Solution to the letter mystery - and a tribute to Brian Gradwell

Readers will be happy to know that the long-lost letter from over 30 years ago that Linda Kentfield found in her mailbox Sept. 4 was finally delivered last week to her sister-in-law, Sherry (Kentfield) Szekeres. Sherry had written the letter to her parents, Ray and Dorothy Kentfield, after returning to the United States during the time period when her husband served in the U.S. Air Force.

Linda shares the following information about the delivery of the stray letter to Sherry who is now a teacher in the Hartland School District.

"Although the contents of the letter weren't earth-shattering, reading it brought back memories and caused Sherry quite an emotional stir."Ray and Dorothy had driven to Massachusetts for a visit after Sherry and her husband had returned from Italy to the U.S. After her parents had left to head back to St. Johns, Sherry found an envelope filled with money placed on her counter. She was thanking them for their generosity in the 30-year-old letter.

"For many people this would not be a big thing, but for Sherry it was a reflection of how her parents lived their lives - how family meant everything to them. Sherry has tried to follow that example, and credits her awareness and deep concerns for others to her wonderful parents.

"This story is not quite as interesting as an 'unsolved mystery,' but for Sherry it was a day of remembering where she came from and who she is today - continuing to model her parents' beliefs with her own children."

It's nice to know that the letter contained 'happy' news. You can never have too many glad tidings - even if they're 30 years late in arriving.

* * * * *

There's a chair in the little cubby-hole that I frequent from time to time at the Clinton County News office, mainly used by folks who come for interviews related to stories - or by CCN staff members who have questions or information about those same stories. Its location next to the computer makes it convenient to typeset information and talk to fellow staffers at the same time - especially Brian Gradwell.

Brain, who was an advertising sales representative for the CCN and DeWitt-Bath Review, passed away Sept. 25, following a brief - but fierce - battle with cancer. He was much loved by the entire office staff and by the many, many individuals whose lives he touched on a daily basis. We all miss him.

That ugly, old yellow chair was like a throne for Brian. On a routine basis he would position himself in the chair - one leg crossed over the other, fingertips pressed together like a "church roof" in the old children's game - and expound on a wide range of topics: politics, religion, popular culture, local events and people, whatever happened to pop into his head.

"Philosophy 101 with Brian" was always stimulating. We shared a number of similar viewpoints - and disagreed about enough to keep the discussion interesting and lively.

Brian's mind was like a sponge, soaking up information and releasing facts whenever it was 'squeezed' a bit. Hardly a week went by without an editorial staffer asking Brian to fill in the blank about a date or reference to a historical occurrence - or some worthless bit of trivia. If he didn't know the answer, he made a quick trip next door to the library - I think he loved doing that more than selling ads.

Brian's love affair with books - and, I suppose, knowledge in general - was a shared passion. Many of our conversations revolved around literature - books that either of us had particularly enjoyed were loaned back and forth.

One of the last books Brian returned to me while he was still working at the office was a collection of short stories by J.D. Salinger. He sat in the yellow chair, dissecting "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," reflecting on the years that had passed since he had first read it - and the changes in his life during that time.

In retrospect, many of our final conversations seem to have revolved around life changes - never looking back in regret, but always thankful for the challenges and opportunities that were presented and ready to take on whatever the next day would bring.

Brian was both fearless and humble in his approach to life and death. He taught us much - he left us with many lessons yet to be learned.