The Humility Factor

When I was growing up, my Dad would sometimes caution me with the words “don’t get a big head over it.”  It was advice which usually came when I was bragging about some great accomplishment I thought I had achieved. My father was a proponent of the biblical admonition: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”  Touting your own accomplishments was not something my Dad favored.

Probably, because of his influence, I have always put humility right up there at the top of human virtues along with “faith, hope and love.”

For that reason, I cannot see how my father could have become a big supporter of our current President.  Humility to President Trump is a bad word connoting weakness.  Donald Trump is all about being the biggest, the greatest, the best… and he tells you that all the time.

My Dad was a Republican and served as Supervisor of the Town of Kiantone and on the County Board of Supervisors.  Yet, I remember him telling me that he had supported President Harry Truman, a Democrat,  in 1951 when he had fired General Douglas MacArthur.  MacArthur had become “too big for his britches,” and had disobeyed orders from the President.  MacArthur was known for being a self-promoter with a big ego, and that also didn’t sit well with my father. 

Coming back from a recent trip on I-86, we drove into Corning and past Amo Houghton’s family home.  I was always a big Amo fan, and on occasion was in that home to have breakfast with him to talk about old times and current events.  Amo, though wealthy and the only Chairman of a Fortune 500 Company ever to serve in Congress, was also a principled, down-to-earth and humble man.  He was my Dad’s kind of Republican… and, I guess, my kind too. 

In 2016, Amo wrote these words for newspaper publication:  “Donald Trump is not a man in whom I have great respect.  He represents, sadly, all the things I reject in a leader—he is a bully; he fudges the truth; he turns on those who think differently.  He hides critical parts of his life—business failures, tax returns—and I could go on.”

Though Trump carried Chautauqua County that year, it did not deter Amo Houghton from repeating similar views when interviewed by a reporter in 2018.  They bear repeating this year, especially since three other former New York Republican Representatives, Jack Quinn, Susan Molinari and James Walsh, recently announced their support for Joe Biden.  They find Biden to be a decent, honorable man who has shown as Senator and Vice President that he can work with others to help solve the problems of the country.

Some might think this is just partisan talk because I am a Democrat.  But I am a democrat with a small “d” these days and I primarily want to see someone elected who can help unify and bring the country back together.   We have had enough of grandstanding and the politics of fear and blame.

Besides, it is my country too and so I thought I should weigh in on the choice before us.  You can’t really poll people on such an intangible concept as humility, but I think it could be a deciding factor in this year’s election.

Rolland Kidder  
September 5, 2020

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural

U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING, MARCH 4, 1865

In reflecting on the recent focus on race relations in the country, I thought it might be useful to revisit the words of our sixteenth President on the occasion of his Second Inaugural. 

It was gray and raining in Washington, D.C. on that March morning, 1865. Yet, crowds thronged around the Capitol Building waiting for the speech. Inside the building, because of the weather, the ceremony had already begun. One of the speakers, Vice President Johnson, was suffering from a cold and, as an antidote, had taken 3 glasses of whiskey to alleviate his symptoms. His speech had not gone well. President Lincoln whispered to a Senator – “Do not let Johnson speak outside.”

The skies finally lifted, the sun came out and the ceremonies were shifted outside, to the east side of the Capitol for the President’s speech and oath-taking.

Many in the crowd expected Lincoln to brag about recent Union advances in the Civil War –“We have taken Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston and now Columbia, South Carolina. Grant has surrounded Lee’s forces at Richmond. God has given us victory after victory!” That is what some thought he would say.

But, he disappointed. Instead, he spoke of his own spiritual struggle during the War. How could a good God have willed such a thing? How could two sections of the country who both believed in the same God and read the same Bible come to such different conclusions? “The prayers of both could not be answered–that of neither has been answered fully.”

God had allowed slavery to be, but the matter of the continuance of the scourge would be left for mankind to decide by war: “Both parties deprecated war but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.”

Lincoln was speaking to a people who had been raised in church and Sunday school. He, as President, had struggled with the theological and spiritual dimensions of slavery and the war, listening to sermons almost weekly from a pew in a Presbyterian Church in Washington.

Now, near the end of this awful war where one out of every 11 men of service age had been killed, Lincoln would not gloat or celebrate a Union victory in the traditional sense. He, instead, walked his people through his own thoughts, doubts and spiritual struggles. How could this terrible war be explained or rationalized? The speech would be a reminder that many of the questions related to the war still remained unanswered and unresolved in the minds of many Americans.

Then, at the end of this brief 6-7 minute speech, he pivoted from remonstrating about the past to the challenges lying ahead with these words of hope for his listeners and his countrymen:  

“With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphan–to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” 

With that sentence, the speech ended.

We could use such words today.

Rolland Kidder

Remembering the Fourth of July

The Fourth of July’s that I remember most were when I was most isolated from our country— the three years I was in the Far East in the Navy, part of that time on patrol boats in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War. You appreciate your country more when you are in a faraway place celebrating its birthday. You look around for other Americans to celebrate with.

I recall friends expressing the same sentiment when they were students living in another country or as Peace Corps volunteers working in Africa or South America. They would gather as Americans on the 4th of July in countries where it was just another day of the year for everyone else.

I expect that my parents most remembered the 4th of July’s they celebrated during the Second World War. Many of their friends were gone, off fighting the war, and life on the home front was sparse with rationing and hard times a part of everyday life. It was a time of adversity. Yet, it made their national “birthday” more special, more memorable.

This year, 2020, is like that. We are not living in a “normal” America. Kids are graduating from high school without a usual commencement and with no prom. Signs appear in front of homes: “Congratulations! A 2020 High School Graduate Lives Here!” COVID 19 and all of its associated distancing and separation requirements have made this a year no one will forget.

This year the Fourth of July will be different—no huge family picnics with everyone hugging each other, no parties where a whole village congregates and, if we have fireworks, crowds will be discouraged from gathering.

Our symbol is a mask, our attitude is cautious, our minds are full of worry. Yet, we know, in our hearts, that we are all in this together.

It could be a national holiday which we will remember for other reasons. We are fighting a common battle. Our symbol is a mask, our attitude is cautious, our minds are full of worry. Yet, we know, in our hearts, that we are all in this together. We are Americans. We can do this. We are citizens of this world. We are challenged but not defeated. Somehow, we are going to come out of this, the better for it.

In the big picture, our country was built not on hubris but on common sacrifice. This is one of those times. What gatherings there are will be more memorable. What fireworks there are, will be more appreciated. The flag that flies will be more loved.

We may have had “happier” 4th of July’s. But this one, we shall surely remember. It will become one of those national birthdays we will look back to as one of our most challenging, and one when we appreciated more than ever our common liberties and freedoms. People will say, “I remember where I was on the 4th of July, 2020!”

Rolland Kidder

"This is no ordinary time we are in."

These words, spoken by Eleanor Roosevelt just before World War II, describe the time we are in right now. I see it in the eyes of the young clerks at our local convenience store, I see it in the empty shelves of toilet paper at the grocery, I hear it from owners of restaurants laying off staff.

We have heard about the dangerous and very contagious coronavirus, and that quarantine will help us “flatten the infection curve.” Though we in Chautauqua County may have been spared the worst, right now the curve in the United States looks a lot more like the one in Italy (bad) than the one in South Korea (better.)

Ventilators stockpiled at the NY New York City Emergency Management Warehouse (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

What can I do? I am 79 years old and pushing 80. The one thing I do know is that it is going to be the next generation who will have to continue to confront the next pandemics. I also know that because of my age and health history, I am more apt to get sick from this than younger people.

So, what happens if I get sick, admitted to UPMC Chautauqua and need a ventilator? The answer is, “first come, first serve.” There are only a couple of dozen in all of Chautauqua County. If I get there quick enough, maybe I can be hooked up to one.

But, should I be? What if my neighbor who has dependent children comes in a half-hour later than me… should I have a priority over him for the last ventilator just because I got there first? (This is the kind of theoretical/theological question we debated when I was a student at Houghton College and then at Evangelical Theological Seminary, but it is theoretical no longer–it is real and with us.)

In the above situation, I think the answer as to whether or not I should be hooked up to a ventilator is clearly “No.”  I have lived a good life, my kids are grown, my life expectancy is short… and it should be my neighbor with kids at home who should get the ventilator. This is not the same issue that I have already addressed about “no extraordinary measures” to be used when I am dying. The use of ventilators is accepted medical protocol for all patients with severe pneumonia and respiratory failure–the endgame of coronavirus. But what if there are not enough of them?

Therefore, in light these unprecedented times, I have made a written declaration whereby I waive any priorities in being hooked-up to a ventilator, and may be disconnected from one if already connected if others, especially those with dependent children or who have a better chance of recovery, need one.

Should we burden doctors and emergency room staff already overwhelmed with the sick, the decision of who does and who doesn’t get a ventilator? I think not. At least, they should not have to worry about me.

So, I am going to act now to take that decision from their hands. A ventilator? Maybe for me, but only if those with dependent children or those who have a better chance of recovering come first. To wit: “Hallelujah and Amen.” I feel better already. Maybe I will be accused of trying to play God… but, being a life-long Christian (and even one with a seminary degree!), I don’t think God is going to argue with the decision.

Rolland Kidder
This commentary originally appeared in The Post Journal.

We were fortunate for 18 years with Amo Houghton

I first got to know Amo Houghton in the mid 1970s when I represented Chautauqua County in the New York State Assembly. He was chairman of Corning Inc. and would periodically call together all of the state elected officials representing the Southern Tier to discuss common problems and issues facing the region.

Amo Houghton reflects here on his service to the Western New York community in
his remarks from 2004 at the Robert H. Jackson Center.

Usually, I would receive a call from Reggie Lenna or Quint Anderson, two local business leaders, and they would coordinate the schedule.

State Senator Jess Present and I would meet Reggie and Quint at the Jamestown Airport. We would fly to Olean, pick up Assemblyman Dan Walsh and then head to Corning.

Walsh and I were Democrats and most everyone else was Republican. But that didn’t make any difference. We were going to Corning to talk about jobs, the economy and what we could do jointly to help advance the region. Amo would chair the meeting.

In 1986, when then Congressman Lundine announced that he was running for Lieutenant Governor, Stan called and asked me to consider running for the Congressional seat. I declined the opportunity. Fortunately, that was one of the smarter (or luckier) political decisions I made in my life because Amo Houghton soon thereafter made the announcement that he would seek the post.

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that a Democrat was not going to beat a highly respected business leader like Amo Houghton in a district which was and still is a Republican bastion.

Amo didn’t need the job of Congressman. He had plenty of money and had recently retired from a successful career at Corning as head of a Fortune 500 Company.

He was running because he wanted to help grow and advance the Southern Tier.

He actually had been considering becoming a missionary in Africa for the Episcopal Church when the Congressional seat opened. I have always thought that, in a way, he chose Congress as an alternative missionary project, giving him an opportunity to represent and help his home community.

I have always thought that, in a way, he chose Congress as an alternative missionary project, giving him an opportunity to represent and help his home community.

Among other accomplishments, Amo was a World War II Marine veteran and was very supportive of efforts I became involved with in Washington to build a National World War II Memorial. Periodically, I would stop by his office on Capitol Hill and update him on where we were with the project.

Amo was always fighting to keep his Republican Party in the middle of the road.

My father would have described him as an “Eisenhower Republican.” Amo was also not afraid to “buck” his own Party when he believed they were going in the wrong direction.

The last time I saw him was about a year ago. I stopped and had coffee with him in the old family residence in Corning. His grandfather had built the home on a hill that overlooked the glass company’s factory down below. Though he also had a house in Massachusetts, for Amo, Corning was always home.

It was here where he wanted to spend his last days.

This is where his heart was.

We are fortunate that for 18 years this great man represented us in the United States House of Representatives.

Rolland Kidder 

This commentary originally appeared in The Post Journal on Mar 14, 2002  

State of our Union

“The state of our union is good” if you are talking about the recent Super Bowl. Not so good if you watched the action recently in the House of Representatives.

How can things “be good” when the President won’t shake the hand of the Speaker and she responds by ripping up his speech?

Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat this was a sad spectacle to behold.

On the other hand, at the Super Bowl, World War II veterans made the honorary coin-toss to start the game, America the Beautiful and the Star-Spangled Banner were sung, and then we were treated to one of the best football games ever. It was a battle between a mid-America team, Kansas City, and a west coast urban team, San Francisco.

Yet, nobody was shouting “coastal elites” or “mid-west rednecks!” Nobody cared about the Republicans vs. the Democrats. All in the stadium (and millions on TV) were experiencing America as it is and, in the process, enjoying each other.

There was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sitting next to an African-American player’s union representative. There was Coach Andy Reid being hugged by his black and white players after an incredible come-back victory. The game was a pure American slugfest followed by a hug-fest.

I didn’t particularly like the half-time show which I thought was a bit bawdy and risqué. Yet, some of the younger, female members of our family viewed it as a Latino, female affirmation for women. But, in any event, nobody was arguing the politics of it.

I can remember when black Americans were not allowed as students at universities in Mississippi and Alabama. Now, college football teams in the South are often, in racial make-up, more black than white. I can remember when it was illegal in some states for people of opposite races to marry… it was called “miscegenation.” This year the MVP of the Super Bowl came from a mixed-race family.

This is the America we have become, and it is something to celebrate. In our diversity, the “state of the union” is good.

Maybe it takes a good football game, like this year’s Super Bowl, to wake us up a bit. We are a better country than our current politics would indicate. We can compete, be different and still get along.

We will find our way through all of this. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe it takes a football game to show us that there is even light in the tunnel.


Rolland Kidder

Time Marches On

Recently, thanks to a good buddy who helped with the driving, I took a road-trip to Chicago and the Midwest to see two old friends.  Both are experiencing what could be life-ending health issues.

It was a reminder that “time marches on,” and that there is nothing you can do about getting old.  It was also an energizing trip in that life-long friendships never get old.

Both of these men were educated in theology.  One I met while in seminary, and he had a remarkable 40-year career in the Christian ministry.  Both have counseled many over the years on the issues facing those nearing the end of their lives.  Now they are living it.

The experience caused me again to pick up the book “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande which I keep on the reading table next to my bed.  There is a lot of good reading in that book.

I told my doctor once that this book should be mandatory reading for everyone reaching retirement age.  It puts a lot of things in perspective.  The underlying message is that aging is inexorable and irreversible.  We can deal with it or not.  We can affirm or deny it.  We can ignore it… but it is not going to go away.

We can deal with it or not.  We can affirm or deny it.  We can ignore it… but it is not going to go away.

The one thing that we cannot really control is how we will die.  I remember my Mom always saying that she wanted to die quickly without a lot of drawn out pain and anxiety.   Her prayers were answered.  During a hospital stay for heart-related issues, one night after a walk with an aide, she toppled into bed and was gone.  On the other hand, my Dad died a prolonged death from cancer, sort of wilting away a day at a time until the end of his life.

Maybe what the elderly fear most is not being in control.  For all of their adult lives, they were working jobs and running households.  They were “in charge.”  Now, they are subject to events beyond their control.  In the case of my friend in Chicago, he seemed most concerned about the ill-health of his wife.  She has her own problems with dementia and needs lots of care.  Yet, with his own declining physical condition, he is not able to provide it and must depend upon others.

In most cases, doctors are at the forefront in all of this.  My own doctor has been seeing me for over 30 years and has been spectacularly successful in keeping this “old used car” running.  Yet, he has also been there when there have been bumps in the road.  He has seen hundreds of patients over the years move through their life cycle.   He will be there at the end doing whatever he can to provide good health care to his patients.  This is what doctors do.

If there is a gold star award in heaven, it should go to those in the medical community who dedicate themselves to lifetime patient care.

There is, of course, a spiritual and emotional dimension through all of this.   Faith, friendship and the love of family are most important as one reaches the end.

These two friends I visited had a great, positive impact on my life.  I felt a need to visit them at this time in their lives.  I hope that the visit was as meaningful to them as it was to me.

Rolland Kidder

WWII Vets at the Super Bowl

When I was on the board of the Friends of World War II Memorial, I helped in getting a meeting set up between Holly Rotondi and Marv Levy in Chicago.  Marv agreed to be a honorary member of our 75th Anniversary of WWII effort… and has helped a lot with the NFL over the years.

As you can see, there have been some good things that have come from it… including WWII vets at the Super Bowl this weekend.

Rolly Kidder

Lt. Col. Samuel Lombardo   ~   Col. Charles McGee   ~    SSG Odón Sanchez Cardenas The Friends of the National World War II Memorial is proud to share with you the exciting news that the National Football League will honor 100-years-young WWII veterans SSG Odón Sanchez Cardenas, Lt. Col. Samuel Lombardo, Col. Charles McGee, and Cpl. Sidney Walton at this year's Super Bowl in Miami, Florida on Sunday, February 2nd. Be sure to tune in right before kickoff as these three heroes will join the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs captains at midfield for the ceremonial coin toss ceremony! This is the culmination of six months of effort by Friends, with the tremendous support of WWII veteran and Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Marv Levy, to encourage the NFL and its teams to commemorate the 75th anniversary of World War II and to honor our "Greatest Generation".    Many thanks to the NFL and to Commissioner Roger Goodell  for answering our call to Remember Them! The Friends of the National World War II Memorial's NFL Salute to World War II. Copyright © 2020 Friends of the National World War II Memorial, All rights reserved. Thank you for your ongoing interest in honoring and preserving the national memory of World War II and creating the next "Greatest Generation" of tomorrow.

Republicans Struggle in Albany

I am a Democrat, so it might seem strange for me to be concerned about the future of the Republican Party in Albany… but such is the case. Though the Republican Party is dominant here and in many Upstate areas—as a statewide political force, it is in decline.

Today, the Republican Party has no state-wide elected leaders, and is falling into a permanent minority status in the state legislature. Competition in politics is a good thing and right now the Republican Party in New York is not providing it.

Competition in politics is a good thing and right now the Republican Party in New York is not providing it. 

During the years I was in Albany, the Republicans controlled the State Senate and were a check on the policies of the Democratic Party in the Assembly. Yet, the situation also created an opportunity for Chautauqua County. Most of the legislation I passed in the Assembly was co-sponsored in the Senate by my good friend, Republican Jess Present. As a result, we got a lot done in Albany for the people of the area. Our both being in the majority meant that we could deliver for our constituents.

Republicans in the State Assembly have been in the minority since 1975. They recently experienced a “bump in the road” when their Minority Leader was picked up driving drunk in a state car which he is eligible to have as a legislative leader. The optics weren’t good. He quickly announced his resignation as Republican Leader.

Now, it has been announced that an Assemblyman from the Oswego Area will lead the Republicans in the Assembly. I thought that it might have been an opportunity for our Assemblyman, Andy Goodell, but he indicated that he would not seek the position preferring to retain his role as floor leader. Yet, the reality is that the Republicans only have 43 of the 150 seats in the Assembly and so their power in Albany is minimal.

Until last year, the Republicans in the State Senate were in a much better position—they were in the majority and had great influence in the budget and legislative process. However, they lost the Majority in the last election and now have only about 1/3 of the seats in the Senate. Many incumbent Republican Senators have since announced their retirements or are seeking other offices (like running for Congress.) Therefore, chances of Republicans regaining control of the State Senate seem nil at this point.

Being in the Majority, they were able to draw Senate districts which favored Republicans being elected.  This time around in the “gerrymandering” process, they won’t be in that position.  

Another “nail in the coffin” for Senate Republicans is that after the 2020 census, there will be a redrawing of legislative district lines. Assuming that they are not in the Majority, they will probably lose even more seats in that legislative body. By being in the Majority, they were able to draw Senate districts which favored Republicans being elected. This time around in the “gerrymandering” process, they won’t likely be in that position.

Perhaps a “white knight” will come charging to the fore and win the Governorship for the Republicans. Aside from that possibility, I see little happening in Albany to change the current state of affairs. It would better for all of us if the Republican Party could find a way to resurrect itself and again become a competitive force in New York politics.


Rolland Kidder

The Demise of Political Parties

From the time I was a kid, there has been a big change in the way political parties operate. There used to be robust political conventions where state delegations dominated, and the nominees for President were decided. Today, all of this has all shifted to a Primary election format where the nominating process goes on “forever,” and the winner often ends up being the person who can raise the most money.

Four years ago, it was the Republican Party battling it out. This year it is the Democrats. It has become a circus in a way. Candidates with the most extreme positions tend to move toward the “front of the pack” in both parties, and the so-called debates have become exercises in who has the better “show-biz” techniques. It is a tiresome and demeaning process.

Right now, the Democrats still seem far from selecting a middle-of-the-road candidate who could win the general election. In comparison, the Republicans, appear to be solidly lining up behind their real estate tycoon and self-made reality show personality from Queens and are following him like the Pied Piper to an end yet to be determined.

Political parties, like people, have a history. Just think back to over 50 years ago when the 1965 Civil Rights Act was passed. From shortly after the end of the Civil War until then, the South had been solidly Democratic. Now the “solid South” is Republican. States like New York back then could elect Republicans statewide, now there are no Republican statewide elected officials in our State. Political parties are not what they used to be.

The Democratic Party really doesn’t exist much except as a debate forum for people who either have money or can raise a lot of it.

I attribute a lot of this to the power of money in American politics. When Senator John McCain was alive, he and Senator Feingold sponsored bi-partisan legislation to limit the impact of money on politics. That legislation was thrown out by the Supreme Court. So, look what happened. Now, in the Democratic race for President, you are not eligible to join Presidential debates unless you can raise money, and then keep raising more money. The Democratic Party really doesn’t exist much except as a debate forum for people who either have money or can raise a lot of it. Similarly, the Republican Party of pro-business and small government seems to have disappeared into a personality cult of some kind.

Where are the political parties in terms of their own status in American political history? This may be too simplistic, but I see the Republican Party as morphing back into the Whig Party of the 1850s from whence it came. The Whigs became known as the “know nothing” Party. They preached fear of immigrants and urbanization, became insular in their politics and ultimately became irrelevant. All of this talk today of building a wall to keep people out and spreading fear about immigrants, etc. reminds me a lot of the 1850 Whigs.

And where is the Democratic Party? Again, some might take issue with this, but I see it struggling like it did in the 1920s. It didn’t have focus, the old “solid south” and urban north hadn’t figured out how to build a winning coalition. It took the Great Depression and Franklin D. Roosevelt to do that.

Yet, back in those days, the national party conventions at least had a purpose. They were the center of power for nominating the Presidential candidates. Today, they have become a coronation affair for a big money/media game and that is not good for the country.

Rolland Kidder 

Our American Holiday

Since 1863, when it was announced by President Lincoln, Thanksgiving has been an official American holiday. It is uniquely American, almost as much as the 4th of July, and it has become all about families getting together and celebrating our common freedoms in this country.

He asked citizens to acknowledge “our national perverseness and disobedience” and thank God for “singular deliverances and blessings.”

Sometimes we forget how deeply religious and spiritual this proclamation was. It was to be a day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” Proclaimed during the violence and anguish of a national Civil War where thousands had already been killed and more thousands would die, it asked citizens to acknowledge “our national perverseness and disobedience” and thank God for “singular deliverances and blessings.”

The last sentence ended with hope for a better time: we “fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

So, part of what makes Thanksgiving my favorite holiday, is that it has these noble and deeply-embedded aspirations. It has become a time when families gather to remember the fundamentals of the Nation they live in as well as just the pure joy of being a family.

In my view, it is also the most relaxed of any of our national celebrations. There is no gift-giving to worry about, it doesn’t really matter exactly what time Thanksgiving dinner will be, the shopping can wait until the next day, kids can go outside and toss a football or hike in the woods, adults can just hang out and wait for the football games to begin on TV or tune in to the Macy’s Day parade in New York.

The dinner in our family is always the same: turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, cranberries, pumpkin pie for dessert and a tasty old family recipe that we call “green surprise” … a gelatin-based salad that has marshmallows mixed in. Why we don’t have this delicious cuisine more than once a year—I really don’t know. But, then, there is only one Thanksgiving Day.

At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, there is a magnificent, imposing, marble sculpture created by Daniel Chester French where Honest Abe is seated in a chair with arms extended looking out over the country “for whom he saved the Union.” It is a powerful image. Around this time of year, I can almost visualize Lincoln gazing out at that same Nation saying: “I am pleased that we created Thanksgiving Day for the people of the country. It has become all that I could have hoped for, and it appears that they are remembering it well.”


Rolland Kidder

The Calming Effect of Water

We have lived on the lake now for over 20 years. It is still hard for me to describe what it is like, but the word “calming” may be best.

Of course, the lake is not always calm. Sometimes, when the winds come and are strong, the waves can wash out your dock. Water is not always your friend. Just ask a mountain where every day the effects of rain and erosion continue to sweep its soil and rock downhill.

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” 

Yet, human beings over the centuries have been drawn to the water. Allusions go back to Biblical times: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”  There is a yearning to be around water.

I recall many times on canoe trips in Canada trying to find campsites along the rapids of a river. The constant sound of the rush of water helped put you to sleep. It connected you to the earth; it was inspiring to see the white water rushing over the rocks.

I was fortunate in my life to have been appointed to a committee responsible for the site and design of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Early on, it was clear that an effort would be made to include fountains and waterworks as a part of that Memorial. Today, a waterfall comes from the reflecting pool and fountains adorn the north and south entrances and those in the Rainbow Pool, which weren’t working, have been restored. You can stand in the plaza of that Memorial within a “stone’s throw” of the busy traffic of 17th Street, and hear no street noise… only the sound of fountains and falling water. It makes you want to be there.

The other morning, at dawn, I was sitting, looking out over the lake as I usually do. There was very little wind, but just enough to make small ripples across the entire surface. There was no boat traffic and so no interruption of the surface by a man-made wake … not even the smaller riffles made when a duck takes off from the water. It was just one, broad panorama of sameness with only slight movement and just enough relief to create a pallete of water which, if I were a painter, would have filled half a canvas. I thought that in the whole world, there was no place I would rather be.

It was one of the calmest moments I can remember.

I was in the Navy and I can still visualize the sea when it was violent and you had to hang on to bulkheads and rails as the ship pitched and rolled. But, my most vivid shipboard memory was one day steaming late in the afternoon off the coast of China on a glass sea when the ocean was absolutely calm, the sun was going down and on the horizon was one lone Chinese junk drifting with its ribbed sail outlined in the sunset. It was one of the calmest moments I can ever remember.

I grew up on a farm and did not see the lake much in those days. However, we had a creek to go to where the kids could go skinny dipping, or fish or search for crabs under the rocks. The water drew us there, and we never wanted to leave when it was time to go home.

So, my advice would be that if you have had a bad day, or even a mediocre day and want to unwind and “calm” yourself down … find some water, the medium that always seeks its own level. It will help you see the big picture, the beautiful picture, help you find your own level and make you grateful you are standing there looking at it and listening to it.


Rolland Kidder

This commentary appeared in the Post-Journal on November 23, 2019

The Nation's Park

Ever since I was a small kid, it has been engrained in me that of all our national parks, there is one that is our premier and most pristine park–Yellowstone. I visited it with my parents in my teens, we took our children there in the 1980s, and we just returned from visiting again in September. The place is unchanged. The wildlife, the geysers, hot springs and the Canyon and Falls of the Yellowstone River–remain, as they have always been, a place of monumental natural wonder.

Prior to going this time, I read some old histories including that of Hiram Chittenden, one of the early Superintendents of the Park. It was relatively late in our national life, after the Civil War, before a group of explorers, geologists and academics went into this untouched area and came back to Washington, D.C. recommending that it be preserved as a National Park. It was so established in 1872.

Think about that. Ulysses Grant was President, Wyoming was not yet a State, and there was no National Park Service! In an unprecedented move, Congress created an area larger than the States of Rhode Island and Delaware combined to be preserved in perpetuity for its natural wonder and beauty.

An area larger than the States of Rhode Island and Delaware combined to be preserved in perpetuity for its natural wonder and beauty.

For decades, since there was little federal presence in this part of the West, the Park was administered by the Army Corps of Engineers. As soon as the railroads discovered what a magnet this gem of real estate would become, they made attempts at extending their tracks and presence into this wilderness. The answer was “No!” and it is still “No!” You can make your way into the park only by two-lane road and from just five entrances. There is no development allowed within the park, with the exception of some lodging facilities owned by the National Park Service.

It is inexpensive to visit the park, but not cheap if you stay overnight in a hotel. There are also no neon signs or blinking lights advertising the next fast-food restaurant or big-box store. If you do stay over-night, don’t expect a fancy restaurant–you are more likely to find a cafeteria with a limited menu. It is also difficult to get Wi-Fi or cell phone service.

By design, the park is a preserve. It opens in May and closes in October. Since most of the terrain is 7,000 or 8,000 feet above sea level, Yellowstone has a short summer. Its roads are officially closed during the winter with the exception of specially equipped snow vehicles that operate between Mammoth Hot Springs and the lodge at Old Faithful.

The geology is young. The explosive caldera that the Park sits on produced, over the last 2 million years, most of what you see. In geologic time that is like yesterday. The continental divide runs across this high plateau. Some of its waters run east to the Missouri River and on to New Orleans via the Mississippi. The Snake River drains south and then West to the Columbia River and then to the Pacific. Within the Park you will find incredible white water and dramatic waterfalls. Yet, there are also beautiful, clear trout streams meandering through scrub brush and grassy meadows.

Traffic moves slowly. Lines build up when a bison herd crosses a roadway. An elk or antelope siting brings out cameras and binoculars. Don’t expect to rush through Yellowstone National Park.

There are not a lot of flags flying except at major Park installations. Yet, you feel patriotic and glad to be an American as you travel though Yellowstone. It makes you realize that the foresight and vision of earlier generations have made possible what you can still see today. 

Rolland Kidder 

 

The Mystique of Living Here

It is not easy to describe the “mystique” of living around here, but you know it when you see it.

I see it often in the morning when I pick up the paper at Hogan’s Hut and listen to the bevy of truck drivers, linemen, and construction hands talking as they purchase their morning coffee and breakfast sandwich. It isn’t deep intellectual conversation, but it is real–about the weather, the morning news, sports or what happened in their families over the week-end.

The talk is non-pretentious and friendly. It reflects the concerns of making a living and raising a family. No one is on a “high horse” trying to sell an opinion. The conversation is about the challenges and reflections of everyday life. It is part of what draws me to go down and buy the paper. How do you describe something like this?

You get glimpses of it at hunting camp. How can you describe sitting around in an old trailer or cabin trading “war stories” and talking about the big buck that you saw which is still out there? You sense it sitting in a sugar shack in the Spring watching sap boil. Sometimes, even when they are having a bad year, you get it in the optimism of Bill’s fans at a tailgate party.

There are times when I have attended an exceptionally good concert at the Civic Center, or seen a student production or sporting event at a local school when the feeling comes. It is often present when you sit down with friends of many years over a glass of wine and reminisce about old times.

It is hard to describe but there is a love for this place and this community which is really difficult to explain in just rational terms.

My brother recently related an experience to me illustrating this. He had gone to a “celebration of life” event for a friend of ours who had been tragically killed in a truck accident. This man had been in the trucking business his whole life and had obviously made a lot of friends. The celebration began at the shop where he had worked from for most of his life, and ended at the volunteer fire department where he had been a long-time member and leader. A dozen or more road tractors (the kind which make-up 18 wheelers) showed up for the parade. Fire trucks joined in. There were also a number of Harley’s ridden by friends. This man had made a positive impact in the lives of many people, and this was their way of saying “thanks.”

How do you explain the power and meaning of something like this unless you live around here? It would be hard to explain to someone living in Manhattan or L.A. But, you know it when you see it. There is a mystique, a mystery, a meaning to all of this. If you live here, you know what I mean.

So, all of this to say that I am not moving anyplace else. How could there be a better place to live? I can’t always explain it, but I know it when I see it.

Rolland Kidder

is a Stow resident.