle and people get out and walk in the reduced width of the driving lane to get to the games, that is another 2 feet into the traveled way now that is life threatening. There also was concern about physically challenged persons getting in and out of the vehicles and young children and old people having to walk in the driving lanes further increasing the chance of something terrible happening that could make or cause a deadly mistake and that should never happen, not for this reason.
To further complicate the issue most, if not all of the people involved with this problem, will be the out-of-towners who don’t know the area.
There is another reason why it should not be allowed and it concerns the developers and the school district. In this instance, the school district is to be considered a developer. Recently, the township had to deal with developers not constructing their infrastructure in a timely manner. i.e. roads, parking areas, drives, drainage, first, etc. Does not the school district have to follow the same rules or can and will the developer cite this exception as his reason for not having to comply?
All is not doom and gloom. There is a solution to the problem. I suggest that the recreation faction hire a bus to go on a continuous loop from parking lot game site to parking lot game site all day for the two days of Invitational Play. This operation is just like Terhunes Orchard and Flemington’s Special Sales Days and the situation is primarily the same a lot of people and no parking spaces.
Don Mauer
Hopewell Township
Successful PTPI drive
To the editor:
This letter is to thank you and the community in Hopewell and Pennington for your kindness, support and generosity in helping us with the recent coat drive. The community support was overwhelmingly benevolent and we are indebted to you all.
The drive commenced the week of Nov. 11 and lasted exactly four weeks. As a result, the drive raised approximately 2000 articles of woolen clothing-coats, jackets, snow pants, sweatshirts and the like.
On the weekend of Dec. 10, all the boys who were involved with the drive congregated at a central place and went through the arduous task of sorting the items. These were then bagged, labeled, boxed and sealed for delivery with like items men’s, women’s and children’s in individual boxes. The whole process took in excess of 10 hours, but it was right in tune with the spirit of the season. Once the boxes were sealed, the shipping company sent a truck to pick up the boxes the following weekend. These boxes were then sent by road to Los Angeles. From Los Angeles, the Hidaya Foundation will be shipping these boxes via a container ship to Pakistan. Then the items once again will travel by road to the effected area and the clothing will be distributed to the victims of the earthquake.
Approximately 3 million victims are homeless and suffering in the cold. Hopefully these items will reach them early this month.
On behalf of the Greater Princeton Student chapter (an adjunct of the adult Trenton Chapter) of the People-to-People International (PTPI), we thank you for your generosity. As you know by now, People to People president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, founded PTPI in 1956. Since then, hundreds of chapters have formed nationwide and worldwide to continue the nonprofit organization’s motto, "Peace through Understanding." In 2002, our chapter, the Greater Princeton Student Chapter, was formed to spread community and multicultural awareness to the youth. Since then, our chapter has successfully collected 5,000 pairs of shoes and soap for Haiti, hosted a benefit dinner that helped convert a landmine field to a cornfield in Sri Lanka, educated elementary students in the cultures of the world, hosted a video conference with a fellow chapter in Egypt, and continued correspondence with neighbor chapters.
We, eighth-grade students from the Timberlane Middle School who are members of the PTPI-Greater Princeton Student Chapter worked in alliance with the Hidaya Foundation to collect and distribute winter clothes to the victims of the recent earthquake in Pakistan to keep the vision of Dwight Eisenhower alive. The recent natural disaster has left thousands homeless and in desperate need of fundamental provisions such as food, clothing, etc. We acknowledge with gratitude the support of The St. James Church, Pennington Presbyterian Church, The Pennington Library, Failte Coffeehouse and The Hopewell Library.
Additional members who volunteered for the drive and who actively participated (and without whom this drive would not have been successful) include Tyler Vitullo; Robert Henderson, Robert Wei and Alexander Petruccio.
Your help and cooperation is greatly appreciated. You may contact us at [email protected], to give additional monetary donations or join the chapter’s growing membership. Together, we can make a difference between today’s world and tomorrow’s. Thank you so much for your kindness and consideration.
Neal Bakshi (treasurer, project leader)
Nick and Evan Angelus (project leaders)
Oliver Beacham (project leader)
No taxes for war
To the editor:
I object to being legally required to pay for war. Four times a year, when an estimated portion of my federal income tax is due, I am withholding $100 from my payment as a token of my conscientious objection to war and my denunciation of our government’s military policies.
When the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill in the U.S. Congress is enacted, it will amend the tax law to make it possible for the taxes of conscientious objectors to war, like myself, to be used only for nonmilitary expenses. Then, and only then, I will pay my full share.
Priscilla B. Maren
Hopewell Township
