NewZ2You -- I just received a package from one of my high school English teachers, a very special person in my life. Mrs. Evelyn Flory sent me a letter that I had written to Mr. Holstein, the director of the Upward Bound program at the Fieldston School for Ethical Culture, up in Riverdale, New York. In 1966, I have participated in the 1st year of the program and had wanted to continue the following year, but I was afraid because of my failing grades at my local school, so I wrote the letter. Mrs. Flory included also a copy each of the end-of-project magazine, which we produced each year, 1966 & 1967. It’s printed via the old mimeograph process – for those of you who might nostalgically recall – so it’s purple ink. I had a piece in each issue, and what’s remarkable to me is the growth in expression between the two. Also, I am blown away by the utter innocence of the first piece – both, in its expressive writing style, and in the story itself. I am sharing these with you at the behest of my good friends and dedicated social activists, David Galarza and Sery Colón, who, upon seeing these pieces exclaimed that I should do so. Pues, here it is, community. I most certainly welcome your comments, tags, and sharing. Thank you, and God Bless you, Mrs. Evelyn Flory. ----------------------------------------------------- Good morning, Little Pop! I’m delighted to hear from you! And I’m so pleased that you have good memories of Gaylord, Charles, and me! Those two summers in Cooperstown were important ones for all of us. Even Charles, who was only two and then three in those years, remembers being there. It pleases me enormously to know that I was helpful to you in any way! I received an emailed text of your latest book and, at the request of your publisher, wrote an endorsement of it. I’ve been intending to get B&N to order a copy of your book for me (I’ll do so this week!), so I can have the real thing in my hands. I’m old-fashioned enough to like the “feel” of a real book. That you have become a published poet is wonderful. From our very first English lesson at camp, you were clearly engaged with words. I remember that vividly. In the evenings when we worked on writing paragraphs (we started at a fairly simple level!), you labored over your words. Some of the students went through the motions, but you seemed truly challenged. You seemed really to care about what you put down on paper. If my memory is accurate (and we all know how memory sometimes re-shapes our past), I even recall your sometimes following up with me the next day about something you had written or we had discussed. What I found in my old files were copies of our end-of-session “magazine,” run off on an old duplicating machine. As I compared the work of the two summers, it was clear some of the students showed real growth from 1966 to 1967. Others, alas, seemed not to have moved at all. When you take a look at your two pieces, you’ll see how great the development was in just one year! The writer in you was already there! . . . I’ll also include a copy of a letter you wrote (between 1966 and 1967) to Dr. Hollstein, asking him to include you in the group again in 1967. One can see how carefully you thought through that letter and how important it was to you to return to Upward Bound at Cooperstown. It is a touching appeal. And now here you are – an established poet! I’m so happy for you! Blessings! Affectionately, Evelyn Flory ----------------------------------------------------- Dear Mr. Hollstein, I feel that It is a must for me to go to cooperstown this year. In fact more than ever. In coop. I have a private place of learning. Everyone is entitled to have a favorite. My favorite happens to be words. My favorite words are Whom, Who, Were & Was. But, and I repeat that – But, I have one problem: I know not how to use these words. As you know I am now writing poetry. I wish to use these words in my poems, to give my writing a more meaningful sence. I would like to learn how to use them, & when asked, how to explain them. With Meri at my side maybe I can learn. I also would like to learn grammar & how to speak it. At english class, here in the city, the other students talk about grammar so freely. I wish to do the same. But I fea As Mrs. Flory put it in her report about me “It is strange how a boy so gifted in the art of writing has such a little response to literature & grammar.” But I fear I will not be able to go this year to cooperstown because of my marks in school. I know that the Fieldston English staff has done so very much for me. And I appreciate it. I write this because you are a very busy man & I hope you find time to discuse this matter with me - Jesus (Little Pop) Melendez P.S. I try very hard to understand grammar but somehow It doesn’t sink in. In fact every english teacher that I have had in the past have tried to teach it to me in private, after school, during lunch, but they got nowhere. ------------------------------------------
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 16:01:01 +0000
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