— — My guess is that you are all ahead of me on this one. However, the article in the News reporting that the one-way streets in the City of Tonawanda will be changed back to two-way is good news. Sounds as though the city is coming of age. My question is, will taking down useless signals and stop signs be next? Actually, the question is aimed more at NT Mayor Rob Ortt. Someone even called Sound Off wondering why the signal at Webster and Sweeney streets is there. My bet is most of you have a favorite signal or stop sign that you’d like to see eliminated.

A second question pops into mind when driving around town. On Thursday morning, it was my misfortune to be driving to work just as a school bus was picking up kids on Delaware Street. The bus stopped at every corner, and if you know Tonawanda, you know those streets from Walter Avenue to Canton Street are close together. Can’t the kids walk to one central spot on Delaware?

Doesn’t seem too long ago that kids from both ends of Ilion Street (Maldiner on one end and Delaware on the other and a half-mile from one end to the other) had to walk to Amsterdam Street, half way for each. It was a hike, but c’mon they were kids and needed the exercise.

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A number of years ago, a high school principal told me his philosophy on the way the world works. He said 10 percent of people are energetic, enthusiastic, hard working, enjoy new projects and ideas and like to get things done.

Then at the other end, 10 percent couldn’t care less, don’t want to get involved, enjoy life just as it is, no changes, no new ways, no rocking the boat.

However, he said, the 80 percent in the middle could go either way, with the 10 percent of the achievers trying to win them over to their side, and the 10 percent at the bottom trying to do the same.

The point of the story is, that the Quality Students from North Tonawanda, Tonawanda and Cardinal O’Hara high schools who were honored on Thursday are, without a doubt, in the top 10 percent. Their achievements both in and out of school show they are committed to making this a better world, the community an improved place to live and their lives full of action and dreams. My hope is that they will be able to bring many of the 80 percent along with them. If they take to heart Erie County legislator Kevin Hardwick’s talk on “Politics Count,” they will be charged up to really make a difference.

Congratulations to them all and to their parents who have guided them on a path to success.

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Gloria MacGamwell is a person for whom the expression “If you get lemons, make lemonade” was written.

Gloria, who lives at the corner across the street from me, was fortunate enough to have a very old, large ash tree at the corner of her property. It served as a landmark, with one enormous branch extending out from the trunk over her driveway. The tree shaded the house and the sidewalk, giving respite from the sun for walkers. However, it seems the tree was partially on Town of Tonawanda property and the Town forester came last fall to tell her the bad news that the tree was unhealthy and in view of the fact that the Emerald Ash Borer was in Western New York killing ash trees, the Town was going to take the tree down.

Gloria and the neighbors were devastated with the thought of losing such a wonderful tree.

However, when it came time to cut the tree down a few weeks ago, Gloria hand-delivered an invitation to the neighbors to come to her home and share lunch on the day the tree was taken down, to celebrate the life of such a glorious tree and give it a proper send-off. At the end of the note, she added: “Please don’t give the workers a hard time, they are only doing their job.”

The tree is down, the stump ground out and Gloria reports the Town is going to plant a new tree and she is going to do a corner garden with a tree in the center, looking forward to a shady corner, once again.

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Dean Hutter, who worked at the News for many years sent over a note to say he received a call from a friend who also used to work at the Tonawanda News, Dick Litz, now in Asheville, N.C.

“Dick told me that Earl Graf just passed away at the age of 90,” Dean wrote. “Earl lived in Midlothiam, Va. and he hired me in August of 1959 as a fly boy at the age of 16 at the News building on Webster Street, in North Tonawanda. Earl was the circulation manager, then became general manager. He encouraged Ruby Hewitt (former owner of the News) to purchase the River Road building.”

Thanks, Dean for passing the information on.

Earl was here when I was hired to work part-time in 1978. Earl’s gentle ways and newspaper knowledge helped lead the paper to its best days. He encouraged departments to work together, help each other and instilled a sense of ownership in everyone. He’s one of the reasons that the News has become such a part of my life.

Thanks, Dean for the note.

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With fish fry season in full swing, a reader e-mailed to say he’s sorry he must now settle for a haddock fish fry, because the yellow pike are all gone. How true.

Contact community editor Barbara Tucker at 693-1000, ext. 110 or

e-mail barbara.tucker@

tonawanda-news.com