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m tribune november 16 1988 editors mail we care dear editor stouffville is truly a caring com munity despite the fact the town has grown and continues to grow it hasnt lost its feeling one person for another the pray for debra sign on the lloyd britton property is a prime example on occasions ive had strangers ask mc whats it all about when i explain theyre amazed that a community could care so much this is what sets stouffville apart from any towns ive ever known i count it a privilege to live here mrs ruth march lori avenue stouffville dear editor 1 wish to respond to your roam ing around column of nov 9 under the heading best we forget initially i thought you were sug gesting we should forget those peo ple who paid the supreme sacrifice during two world wars as i read on i came to realize this was not the point you were making in stead you were suggesting the witchhunt as you describe it for socalled war criminals should cease i fully agree like yourself it disturbs me greatly when 1 hear how some poor soul now a senior citizen has been arrested for something that happened more than 40 years ago angus murphy greenwood road stouffville l trig txcae i the tribune established 1888 james thomas patricia pappas deborah weller jennifer hutt editor publisher advertising manager distribution manager retail advertising susan 8erry manager charles canning real estate classified advertising joan marshman real estate manager dorothy young distribution sandy kiieley anene maddock business office manager chris bertram doreen deacon national sales representative metroland corporate sales 4931300 the stoulme ftiune pubsshed every vfednesday and saturday at 54 man st stoufmle or is one ot the metroland pmong pudfchng dstrtiutmg groip o suburban newspapers when ncbdes the ficton free press ajax pckemg news mvertser awora barmet brampton guardon burington post etobcote ajvertser guar- rian georgetown ndependent markham economsl sun mflon charrpen mssssauga news newmarket era oakvie beavec osnawa wbftby the vvftefc richmond hi thomhl vaughan uveraj scarborough mrroc tope newsmagazne wtowdale mrrrx metroland prhgng puofehng dstrbulrig is a ctiron ot hartequo enterprises lh sogle copies 50 subsenptons 21 00 per year n canada 5500 elsewhere meatier of cara ts cornrunty newspaper assoaa3 j surban newspaper o american second class rnal regfttradon nun tier 0896 6402100 6492292 roaming around a town institution by jim thomasj editorials remembrance day a community event on sunday nov 6 a remembrance j day service was held in the stouffville legion hall on friday nov 11 a wreathlaying ceremony was held in the town square i at precisely the same time as the lat- ter programs varying in format but focussing on the same theme were tak- ing place in each of our local elemen- tary schools and the high school the time has come to coordinate these public assemblies the young and the old into a rallying force for peace lets make remembrance day an all- j encompassing community event dont toy with lives j a pedestrian crosswalk protected by j pushbutton lights is urgently required in the area of summitview school parents have been requesting this j safety device more than two years as far as the towns concerned its still j understudy and thats what tries the patience of j people requests are studied and i restudied before action results several years ago a 12yearold girl was struck and killed at this location on thursday a senior citizen was hit and died later in hospital these are cold hard facts close calls dont count rather than foist yet another respon sibility on an already overworked engineering coordinator council would be well advised to make this decision on its own our advice is this rather than wait endless months maybe years for the reconstruction of stouffer streets north and south establish the automated crosswalk at the intersection that now exists if and when the corners reconstructed the crossover can be changed we dislike toying with peoples lives particularly young peoples lives several hundred boys and girls cross main street daily five days a week go ing to and from summitview school the risk of injury even death is great no council wants a needless fatality on its conscience so lets get moving and eliminate a very obvious hazard such a proposals by no means new some towns including uxbridge have been doing this for years its a service with numbers and with meaning its moving and impressive the correct location we feel is the cenotaph in the town square the time has come in this regard to change our way of doing things cer tainly the tradition must remain but participation should be less fragmented lets all join in one com mon cause remembrance of wars but more importantly preservation of peace one community one purpose come nov 11 1989 lets think about it then plan for it i could set my watch by him at 915 most mornings hed come shuffling into the office no matter what the weather hot or cold rain or shine carl watson seldom missed an appointment the girls would look up from their desks to see him standing a fewsteps in side the door he was an imposing figure over six feet tall with a brown toque pulled over both ears and part way over both eyes a brown wool scarf was usually wrap ped loosely around his neck if it was windy or wet theyd try to discourage his volunteer courier duties but carl wasnt easily persuaded but i want to hed insist i like helping if lean diminishing carls kind of en thusiasm was difficult seldom did he leave emptyhanded but before he did hed always sit down and pass the time of day anybody dead hed ask id read him my list of obituaries hed nod if he knew them or shake his head if he didnt while his stay only lasted a few minutes i often resented the intrusion especially on tuesdays when attemp ting to meet early deadlines much of the time while he talked i was paying no attention and he knew it youre too busy hed say his voice tinged with resentment i hate being a nuisance its okay carl id reply but tuesdays are a bit rough drop in to morrow and well go have a coffee he did but i still couldnt find time to put my pen aside and talk thats all he wanted to talk thursday should be better i said well have that coffee sure unfortunately for carl and for me thursdays coffee time never came he was struck down and critically injured that same morning while crossing main street near summitview school he died friday in toronto general hospital the news hit me hard not so much his death at age 75 1 knew his chances of recovery were slim it was the fact id put him offone day too long our to morrow would never come carl had been afflicted with cerebral palsy since birth i wasnt aware of this i only knew he had a problem mentally retarded i think they called it back then we first met in the old stouffville sta tion i was about 12 at the time carl was close to 30 even then he wanted to talk but i shied away not knowing quite what to make of this stranger in our midst little was i to know wed become the closest of friends in years since carl and i travelled hundreds of miles together going anywhere tomorrow hed ask each friday hoping to go along if my jaunts were far enough to make it worthwhile but not too far to tire him out carl was welcome our last trip was uxbridge fair how he loved it striking up conversations with anyone whod take the time to talk he made one circuit of the site then took a seat by the refreshment booth where everyone would sooner or later drop by i really enjoyed myself he said later i want to go next year too if youll take me he added i promised i would little knowing next year for carl and i would never come we visited other places too the mennonite festival at black creek pioneer village plowing matches and markham fair a piece of apple pie and a coffee usually concluded each event carl had friends some he only parental pride at commencement 88 there were many proud parents grandparents aunts and uncles in the audience when stouffville dist secon dary school held its annual commencement exercises friday but there were none prouder than john and kay marshall obrien avenue son ian he last of their fami ly to graduate was the recipient of his honor graduation diploma and an ontario scholarship jim thomas thought were friends he also had feel ings when a friendship turned sour it hurt him badly he would talk about it for days always reassuring himself with the statement you cant tell about people some are worse than kids then hea add i still think im pretty well liked i always assured him he was for thats what he wanted most out of life to be liked snide remarks suspicious stares and looks of disgust cut him to the quick but for those who got their kicks out of putting him down there were folks ready and willing to pick him up he talked about these people constantly marilyn woodrow tom winters helen taylor barbara spinney and others they were true friends whatever carls shortcomings he never lacked for ambition there wasnt a lazy bone in his body he enjoyed accompanying local mail couriers on their routes the post office was his second home as a walker there were few in town his equal he thought nothing of hoofing it from tenth line south to the west end plaza more than two miles both ways sometimes in the pouring rain he also enjoyed saturday visits to the sales barn crossing main street was scary for eyewitness pedestrians and drivers too after several close calls carl began signalling his intentions by rais ing one arm while beneficial in some respects it also gave him a false sense of security and may have cost him his life eating and drinking were pleasant pastimes for carl a restaurant order often included doubles of everything along with a coffee a hot chocolate and a pop he usually ate alone on one occasion i invited him for new years dinner an occasion he never forgot months later he was still saying thanks he was looking forward to christmas toms taking me out he would say i dont know where but hes asked me to go that outing too like so many others will never be realized carl always kept abreast of current events both locally and worldwide he continually quoted cfrb newscasters addressing each on a firstname basis whats coming to town hed ask any new building when id tell him about a new store or industry his eyes would light up with in terest he enjoyed watching stouffville grow attractions like the trade fair the strawberry festival and the markham home show were of great interest hed come away his arms laden with literature while carl and i travelled many places he never accompanied me to church some day i will was his stock reply to my request not until the funeral ser vice saturday did i realize that privilege had belonged to pentecostal pastor rev craig pitts as strange as it may seem i find it hard to comprehend a stouffville without carl watson he was as much a part of our town as main street as much a part of the tribune as my office chair the same chair he occupied each morning and i can still hear him ask anybody dead would that i could reply no one carl no one a iff