In the Story

Kavips proves why he is essential reading with his recent piece, Either Put Delaware in Park or Put a National Park in Delaware, where he describes a pivotal moment at a townhall meeting in Old New Castle with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senator Carper and Congressman Castle to discuss plans for a Delaware National Park. But first, some Carper humor.

The floor was then opened for questions. […] Carper called upon the first guest, and made the mistake of saying the “well dressed one” there.. Two people stood up, and since that remark was made, each thought Carper was speaking directly to them, and neither was willing to back down.

Oh God, man is Carper awkward sometimes. Seriously, does any of you ever wonder how Tom Carper won 12 consecutive statewide elections? I know how. I was at the Ovarian Cancer 5K Run and Walk down on the Wilmington Waterfrong on Sunday. As my friend Jane neared the finish line, I noticed that she was shoulder to shoulder with … you guessed it… Tom Carper! He sprinted ahead and finished ahead of Jane. And then he planted himself at the finish line and proceeded to stick out his hand for a handshake everytime a runner or walker finished. It may be awkward, and half the runners and walkers probably have no idea who this sweaty old guy was, but it is retail politics at its finest.

Carper called out “one more question”…

Then, it happened.

I’ll try to describe it as I can remember it, but memories involving emotions are faulty as we all know.. The speaker said they had come to the meeting to fulfill a childhood memory. That memory was of opening their grade school history book and first seeing the map that showed the Colonial powers extent throughout North America. The French held the Mississippi and Ohio valleys extending up through Canada. The Spanish held Florida and the South with the Western states firmly in their possession. The English held a fragile ribbon of red along the Atlantic Coast, and the Dutch held New York. Looking at the guide, there was a blue patch that said Swedes, and on the map, was a single dot showing that establishment of a Swedish colony right were all of us were sitting. There was no other mention in the text about any Swedish colony.

Later in life, the speaker moved to, and lived in, Old New Castle. Surprisingly, the spot William Penn landed, the great fire on the Strand of 1809, the first commercial railroad, the rout of the capital of Delaware when a British frigate pulled up and the government raced out of town to Dover… an epitaph written by Ben Franklin, the George Read House, were all amazingly well preserved. But no one outside of New Castle knew anything about them…

“This state was the intellectual hot bed of the revolution. The ride of Caeser Rodney, played a critical role in the foundation of this nation. Yet one never hears about it outside of Delaware… It is not so much that Delaware played a sole major role of leading our nation forward, but had individuals chosen NOT to do what destiny required, history would have had great consequences, possibly even giving rise to a totally different entity other than the United States of America. Especially now, people need to hear how actions of individuals do make a difference.

One, it was necessary to preserve the past so future generations shall always know, and two, it was necessary by the establishment of this park, to refocus our current attention on the principals of stepping up to the plate when called upon by destiny. For without Delaware’s enthusiasm to the cause, the historical record shows us results could have gone a different way…. Without Delaware, America might just not be here…”

Wow.

Ken Salazar was obviously affected… He spoke spontaneously [about his family’s ancestry and history in the pre-American West.] He would work to see Delaware got their National Park.

We turned and strained our necks to see who had turned the tide, but no one was there. Like the New Castle ghost wandering the grounds of the Green, the apparition had mysteriously evaporated…

A good writer puts you there, in the story, as an eyewitness. Kavips just did that for me. Go read the whole thing.