April 16, 2024
Greetings Everyone,
The first Earth Day was in April of 1970. Matt Elsaesser from 406 Recycling will join us this week to discuss the Day and what it has meant these last 54 years. It sure inspired an entire generation, and people like Matt to treat this watery blue orb better than those who came before him. Matt asked me to reflect a little bit on that first Earth Day. In April of 1970 I was one month away from graduating from Carroll College. My lottery number was 131, which meant it was quite likely that I’d be drafted into the military right after graduation. If you ask darn near any male of my generation what their lottery number was, they’ll tell you in a nano-second. We may not remember much, but we all know what number we drew in the draft lottery. So to be candid, Earth Day wasn’t much on my mind at the time. The war in Vietnam, the not-so-secret bombings in Cambodia, the shootings at Kent State, the candidacy of George McGovern, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, the election of Richard Nixon——were all weighing heavily on my mind that spring 54 years ago. Plus, my girlfriend had just dumped me.
Thankfully, the war in Vietnam ended and Earth Day continued. We have come a long way since the Cuyahoga river in Cleveland, Ohio caught fire in 1968. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1973, I think. We have come a long way since ARCO abandoned its holdings Butte in 1980. We have come a long way since the Superfund was created to clean up the damage done at any number of contaminated sites, including more than a few in Montana. The EPA has been a presence here for many years, in the Butte-Anaconda area, and in East Helena where the work on lead removal and abatement continues to this day. We’ll learn more Thursday morning. Perhaps there will be time for a few more early Earth Day stories.
Also on Thursday morning Ross Nelson, from Raven's Feather Productions is going to give us a preview of the play opening May 9th at the Helena Avenue Theater. Ross has been giving us hints about this at Hometown from time to time. It can be said now that the play is titled “What Happened While Hero was Dead.” My understanding is that this is an adaptation of one of William Shakespeare’s comedies. Ross will tell us about it, and extend a gracious invitation to Hometown Helena to take in and enjoy the performance. Many thanks Ross.
And on Thursday afternoon will be the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the new Salon at Helena College. This will be from 4-6 pm at the campus, 1115 North Roberts street. Please c’mon down if you can. You’ll be able to tour the space, and enjoy meeting the faculty, students and staff. Dean Sandy Bauman has arranged for snacks and beverages. If you are so inclined you’ll be able to make an appointment for a haircut or a pedicure at the new Salon. The Salon at Helena College is the very first public institution in Montana to offer this curriculum. It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about a unique approach to beauty education. It is a gateway and a path to good employment, or to starting a small business in a growing field. Dean Bauman is looking forward to seeing us, and to showing off this new learning opportunity at Helena College.
We hope you can join Hometown Helena this week, either in person at Helena College, or you’re welcome to zoom into the meeting, courtesy of Aja Rail and the good people at Pinion Global.
Jim Smith
406-949-1002
Comments
Post a Comment