Bob Jones
It has been eight years since Bob Jones left the employ of The Borough as Pottstown Borough Manager. A retired Admiral in The U.S. Navy came to Town in a pivotal time in our history. Financial doom if not rune cast a dark shadow on the horizon. Bob surveyed the lay of the land, charted a new course, chose a new crew, took the wheel, and cast off into the future. Now eight years later, though times are very tough, fruits of his vision of a town surviving remain strong.
Jones by realizing the aptitude and attitude of his assistant manager, Dave Forrest, untied his hands which allowed Dave to aggressively pursue financial grants that are apparent today.
Growing up in New England's tobacco country Bob keeps a memento of this heritage, the steel head of a specialized spear point. The steel point was attached to a wooden shaft which allowed the user to thrust the spear through the mass at the base of a mature tobacco plant impaling it on the shaft. When the shaft was full of green plants it was detached from the point and the shaft full of tobacco plants was hung in a drying barn so the tobacco could cure.
Bob Jones and I spoke quite often about his youth and about some of his exploits at sea. Throughout Man's history the story or the tale has been recorded for posterity. The poem has been used also to record in a synthesized way. With the poem poets try to join the mind with the heart so a tug from emotion surfaces. In doing so we try to describe and define, record a story, or name something that can live beyond the immediate which should be left for reporters of news to tell of today's happenings.
Ronald C. Downie
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Of Yankee Stock This Admiral
Of Yankee Stock This Admiral
Rod steel drawn, point hammered sharp
To pierce the heart of the harvest crop
By keen eyed males strong in muscle tone,
Who can thrust the spear, drive it home.
Jones left New England's warriors as a youth
For a southern education to learn the truth,
That the Earth is covered mostly in water .
"To sea in ships", Bob obeyed passion's order.
"Red at night is a sailor's delight."
Man is drawn and hammered like tempered steel,
While a ship on course is a function of its wheel.
Tempered from birth, Bob Jones born of Yankee stock,
Charts in hand, his ships will stay safely off the rock.
"Red in the morning is a sailor's warning."
That rust belt trilogy: Disinvestment, Decline, and Debt,
Could not deter a tour in Pottstown for this retired Vet.
Taking command, charting a new course, Jones took over the wheel,
Shirting shoals he found favorable currents, Bob's will-steel.
Pottstown is safely in its harbor, new charts point the way.
All assembled here ,Thank You Bob Jones, on this December day.
May all your evenings be bathed in a comforting reddish hue,
And may all your mornings be bright, may the Sun shine true.
Ronald C. Downie
December 29,2002
Rod steel drawn, point hammered sharp
To pierce the heart of the harvest crop
By keen eyed males strong in muscle tone,
Who can thrust the spear, drive it home.
Jones left New England's warriors as a youth
For a southern education to learn the truth,
That the Earth is covered mostly in water .
"To sea in ships", Bob obeyed passion's order.
"Red at night is a sailor's delight."
Man is drawn and hammered like tempered steel,
While a ship on course is a function of its wheel.
Tempered from birth, Bob Jones born of Yankee stock,
Charts in hand, his ships will stay safely off the rock.
"Red in the morning is a sailor's warning."
That rust belt trilogy: Disinvestment, Decline, and Debt,
Could not deter a tour in Pottstown for this retired Vet.
Taking command, charting a new course, Jones took over the wheel,
Shirting shoals he found favorable currents, Bob's will-steel.
Pottstown is safely in its harbor, new charts point the way.
All assembled here ,Thank You Bob Jones, on this December day.
May all your evenings be bathed in a comforting reddish hue,
And may all your mornings be bright, may the Sun shine true.
Ronald C. Downie
December 29,2002
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Value OF Meaningful Work
The Value Of Meaningful Work
For nine years during the decade of the '60's I worked at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Lower Pottsgrove .While working there I met so many self made men that I wondered what was the key to their character ? When I engaged them in conversations I pressed them to explain how their former years were spent. Most were veterans of WW11 and attributed their character to the regiment of being in the military, the act of leaving home when still young, and their realization that there is value in a chain of command system .
War was not all that formed character . The older ones, some too old to serve in the war, told a similar tale of early development . These fellows were from families caught up in the Depression with little or no family income and no jobs in sight. They also left home at an early age and entered into a paramilitary style organization, the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, a works program for young men
aged 18 to 25 .
Their tales about life in the CCC were compelling . Newly away from home and family they bunked in log type cabins erected by earlier crews of Corps workers led by men trained in carpentry and construction . The newly arrived came with few skills, though at that time in our country most young men came from a stable family whose need was a livable income . It was the mandate of the Corps to take untrained young men and give them a job needing little prior experience.These jobs were mostly involved in work at public parks, in our public land's forests, and along our meagerly developed highway system .
Three square meals a day, a regiment of sleep time, work time, break time, all in a semi-relaxed supervisory atmosphere that gave these men structure in their daily life. They each received a small allowance with the rest of their wages being sent home to the struggling families there . Each to a man felt their work while in the CCC was spent for a greater good, for the good of the country, as sort of, for a noble cause. Each expressed a feeling that their lives turned out much better for them having spent time in the CCC and had no regrets for their service time .
Today the young, both males and females, need similar structure in their lives which their fathers and grandfathers lived two generations prior which dramatically changed their lives for the better. Of course the question remains : Could the government today create a 21'st Century equivalent to the CCC of earlier times? After that question is answered, a larger question begs an answer, should our government reinstitute the CCC today ?
If you answer, Yes, to these questions you join me in my way of thinking . It seems we must move away from a cowboy mentality of : arrogant independence, gun on hip, open range to ride, dumb heifers (people) to herd, deserving mine and taking it, the Hell with you, I got mine .
Let's press Washington to institute a 21'st Century CCC that will give the young adults among us an alternative to a wasted start without meaningful work at home, without a personal structure governing daily activities, without some sense of order and supervision, and without a goal of common interest, namely, for the good of the whole, for the good of the country, for the good of the planet, and mainly for the good of the self .
Ronald C. Downie
For nine years during the decade of the '60's I worked at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Lower Pottsgrove .While working there I met so many self made men that I wondered what was the key to their character ? When I engaged them in conversations I pressed them to explain how their former years were spent. Most were veterans of WW11 and attributed their character to the regiment of being in the military, the act of leaving home when still young, and their realization that there is value in a chain of command system .
War was not all that formed character . The older ones, some too old to serve in the war, told a similar tale of early development . These fellows were from families caught up in the Depression with little or no family income and no jobs in sight. They also left home at an early age and entered into a paramilitary style organization, the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, a works program for young men
aged 18 to 25 .
Their tales about life in the CCC were compelling . Newly away from home and family they bunked in log type cabins erected by earlier crews of Corps workers led by men trained in carpentry and construction . The newly arrived came with few skills, though at that time in our country most young men came from a stable family whose need was a livable income . It was the mandate of the Corps to take untrained young men and give them a job needing little prior experience.These jobs were mostly involved in work at public parks, in our public land's forests, and along our meagerly developed highway system .
Three square meals a day, a regiment of sleep time, work time, break time, all in a semi-relaxed supervisory atmosphere that gave these men structure in their daily life. They each received a small allowance with the rest of their wages being sent home to the struggling families there . Each to a man felt their work while in the CCC was spent for a greater good, for the good of the country, as sort of, for a noble cause. Each expressed a feeling that their lives turned out much better for them having spent time in the CCC and had no regrets for their service time .
Today the young, both males and females, need similar structure in their lives which their fathers and grandfathers lived two generations prior which dramatically changed their lives for the better. Of course the question remains : Could the government today create a 21'st Century equivalent to the CCC of earlier times? After that question is answered, a larger question begs an answer, should our government reinstitute the CCC today ?
If you answer, Yes, to these questions you join me in my way of thinking . It seems we must move away from a cowboy mentality of : arrogant independence, gun on hip, open range to ride, dumb heifers (people) to herd, deserving mine and taking it, the Hell with you, I got mine .
Let's press Washington to institute a 21'st Century CCC that will give the young adults among us an alternative to a wasted start without meaningful work at home, without a personal structure governing daily activities, without some sense of order and supervision, and without a goal of common interest, namely, for the good of the whole, for the good of the country, for the good of the planet, and mainly for the good of the self .
Ronald C. Downie
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Rebirth Of Pottstown
Rebirth Of Pottstown
John, John Potts, what was it like,
When first to this place you came?
You conceived a form, a town was born,
That forevermore carries your name .
You pledged your trust to a westward bluff,
Meandering east a lovely creek ran clean
To a river pure that had in store
The demand for the black rock glean .
The Schuylkill tamed from Holland named
She's a marriage of creeks and many streams .
But the scourge of time, discharge of slime
Was in ignorance of man's best dreams .
So, John, again we'll look to her use,
To draw life for your town worn down .
Will the river forgive past utter abuse
And revive the rebirth of Pottstown ?
Ronald C . Downie
John, John Potts, what was it like,
When first to this place you came?
You conceived a form, a town was born,
That forevermore carries your name .
You pledged your trust to a westward bluff,
Meandering east a lovely creek ran clean
To a river pure that had in store
The demand for the black rock glean .
The Schuylkill tamed from Holland named
She's a marriage of creeks and many streams .
But the scourge of time, discharge of slime
Was in ignorance of man's best dreams .
So, John, again we'll look to her use,
To draw life for your town worn down .
Will the river forgive past utter abuse
And revive the rebirth of Pottstown ?
Ronald C . Downie
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Beneath Sky Delft
Beneath Sky Delft
Beneath sky delft a soft dapple cloud
Pillows early autumn's nodding slumber,
As cold winter stirs north slope proud,
By the seasons, four's the total number,
A cycle repeated on Earth then etched into Eternity.
Naked trees openly pray heavenward
Braced against a harsh winter's wroth,
Pregnant buds swell forever forward
To spring, a yearly primal lesson taught
Of evolution, that universal biological fraternity.
A discordant man slumbers all seasons
In a blatant affront to Natural Law,
While playing God, Moonwalker reasons
Sovereignty implicit, looking up, man saw
Vast Heavenly bodies, but completely forgot, maternity.
Ronald C. Downie
For Daughter, Sherri, upon her birthday
My daughter,Sherri,is an accomplished poet who,I hope,will expose more people to her creations.I think more people should allow themselves to write in whatever style pleases them. In my mind there is neither a wrong way nor a right way of writing,though,by the tests of time there are some norms most people observe and honor.
In today's world I remain baffled by contemporary poetry which seems to pride itself in being so oblique which to these writers must be thought of as being on the cutting edge.
Do you find yourself at a store looking over a rack of cards, reading one after the other, finding it difficult to choose the "just right one"? Don't sweat it, we've all done it. It was
Because of this that I began writing my poems when I asked myself, " Ron, could you write something any better?",so I tried and I've kept writing ever since.
Now if an old farmer like me,unable to spell properly,poorly adapted to grammar,equally deficient in punctuation,and grounded in the earth writes so can you. " A body at rest seeks to remain at rest,when in motion seeks to continue in motion." as I remember "The Law Of Inertia". Get moving, get writing by writing a letter to a family member, get moving.
Beneath sky delft a soft dapple cloud
Pillows early autumn's nodding slumber,
As cold winter stirs north slope proud,
By the seasons, four's the total number,
A cycle repeated on Earth then etched into Eternity.
Naked trees openly pray heavenward
Braced against a harsh winter's wroth,
Pregnant buds swell forever forward
To spring, a yearly primal lesson taught
Of evolution, that universal biological fraternity.
A discordant man slumbers all seasons
In a blatant affront to Natural Law,
While playing God, Moonwalker reasons
Sovereignty implicit, looking up, man saw
Vast Heavenly bodies, but completely forgot, maternity.
Ronald C. Downie
For Daughter, Sherri, upon her birthday
My daughter,Sherri,is an accomplished poet who,I hope,will expose more people to her creations.I think more people should allow themselves to write in whatever style pleases them. In my mind there is neither a wrong way nor a right way of writing,though,by the tests of time there are some norms most people observe and honor.
In today's world I remain baffled by contemporary poetry which seems to pride itself in being so oblique which to these writers must be thought of as being on the cutting edge.
Do you find yourself at a store looking over a rack of cards, reading one after the other, finding it difficult to choose the "just right one"? Don't sweat it, we've all done it. It was
Because of this that I began writing my poems when I asked myself, " Ron, could you write something any better?",so I tried and I've kept writing ever since.
Now if an old farmer like me,unable to spell properly,poorly adapted to grammar,equally deficient in punctuation,and grounded in the earth writes so can you. " A body at rest seeks to remain at rest,when in motion seeks to continue in motion." as I remember "The Law Of Inertia". Get moving, get writing by writing a letter to a family member, get moving.
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Carousel PTC#9
The Carousel - PTC #9-
Round and round, up and down,
Horse and lion, giraffe and hound,
Children laughing, smiling, asking,
Please, please ! Again, again !
Another ride ! Please, again !
Nostalgia, dreams, oh memory,
Young and old, all, everybody,
Climb abroad ! The organ plays
Familiar tunes of bygone days .
1905 at the birth of Century Twenty
Wood carving artisans hew a plenty
Standards and jumpers to stencil then paints
Murals of landscapes, portraits of Saints .
The ring, the ring, get the brass ring,
Coveted is such a small round thing .
Heart jumping, anticipation high
Circling round and around for another try .
One hundred years soon gone by
Hark, listen to echoes of a joyous cry
Melded within these ancient pieces
For boys and girls, nephews and nieces .
In tribute to you fine workers all :
Helpers, investors, you believers tall,
We will honor his memory forevermore
For the living : those happy, healthy, and well
The Derek Scott Saylor Memorial Carousel .
Ronald C . Downie
These are festive times in Pottstown,Friday, December 3,on High Street at our Town Center Park. Christmas season is upon us with food, music, and song while lights and activity excite.
The carousel was to do all these things, and more, and on an every day basis so it would invigorate our Town worn down. More than a decade has passed since the Grand Idea of an operating vintage carousel located here in Pottstown. The staying power of those activests remains a wonderment to me and I applaud them.
When Pottstown rebounds by awakening into a new era of prosperity the things like parks, public events, cleanliness and orderliness, will be commonplace and a functioning attraction like The Carousel P T C #9 will shine through for it's foresight.
We build on the past to assure a future because the beauty of a horizon is that it shifts as the viewer shifts to expose new opportunities to achieve. I understand a new cheerleading school is forming, possibly already formed, to cheer on Teem Pottstown. Good Luck !
Round and round, up and down,
Horse and lion, giraffe and hound,
Children laughing, smiling, asking,
Please, please ! Again, again !
Another ride ! Please, again !
Nostalgia, dreams, oh memory,
Young and old, all, everybody,
Climb abroad ! The organ plays
Familiar tunes of bygone days .
1905 at the birth of Century Twenty
Wood carving artisans hew a plenty
Standards and jumpers to stencil then paints
Murals of landscapes, portraits of Saints .
The ring, the ring, get the brass ring,
Coveted is such a small round thing .
Heart jumping, anticipation high
Circling round and around for another try .
One hundred years soon gone by
Hark, listen to echoes of a joyous cry
Melded within these ancient pieces
For boys and girls, nephews and nieces .
In tribute to you fine workers all :
Helpers, investors, you believers tall,
We will honor his memory forevermore
For the living : those happy, healthy, and well
The Derek Scott Saylor Memorial Carousel .
Ronald C . Downie
These are festive times in Pottstown,Friday, December 3,on High Street at our Town Center Park. Christmas season is upon us with food, music, and song while lights and activity excite.
The carousel was to do all these things, and more, and on an every day basis so it would invigorate our Town worn down. More than a decade has passed since the Grand Idea of an operating vintage carousel located here in Pottstown. The staying power of those activests remains a wonderment to me and I applaud them.
When Pottstown rebounds by awakening into a new era of prosperity the things like parks, public events, cleanliness and orderliness, will be commonplace and a functioning attraction like The Carousel P T C #9 will shine through for it's foresight.
We build on the past to assure a future because the beauty of a horizon is that it shifts as the viewer shifts to expose new opportunities to achieve. I understand a new cheerleading school is forming, possibly already formed, to cheer on Teem Pottstown. Good Luck !
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Not So Funny This Limerick
Not So Funny This Limerick
"May West" twin towers
Duce my eastern sky
And harangue dawn sun's
Awakening smile.
Concrete slip formed heavenward
Now plume gaseous
Vapors steamed hot to
Cool the bowels of
Domed chain reaction.
So long familiar
Just formed white -grey clouds
Join with crossing winds
Whose path's direction
Unknown until trailed.
East the other day
I looked in dismay,
No vapors to veil
The violet sky. Why?
"Three Mile Island" chill
Raised my neck hairs to stand.
What monsters eons
Past collage synapse
To recoil this theme?
Gone is familiar so
Instinct rules the day.
"Shut down" they called it,
"Inadvertent though",
The official line.
Ronald C. Downie
I just caught the local,PCTV show, The Ace Report, last night about the Limerick Electric Generating Plant. Ace has a way to bury a viewer with statistics which I am sure are valid but maybe over stated to a point more like hysteria. I like Donna and Dr. Colbert a lot and I think they put their hearts and souls into their soundings of alarm. With that understanding, I sent them the above poem that also sounds an alarm, as well as,voices my display of a fear of the unknown which, I bet, many locals have. Somehow the Public must realize the enormity of the potential danger Limerick posses and gather around Ace so important questions they ask are indeed answered. We, the Public, must be more than expendable collateral damage if a horrific accident occurs at Limerick. Stories, letters, poems, songs, plays, are other vehicles needed to be used to sound the alarm that we know a problem exists there so we, The Public, can be assured our government is looking out for our best interests
"May West" twin towers
Duce my eastern sky
And harangue dawn sun's
Awakening smile.
Concrete slip formed heavenward
Now plume gaseous
Vapors steamed hot to
Cool the bowels of
Domed chain reaction.
So long familiar
Just formed white -grey clouds
Join with crossing winds
Whose path's direction
Unknown until trailed.
East the other day
I looked in dismay,
No vapors to veil
The violet sky. Why?
"Three Mile Island" chill
Raised my neck hairs to stand.
What monsters eons
Past collage synapse
To recoil this theme?
Gone is familiar so
Instinct rules the day.
"Shut down" they called it,
"Inadvertent though",
The official line.
Ronald C. Downie
I just caught the local,PCTV show, The Ace Report, last night about the Limerick Electric Generating Plant. Ace has a way to bury a viewer with statistics which I am sure are valid but maybe over stated to a point more like hysteria. I like Donna and Dr. Colbert a lot and I think they put their hearts and souls into their soundings of alarm. With that understanding, I sent them the above poem that also sounds an alarm, as well as,voices my display of a fear of the unknown which, I bet, many locals have. Somehow the Public must realize the enormity of the potential danger Limerick posses and gather around Ace so important questions they ask are indeed answered. We, the Public, must be more than expendable collateral damage if a horrific accident occurs at Limerick. Stories, letters, poems, songs, plays, are other vehicles needed to be used to sound the alarm that we know a problem exists there so we, The Public, can be assured our government is looking out for our best interests
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)