Good feedback
Excellent article on milkweed [“They picked milkweed to help World War II flyers. Now they grow it to help monarch butterflies” by Robert Podurgiel, Oct. 16]. You did a great job. I am forwarding to friends who are growing common and swamp milkweed for butterflies, as well.
A little known fact is that many of the life jackets referenced in the article went to the Atlantic campaign for sailors. The Outer Banks of North Carolina was known as Torpedo Junction (or Torpedo Alley) during World War II. The ships, once torpedoed by Germans, went down quickly and the only items usually to wash ashore were life jackets stuffed with milkweed. They were collected by locals, largely on Ocracoke Island, and then used to stuff canvas decoys.
They’re very rare and mostly made by Charlie Warren Garrish and Ronald “Conk’ O’Neal. THOMAS E. BAXTER IV New Eagle
In that same section ...
I am a voracious reader of news articles in multiple newspapers. For uplifting stories, I always make time for the goodness section.
Two articles from the Oct. 16 edition were particularly compelling, both demonstrating the inherent decency and compassion inherent in much of humanity.
The challenging and heroic saving of the life of a man who was undergoing a cardiac event by WPXI news anchor Susan Koeppen and Don’s Appliances driver Dustin Kovalcik was thrilling to read [“You know WPXI anchor Susan Koeppen is a cardiac arrest survivor. Now, she’s a cardiac arrest heroine” by Abby Mackey].
That story and the rescue and nurturing of injured squirrel Blueberry by 8-year-old Finn Hall and her family [“For 4 unforgettable days, a girl named Finn was best buds with an abandoned squirrel named Blueberry” by Abby Mackey] are marvelous testaments to mankind’s ability and determination to do good.
Both features touched my heart, and no doubt, the hearts of many readers. All of the individuals involved in these features make the world a better place.
OREN SPIEGLER Peters
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