Touching the Ancient One

March 20, 2007

A few days ago I got a letter from Alan LaDuke, Eli LaDuke’s son. He responded after seeing  my journal entry of March 14 and the photographs of his father which were taken by Joseph F. Grey back in 1954. I thought others might find Alan’s letter about Eli’s torn pants interesting. 

     It was only a short time before Dad passed away that I was told about the torn pants. It came to my attention from one of the employees who worked for the same company as I do. I had to place a call to Fed Ex Tech Support, which my company operates. After the agent on the other end had finished helping me, he asked if any of my family had been in the military. It was a weird question, but I answered, “Yes, several of my uncles, as well as Dad and I are veterans.”
     When he asked if any of them were in the Air Force, I felt this weird sensation, but said, “Yes, my father and an uncle were both Airman.”
     Then, I about passed out when he asked about Alaska!  I was really unsure of what this guy was doing. When I told him Dad had been in Alaska, he then proceeded to ask if he had been in a plane crash during that time. My heart stopped and my blood chilled. I was thinking that this guy knows nothing about me because he’s just a person on the other end of the phone that answered the Fed Ex tech support line. But, it seemed he knew more about my family than I did.
     Once he knew that I was Eli's son, he asked if Dad had ever told me the story of the pants getting ripped and Dad having to find some other pants to cover his backside.
     I took the guy’s name and called Dad. When I asked Dad about the pants, he wanted to know how I knew of that, and I explained the call I’d received.
     I do know he and Dad talked a time or two after that. I have since lost contact with him because he left the company and I can't find any notes of the contact info. It turned out this guy served at the same time you guys [the other crash survivors] were there and knew Dad. It was an experience that most people would find unbelievable or spooky, but I cherish the fact that this guy even took the time to ask the questions based on my phone call and the fact that he recognized the last name.
     Just wanted to share this story with you since the pictures (Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3, Picture 4 ) bring this memory to life.

Wonderful story, Alan. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Rupert

March 14, 2007

Ed Olson has been in touch with members of his old military unit in Alaska. It seems that Joseph F. Grey, a 3rd RSM Radio Intercept Operator, took color photographs of the survivors in their Elmendorf AFB Hospital ward sometime in the week following the crash. His son, Dave Grey sent the images to Ed.

I find these four photos truly astonishing since I hadn’t known that any others existed except those black and whites that are in Touching the Ancient One and the others in the Gallery Pictures link on this site.

Three of the new photos are of Eli LaDuke. Two show Eli holding his torn trousers. Eli had told me the story of the struggle he had in finding and exchanging his torn ones with the ones he had taken from a “borrowed” duffel bag at the crash site, but I hadn’t remembered that he’d saved the torn ones. (To download a PDF file about Eli's trouser experience from Touching the Ancient One, click here.)

The group picture shows, left to right, survivors, Ed Olson, Huey Montgomery,  Ed Fox, Rupert Pratt, and Eli LaDuke. For some reason, Bob Sallis was missing. Clearly visible are cuts and scrapes and, in my case, swollen eye, lips, and hand, as well as bandaged right leg. My memory is excellent, so it’s strange to see this photo taken so long ago, and of which I have absolutely no recollection.

I’ve added the four photographs to Gallery Pictures in the sidebar. You can find them in there at the bottom of the Alaska 1953–1956 gallery, or access them here:

LaDuke 1
LaDuke 2
LaDuke 3
Survivor Group

Thank you, Joseph and Dave Grey for sharing this with us––gold nuggets from the past.

Rupert

March 7, 2007

I like discovering nice places and telling people about them. I was asked some time ago if I would give a talk at the Gilboa Dam Visitor’s Center, located in Schoharie County and operated by the New York Power Authority. The nearly six-mile-long body of water created by the dam in the upper section of Schoharie Creek also borders portions of Delaware and Greene Counties. Schoharie Creek is a tributary of the Mohawk River.

I don’t want to get into a discussion on the recent controversy concerning the safety of the eighty-year-old dam, but merely wish to comment on my impression of the visitor’s center and the pleasant experience I had there.

This past Sunday Millie and I drove down from Scotia, a trip of about an hour and a half. It was cold, but sunny. We stopped once to grab a bite at a cafe in Middleburgh. As we climbed into higher altitudes, we ran through some light snow flurries. The center occupies an old, remodeled barn and houses several exhibits dealing with the construction and operation of the dam.

Nearly forty people attended my one-hour presentation in a beautiful and functional little auditorium. The attendees were attentive, asking many questions, both during and after. The center has presentations every weekend and are free to the public. Dessert was served in a large room overlooking the dam. I just missed seeing an eagle, I was told. As I looked out over the water, a wall of snow moved upstream, momentarily obscuring the far shoreline before moving on.

Good experience. Click here to see their schedule of events.

Rupert