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| Meadow Brook Hall |
One of the little extra services provided by the Police Department was uncovered by our police reporter the other day. It unearthed an unknown skill of Sgt. Ray Russell. Apparently he has acquired some veterinary surgery talent along the way.
The incident began when some youngsters were fishing in the pond behind the Municipal Building. They had taken their dog on the outing and were using some bacon for bait. The dog apparently felt that bacon was much too good to waste on fish, so attacked the tasty morsel, hook and all.
The hook became embedded in the dog’s jaw. Help was sought by the boys from the nearby police office. Coming to the rescue was Sgt. Russell who used a sharp jackknife to perform the operation. Within a minute, the delighted boys and their hookless dog were on their way.
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IT WAS ONLY A few months ago that newspapers carried the story about an amazing new “bioptic telescope” for people who are nearly blind. Taking particular note of the item was Ed Lange, kennel manager for the Leader Dog for the Blind School here for the past 17 years. Ed’s wife has been legally blind since birth. When she was a girl, she regained enough vision to learn to read, but her sight faded again. She saw light but no image. She had never seen her own children; had never watched television.
Ed took his wife to a local optometrist a month ago where after much testing, she was outfitted with the new bioptic unit for one eye. Her other eye was hopeless. Within a few days, she could read, she saw her children and she could watch TV. She cannot see in the distance, but the fact that she can again see anything close is a near miracle in itself.
It is believed that up to 50 per cent of the legally blind public can be visually re-habilitated by the new optical aid. The code of ethics of optometrists doesn’t permit them to advertise their services, but Ed Lange is to thankful for the new life for his wife that he is willing to answer questions from those wanting to know more about it. He can be called at 673-2169.
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MRS ALFRED G. WILSON threw open her baronial Meadow Brook Hall following the opening night of the new Meadow Brook Festival Season last Thursday. Since some 6,000 people attended the concert, the invitation list had to eliminate a few— to somewhere around 400. Though the mansion has around 100 rooms, even the 400 seemed like quite a crowd.
It is always a treat to visit Meadow Brook which comes as close to a European castle as anything this side of the Atlantic. Its spacious rooms and long halls are filled with priceless pieces of art and mementoes that Mrs. Wilson and her late husband collected from around the world. Mrs. Wilson, now in her 80’s, is as active as ever in making sure that everything is running smoothly. She even left the reception line to check on some details at the other end of the house.
The concert drew columns of photos and type in area newspapers. Press clippings from all over the nation and even some foreign spots carried the Rochester dateline with reports on upcoming concerts here.
Festival Manager Jim Hicks did it again last week. No concert during the three seasons so far has been rained out. Last Thursday it threatened and dribbled all day but the sun came out just before concert-time. On Friday morning, it rained again— but stopped before the concert that night.
We strongly suggest that if your organization is planning an outdoor event, you might try enticing Jim Hicks to serve on your planning committee. You can’t lose.
